Hurricanes in club rugby this season

Above: Hurricanes prop Loni Uhlia, the Tongan Bear, playing for Marist St Pat's last year. 

The WRFU has released its list of allocations to clubs of non-WRFU contracted players in the Hurricanes for the 2017 season.

The allocation is made solely for the purpose of ensuring that Hurricanes players have somewhere to play if the Super Rugby sides coaches and management determine that a player needs game time. In the first instance however, all of these players must have sought and gained clearance from their home provincial union beforehand in order to play in Wellington’s Premier competitions.

The impact of these players varies. Some – like Beauden Barrett’s allocation to Wainuiomata – exist only on paper. Others, like Hugh Renton’s and Ben May’s attachments to Old Boys-University, has seen them take to the park in Wellington club colours in several occasions. The third group, usually players from Manawatu, generally will head back up State Highway 1 to play for their home club; Otere Black for one did this several times last season.

Loni Uhila, Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi, and Chris Eves were others who made appearances for ‘their’ Wellington side last year.

The list of allocations is as follows:

Avalon Wolves: Callum Gibbins (Manawatu), Ricky Riccitelli (Taranaki)
Hutt Old Boys Marist: Kylem O’Donnell (Waikato), Nehe Milner-Skudder (Manawatu)
Johnsonville: Chris Eves (Manawatu), Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi (Taranaki)
Marist St Pat’s: Loni Uhila (Waikato)
Northern United: Otere Black (Manawatu)
Old Boys-University: Hugh Renton, Ben May (both Hawkes Bay)
Oriental-Rongotai: Michael Fatialofa (Auckland)
Paramata-Plimmerton: Ngani Laumape (Manawatu), Pita Ahki (Auckland)
Petone: Mike Kainga (Bay of Plenty), Vince Aso (Auckland)
Poneke: Mark Abbott (Hawkes Bay), Toa Halafihi (Taranaki)
Tawa: Reed Prinsepp (Canterbury)
Upper Hutt Rams: Blade Thomson, James Broadhurst (both Taranaki)
Wainuiomata: Beauden Barrett, Jordie Barrett (both Taranaki)
Wellington: Jonah Lowe (Hawke's Bay)

Any WRFU-contracted players will turn out for their club, if required. This includes Sam Lousi and Ben Lam who have been allocated to Marist St Pat’s and Tawa respectively.

2017 Hurricanes coverage is in association with Les Mills - join here