Semifinals: Key players, past results, and predictions
Pirates-Old Boys, Marist, Woodlands, and the Eastern-Northern Barbarians will jostle for a spot in the 2025 Galbraith Shield final.
And then there were four…. The 2025 Southland premier club rugby semifinals will take place on Saturday as four teams scrap it out for a spot in the 2025 Galbraith Shield final. Logan Savory runs the microscope over the two semifinals.
SEMI-FINAL 1
Who: Pirates-Old Boys (1st) v (Marist 4th)
Where & When: Rugby Park - 2.30pm kick-off.
Previous 2025 encounters: POB 45, Marist 10 (round 3); POB 48, Marist 10 (round 13).
PIRATES-OLD BOYS
The key player: Greg Dyer. Dyer is POB’s general at first five-eighth and more often than not points the team in the right direction with his general kicking game. That will be vital in what is expected to be a tight contest on Saturday.
Keep an eye on: Jaye Thompson. Regular readers would have seen me write this countless times over the years, but the Pirates-Old Boys centre is one of, if not the biggest, attacking threat in Southland club rugby. He has made opposition defences look silly, and Marist will need to shut him down at Rugby Park on Saturday.
POB’s Stags: Despite finishing the regular season nine points clear at the top of the table, the Surrey Park lads have the fewest current Stags players out of any of the teams. Kaea Nikora-Balloch is a 2025 Stags first five-eighth contender, and there is a sprinkling of former Stags in the mix, including Tale Tuapati, Craig Smith, Greg Dyer, and Jaye Thompson.
MARIST
The key player: Faletoi Peni. I’ve just mentioned that Jaye Thompson has probably been the biggest attacking threat in Southland club rugby over many years. Although the arrival of Faletoi Peni at Marist a few weeks ago might have shifted that mantle. Peni’s passing, kicking, and running games all provide a real threat in attack.
Keep an eye on: Liam McIntosh. The former Highlanders U20s tight-head prop has been signed by the Stags for the 2025 NPC season. To date, he has had an indifferent club campaign. The Stags coaches will be hoping to see McIntosh deliver at the crunch stage of the club season.
Marist’s Stags: Marist has had a couple of handy current Stags to call on late in the season in Faletoi Peni and halfback Connor McLeod. Young Marist tight-head prop Liam McIntosh has also picked up a Stags contract. The Miller St brigade also has some experienced former Stags in the mix, including Ben Fotheringham, Scott Eade, and Keanu Kahukura.
TRIBUNE PREDICTION
In the two previous outings to date, Pirates-Old Boys ran up 35 and 38 point wins over Marist. That won’t happen again on Saturday - well, it shouldn’t.
This game will be much tighter.
Marist is a much-improved team from round three when it lost 45-10, and last Saturday’s 48-10 can largely be forgotten about because Marist opted to rest some key players.
Although there was one major concern to come out of that game that still could be telling in Saturday’s semifinal, and that was the Marist scrum.
It will need to be much better at Rugby Park.
Pirates-Old Boys by 10 points
SEMI-FINAL 2
Who: Woodlands (2nd) v (Eastern-Northern Barbarians 3rd)
Where & When: Les George Oval - 2.30pm kick-off.
Previous 2025 encounters: Barbarians 7, Woodlands 6 (Round 1); Woodlands 45, Barbarians 6 (Round 6); Barbarians 34, Woodlands 30 (Round 11).
WOODLANDS
The key player: Fletcher Morgan. The former New Zealand Heartland XV rep has been one of the standouts in premier club rugby to date this season and he has been rewarded with a Stag contract as a result. He provides Woodlands with a big body in the midfield, and his kicking game is also important.
Keep an eye on: Marty McKenzie. McKenzie’s rugby focus these days is largely in the coaching ranks, but the 32-year-old former Maori All Black has shown this year he is still some sort of player when he has made cameo appearances throughout the 2025 club season. He has the skills and experience to have a real impact on Saturday’s semifinal.
Woodlands’ Stags: Woodlands have just the two current Stags, with both Fletcher Morgan and lock Alex Yallop playing their way into Stags contracts this year. Although there are plenty of former Stags in the mix, with the likes of Jason Rutledge, Nathan Vaatausili, Liam Howley, Marty McKenzie, and Tauasosi Tuimavave in the Woodlands camp.
BARBARIANS
The key player: Morgan Mitchell. Every championship contender needs a good tight-head prop, and the Barbarians have one of them in the 70-plus game Southland Stag. Mitchell will be a key figure at scrum time on Saturday, but also with the ball in hand and in defence.
Keep an eye on: Leroy Ferguson. The Stags’ flanker is about to play his fourth game back after a lengthy injury lay-off and might just be in the perfect place to make a statement on Saturday. His ability over the ball at the breakdown could be vital at semifinal time.
Barbarians’ Stags: The Barbarians have the most current Stags out of any of the teams in the comp. They include tight forwards Morgan Mitchell and Woody Kirkwood, flanker Leroy Ferguson, and halfback Connor Collins. Added to that are the Barbarians’ former Stags in Jacob Coghlan, Brenton Howden, and Angus Simmers.
TRIBUNE PREDICTION
The Eastern-Northern Barbarians hold a 2-1 advantage over Woodlands from games played this season, but if we are blunt about it, there’s almost nothing you can take from that.
The teams that will take the field will be much different come Saturday, both in personnel and form.
The Barbarians are nuggety and have a forward pack that should at the very least match Woodlands.
But the difference might be the likes of Marty McKenzie and Fletcher Morgan in the backline.
The Barbarians’ backline will probably take that as motivation, given they do have some players out wide who can break a game open.
Woodlands by eight points.