Banquet of representative rugby coming up

Above: Action from the Hurricanes U20s final last year in Palmerston North. The U20s programme this season has been stopped in favour of the U19s and a new National U19 tournament being played at the end of September in Taupo

The Wellington club rugby competition season ends this coming Saturday, but there's a feast of representative rugby coming up over the next several weeks for fans to look forward to.

From this coming Saturday to 18 October there's a stack of representative matches involving Wellington teams and in region, including International Schools games, Women's NPC rugby and age-group, Maori, Samoans and Development ?teams all in action.

Outside the ITM Cup and the All Blacks Test match against South Africa on 13 September undoubtedly the biggest show in town between now and the end of the year are the four International Schools internationals at Porirua Park at the end of September and beginning of October.? The New Zealand Secondary Schools and New Zealand Barbarians Schools sides will be in action in matches against Fiji Schools and Australia Schools.

Starting this Saturday, the Wellington Pride side plays four home Women's NPC fixtures, hosting the Otago Spirit, the Bay of Plenty Volcanix, Waikato and the Hawke's Bay Tuis, at the Petone Recreation Ground, Porirua Park and Westpac Stadium. The match at the Stadium against Waikato on 11 October is the curtain-raiser to the Ricoh Wellington Lions versus North Harbour ITM Cup match.

The Wellington U19s compete in the all-new National U19 tournament in Taupo from 27 September to 4 October. They also play home fixtures against the Taranaki U19s, Hawkes' Bay U19s (TBC) and the Auckland U21s. The matches against Taranaki and Hawke's Bay, and against Manawatu away, are seeding fixtures for the Taupo tournament.

This coming weekend sees the third and final leg of the inaugural WRFU Festival series, scheduled for Hataitai Park, with the Wellington Maori and Wellington Samoans squaring off in one game the Wellington Suburbs and Wellington City in the other. Following this, the Wellington Development squad is selected.

The Wellington Development side has five matches coming up, starting with a home fixture against the Wellington Samoans at Porirua Park and consecutive away matches against their Manawatu, Hawke's Bay, Tasman and Bay of Plenty counterparts.

The Wellington Maori have an upcoming match against Canterbury Maori at Helston Park, with the Wellington Maori Development side playing Wairarapa-Bush Development in the curtain-raiser.

After playing the Wellington Development side, the Wellington Samoans play two more home matches at Porirua Park against the Hawke's Bay Saracens and Manawatu Development.

The Wellington U18s Centurions squad (U18s Development) sides each play three matches in September, while the U16s and U16s Development teams play Wairarapa Bush opposition in a fortnight before heading to Napier for their tournaments at the end of September and beginning of October.

In addition to the representative season, there are several club and representative Sevens coming up in and around Wellington and further afield.

Wellington representative teams schedules 2014 (to be finalised, venues and times to be confirmed if not stated):

WRFU Festival Rugby Series

30 August at Hataitai Park:

Wellington Suburbs v Welllington City 1.00 pm

Wellington Maori v Wellington Samoans 2.30 pm

Wellington Pride

23 August v Manawatu Cyclones, away Lost 10-22

30 August v Otago Spirit, Petone Recreation Ground

6 September v Auckland Storm, away

13 September v Canterbury, away

20 September v Bay of Plenty Volcanix, Petone Recreation Ground

27 September v Counties Manukau Heat, away

11 October v Waikato, Westpac Stadium

18 October v Hawke's Bay Tuis, Porirua Park

Wellington U19s

27 August v NZ Academy of Sport, TBC 6.30 pm

30 August v Bay of Plenty, Rotorua

6 September v Manawatu, Palmerston North

13 September v Taranaki U19s, Porirua Park

20 September v Hawke's Bay, Porirua Park TBC

27 Spetember - 4 October National U19 Tournament, Taupo

11 October v Auckland U21s, Porirua Park

Wellington Development XV

13 September v Wellington Samoans, Porirua Park

20 September v Manawatu, Palmerston North

27 September v Hawke's Bay, Napier

4 October v Tasman, Blenheim

11 October v Bay of Plenty, Taupo

Wellington Maori Senior

6 September v Canterbury Maori, Helston Park (Senior)

6 September v Wairarapa-Bush Development, Helston Park (Development)

Wellington Samoans

13 September v Wellington Development, Porirua Park (Seniors)

20 September v Hawke's Bay Saracens, Porirua Park (Seniors)

27 September v Manawatu Development, Porirua Park (Seniors)

Wellington U18s

13 September v Wairarapa Bush U18, Petone Recreation Ground TBC

20 September v Poverty Bay, Napier

27 September v Hawke's Bay, Palmerston North

Wellington U18s Centurions

6 September v Taranaki Schools TBC

13 September v East Coast, Petone Recreation Ground TBC

20 September v Hawke's Bay, Palmerston North

27 September v Wairarapa-Bush, Porirua Park

Wellington U16s

6 September v Wararapa-Bush 18 and U16 teams, (A and Development), Masterton

12 September v Wellington U16 Development, Te Whaea

19 September v Western Bays U16, Te Whaea

20 September v Horowhenua-Kapiti, Porirua Park (Development team)

29 September - 2 October Hurricanes U16 tournament, Napier

International Schools

30 September NZ Barbarian Schools v Australia Schools, Porirua Park

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30 September NZ Schools v Fiji Schools, Porirua Park

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4 October NZ Barbarian Schools v Fiji Schools, Porirua Park

4 October NZ Schools v Australia Schools, Porirua Park

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