Auckland club rugby: Papatoetoe to mark 75th jubilee with stern test against Ponsonby

The Papatoetoe men's premier team, on the rise this season with a 4-3 winning record, face perhaps their toughest challenge on Saturday when they host Ponsonby on the occasion of the South Auckland club's 75th jubilee.

Papatoetoe will host three men's senior teams from Ponsonby, with the premier Bs and under-21s also playing at the club's Recreation Ground - a large measure of respect for the near perennial Gallaher Shield champions.

"It will be a special day," Papatoetoe chairman Luke Mealamu said, adding that various special guests would be attending.

"I think we have some foundation players coming – guys who played in the 1950s, which is unbelievable really.

"We have a massive junior day – there is no club rugby in Auckland due to the Queen's Birthday weekend, but we have organised with junior teams to play, so we will have a massive club presence.

"Our dinner is oversubscribed – we have about 300 guests coming – so we will host it at the Papatoetoe Cosmopolitan club."

All of which may make for quite the atmosphere.

"We all know Ponsonby are the benchmark so we're hoping for a really big crowd on Saturday," Papatoetoe coach Tino Junior Poluleuligaga said.

Poluleuligaga's side - seventh on the table compared with Ponsonby in second spot - took the Sir Fred Allen Trophy off Grammar Tec last Saturday and are undergoing a renaissance this year after a couple of lean years in 2019 and 2020.

Current Papatoetoe coach Tino Junior Poluleuligaga in action for the club in 2015. Photo / Photosport

With former All Blacks lock Brad Mika a co-coach alongside Poluleuligaga - himself a former Manu Samoa halfback - Papatoetoe have enjoyed victories over Suburbs, Otahuhu, Manukau Rovers and Waitakere City, but now face a tough end to their season starting with Ponsonby.

"We've got a hard run in and that's really going to test us," Poluleuligaga said.

"We've got a couple of experienced players coming back into the mix which is going to be valuable for us because we are lacking in experience and leadership at the moment."

Skipper and No.10 Auvasa Falealií, who has just been named in the Manu Samoa squad, looms as one of those key players, along with second-five Vili Tahitua, who has returned from Japan, and tighthead prop Jarrod Firth, a former Chiefs player.

Poluleuligaga said his new partnership with fellow 40-year-old Mika, who has represented the Blues, Crusaders and Hurricanes as well as Brive in France, had already paid dividends.

"He brings a lot of knowledge and head coach experience – he's just someone the guys can relate to."

Like every other club in New Zealand, one of Papatoetoe's major challenges is attracting and retaining senior players, but the improvement of the premiers team will have helped.

"It's been really tough," Poluleuligaga said. "The tricky part is trying to attract players to come to a club out in South Auckland and those challenges are going to be around for a long time unless we start winning.

"In terms of the club culture - that's going really well. What really will help is winning games and being in that top four consistently.

"We were in the top group a few years ago... but we've turned a corner and with everything off the field in terms of the club and governance and the structures going well, we just need to build on this.

"We've got some exciting things we're going to bring out next year which will hopefully help us recruit some of the top talent around Auckland, especially with some of the top school leavers choosing to go to other clubs in central and West Auckland."

Another huge plus is the popularity of Papatoetoe as a junior club.

"It's been a success over the last few years, Poluleuligaga said. "According to Auckland Rugby we've had the highest growth in junior numbers over the last three years. At the moment we're sitting at 600 juniors. It comes down to our junior committee who are well organised and communicate really well and we take our hats off to all the coaches and managers.

"Our junior committee are all mums except for myself. They've been doing a fantastic job. A lot of the growth has come from word of mouth; parents talking to parents saying 'hey, Papatoetoe are running a really good junior programme'."

Breaking down Ponsonby's excellent defence is Poluleuligaga's immediate aim. Ponsonby just held on in the final quarter against Grammar Tec for a 21-19 victory last Saturday, but until their set piece started wobbling they were impressively organised.

Potentially helping the South Aucklanders will be the absence of Blues players Stephen Perofeta – in Brisbane with the Blues – and Blake Gibson, who is having a weekend off. There are a couple of other changes too.

"The changes don't reflect the game because it's Papatoetoe's big day and we're really honoured to play them," Ponsonby coach Peter Leulusoo said.

"It's coming to the last block of the season and this is probably the only time we can freshen up a couple of our players. We are expecting a really tough game there and it looks like it will be a big crowd."

Papatoetoe: Junior Tanuvasa, Laisene Tia, Jarrod Firth, Silao Nonu, Kelemete Finau, Fatai Finau, Inoke Latu, Laga Fasavalu, Jason Guthrie, Auvasa Falealií (C), Sefo Sialii, Vili Tahitua, Peter Huch, Uta Fale, Bradford Lemalufaitoaga. Reserves: Aso Lene, Abraham Falani, PJ Sefo, Paul Tuiaimalo, Onosai Auvaa, Mike Tafili, Jordan Taanoa, Siliva Ahio
 
Ponsonby: Conner Halangahu, Romero Tagi, Hamdahn Tuipulotu, Aukusitino Ulugia, Jamie Lane (C), Kaleb Emile-Vaoga, Katinali Tai, Presley Tufuga, James Valentine, Reece Suesue, Morrison Siliko, Wiseguy Faiane, Selesitino Kalounivale, Cephus Salaivao, Jordan Trainor. Reserves: Kaahuki Vaughan (Debut), Alex Matapo, Tito Tuipulotu, Benjamin Plummer, Mcarthy Cocker, Samuel Wye, Deon Mau'u, Kisione Ahki.