Weekly Newsletter

Published: Tue, 05/13/25

Updated: Tue, 05/13/25

Hi ,

Greetings one and all. Stevo's away, so you'll have to endure my waffle for a couple of weeks.

Once again we were relieved to see grey skies turn to blue for the weekend of footy.

I travelled to Maidstone this week after watching the Colts at Hutt Rec go down by one point to the competition leaders last week. I was pleased to hear they converted their shots at goal this week versus Paramata-Plimmerton at Ngāti Toa and got the W.

Maidstone was near picture-perfect for our Premiers and Premier 2s versus Upper Hutt fixtures. The Premier 2's final score was no way a true reflection of the game. Although Upper Hutt got off to a flyer with three unanswered converted tries, ours boys made a great comeback and would have taken the lead if not being denied two controversial tries.

The start of the Premiers game highlighted the next day's celebration of Mother's Day, with most of the mothers of the Upper Hutt team accompanying their sons onto the field. It was obvious from the whistle that seventh placed Tawa was on a mission of redemption after last week's disappointing performance. 'Raps' had said earlier about last week's game that we were a bit too reactive to the play and lacked a bit of active intent. Well the boys certainly sorted that out during the week, as from the kick-off the intent was obvious against a very good fourth placed Upper Hutt team. It was a great 80 minute performance and not even super sub Tolu could stop our boys piling on points. It looked like 50 was achievable at the end. As you can imagine, the shed was a scene of celebration with a very loud rendition of the 'we are the boys from Tawa' team song. To make it a little bit more special, Lotu was presented with his 100th game blazer (same one with a badge on) and made a hilarious speech mocking Tito and getting mocked back.

Our next three games are at Lyndhurst, starting with the always-combative HOBM, so let's get down and support our potential Swindale Shield winners, as they certainly look likely contenders.

Rick Stonnell

Vice President & Life Member

Premier Report

Tawa vs Upper Hutt Rams, 10.05.25

As the saying goes, "You can't beat Wellington on a good day." I think we change the word Wellington to Tawa.

We cruised out to Maidstone Park, and when I said cruise, it was like everyone in Wellington city was heading to Maidstone Park to watch us take on the Rams. The traffic was hectic. It wasn't really our ideal start for our pre-game rally around to clap out our boys running out and playing before us, but it also meant not having to stand in the sun while we wait for our call to head into the changing rooms. Friday's weather was crazy rain, and Saturday it was crazy sun, so it was very Wellington weather.

A few changes for this game. James "Super Boot" was out injured with age. Mona "Lisa" Uelese was given the reins to steer the ship. Saimoni "Kamikaze" Roraqio was also back this week after having the week off, and realizing that not sleeping naked helps you not get a cold. It was also the first start of the year for Hemi "The Machine" Fermanis, who was back from scoping out doughnut caravans in Europe.

The game started out as a bit of an arm wrestle. It really goes to show that giving away penalties, applying pressure, and not getting your set piece right at certain moments, that teams can really start putting points on you. Lucky for us, it went that way, and we came away with some good first-half tries.

In the second half, we knew there were things we didn't like, and we had to fix up certain areas of our game and execute them well. And that we did well, and we managed to close out the game and set a big score margin that if there was enough time on the clock that Upper Hutt might have closed in on us, but thankfully they didn't.

Now you're probably wondering while reading this, that with a big scoreline, how was Upper Hutt going to catch us on the scoreboard? It's one of the 3 Ds: Discipline. We gave away too many penalties and created arm ride attacks on our line, which created points. And receiving two yellow cards doesn't help. Randall "Are You Allowed Out" Bishop was unlucky to receive one, but for someone who has been playing rugby since dinosaurs were around, it was a rare sight to see him standing in the naughty corner.

We went to very nice-looking brand new Maidstone Park with a plan, and we were fortunate enough to get the results that we wanted. There were a few bumps and bruises to the boys, but hopefully they have rested well and are ready to go again next week. Congratulations to our co-skipper, Lotu "I Have More Than One Name," Nuku on your 100 games. It's awesome to see you still running around and our other co-captain Matolu "The Real Tolu" Petaia on your blazer game last weekend against the Ories.

See you all next week!!

Thomas George

Coach

Gather around Addzaa - A community workout in support of Adam Vardey

Adam Vardey is a dedicated father and proud koro. For over 20 years, he has poured his heart into serving his community through health, fitness, and rugby. A committed member of both Northern United and Paremata-Plimmerton rugby clubs, Adam has inspired many - as a coach, teammate, and mentor. He was also part of the Tawa Titans (2017 team picture below: Adam is back row second from the left).

In recent years, he’s worked closely with youth in Porirua, creating safe spaces where they can be themselves and find a path forward. His influence has helped shape a stronger, more connected community.

Now, Adam is facing a terminal brain cancer diagnosis. While the timeline remains uncertain, what’s clear is the lasting legacy he leaves behind.

This fundraiser is about honoring Adam’s life and ensuring his whānau is supported for the journey ahead. Your support will help create lasting memories and build a future for those he loves - just as he’s helped build brighter futures for so many others.

Come along to the Arena in Porirua this Sunday 18 May for a community workout. Koha entry, with all proceeds going towards his whānau. There will be JUST MAHI merch and raffles available for purchase on the day.

NZ 85s Sri Lanka Tour

In the early hours of Sunday 11 May NZT, the inaugural New Zealand Under-85kg rugby side achieved a clean sweep of their two-match tour to Sri Lanka, beating the Sri Lanka Tuskers 32-6 in Colombo. We have two Tawa RFC Ducks players in the squad - Matt Treeby and Adam Preston.

The game was played in front of an estimated 25,000-strong crowd, which was a huge turnout. There was Tawa RFC merch in the audience, as some was sent over to family members living in Sri Lanka.

Congratulations to the New Zealand team - and especially Matt and Adam!

UPCOMING GAMES | SATURDAY 17 MAY

Grade	Home Team	Away Team	Location	Time
Premier	Tawa	Hutt Old Boys Marist	Lyndhurst Park 1	2.45pm
Premier 2	Tawa	Hutt Old Boys Marist	Lyndhurst Park 1	1.00pm
Colts	Pōneke	Tawa	Kilbirnie Park 1	1.00pm
85s	Johnsonville	Tawa	Helston Park 1	1.00pm
Reserve Grade	BYE	BYE	BYE	BYE

Thank you,

Tawa Rugby Football Club

23A Lyndhurst Road, Tawa 5028, NEW ZEALAND

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