Reserve Grade Report
Tawa vs Upper Hutt Rams J8s, 03.05.25
After a full week of heavy rain - especially on Friday night - we
were gearing up for some wet weather footy. But, as only Wellington can do, Saturday surprised us with clear skies, bright sun, and barely any wind. You couldn’t have asked for a better day to play!
We had 20 players confirmed during the week but - as has been the story all season - a couple of no shows left us short. To top it off, our 10, Aleki So’oialo, got called into work at
the last minute (either that or the missus said no, lol). Thankfully, a few extras turned up on the day, which kept us at a full 20. For us, having that many subs is unheard of!
Maidstone Park looked mint despite all the rain - no puddles, no mud, just a fast, dry track. And we’ve got to give a quick shoutout to Upper Hutt’s refurbished clubhouse too. It’s flash as - big, modern, and
wouldn’t look out of place at a pro club. Their Greenroom makes ours look tiny, but hey, at least we’ve got one!
Onto the game...
Upper Hutt only had 11 players ready to go, so we agreed to drop numbers and play 11 v 11 to keep things fair. That left us with a bench stacked
full of subs - something we’re definitely not used to! For us, having 20 players is basically like seeing a unicorn. Some of the boys didn’t know what to do with themselves having an actual breather on the bench!
We started a bit slow, but once we found our rhythm, we were off. Some powerful running from the forwards got us on the front foot early, and within five minutes we crossed
for our first try. Two minutes later, after an Upper Hutt fumble, we pounced again, shifting wide and burning down the sideline for try number two.
Upper Hutt weren't lying down though - they took advantage of one of our mistakes and hit back with a solid try of their own.
We kept at it, sticking to strong, direct running, breaking tackles, and racking up more points. Upper Hutt were struggling to keep up as we kept the scoreboard ticking over.
By halftime, we were up 35–14. Upper Hutt had managed to get two more players on the field by then, so we kicked off the second half playing 13 v 13.
The second half was all about keeping the pressure on. We kept running hard, and as Upper Hutt started to fade, the gaps opened up and we kept crossing the line. With the score looking comfortable, the boys started to throw the ball around like we were the Harlem Globetrotters - some of it looked good, but plenty missed the mark, and just like in the first half, Upper Hutt were quick to punish us.
They grabbed two more tries and conversions to push their tally up to 28.
Then came the cherry on top. Late in the game, Upper Hutt, under pressure inside their 22, booted a clearance kick down the middle of the field. On debut, Tui Vatuloka scooped it up, stepped his way around three defenders, beat the fullback, and dotted down for his first try in the jersey - Fijian magic. He
nailed the conversion too, sealing the game at 70 - 28.
Big shout out to the extras that turned up to help us - Dennis & Henry Atoni and Mike Devoe’s two mates (sorry boys, forgot your names!).
Also, a special mention to Dehann Pretorius, who was on debut for our club. He
last played over 10 years ago as a back, so naturally we chucked him at lock and made him our main jumper in the lineout (mainly because he’s pretty light!). He really held his own and got stuck into the game. Typical South African - absolutely loved the physical stuff!
All up, a great day out, some tired bodies, and a well-earned beer after. Bring on next week - hopefully with the
same weather, the same scoreboard, and maybe even the same number of players (dream big, right?).
