After 20 years of Super Rugby, the competition is expanding to 18 teams in 2016. As we look forward to the start of this year’s competition that kicks off in mid-February, here is a look back at the some of the Hurricanes players that have lit up Super Rugby thus far. Club Rugby's 2016 Hurricanes coverage is in association with Les Mills Wellington - more details coming soon The Hurricanes most capped XV by position is a fair side: 1. John SchwalgerHurricanes appearances: 84 Career: 2006-2011, 2013-2014Club: Northern United John Schwalger made his first-class debut for the Wellington Lions in the white hot atmosphere of 2005’s tour match against the British and Irish Lions...More

After a refreshing break, Wellington and Hurricanes region rugby fans can look forward to a bumper spread of rugby throughout January and February. From regional club, provincial and international Sevens tournaments through to pre-season and then early rounds of competition Super Rugby matches, there’s plenty for fans to get enthused about, in the lead-up to the start of club rugby fifteens competitions at the end of March. It all starts this coming Saturday with the one-day Bay of Plenty Provincial Sevens tournament at Blake Park, Mt Maunganui...More

Above: Billy Wallace opens up on his rugby career later in life. Photo courtesy of the Evening Post.   On tour with Billy Wallace and the 1905-06 All Blacks   On international tours up to the 1970s it was commonplace for the All Blacks to play matches between Christmas and New Year.   The All Blacks have played 17 matches in this week in history whilst on tour in Europe, including playing their only New Year’s Day Test in 1906 on arguably the most famous tour of them all.   The 1905-06 All Blacks tourists to the UK, Ireland, France and North America are better known as the ‘Originals’, and three Wellington players took part: Poneke utility back Billy Wallace, Ories halfback Fred Roberts and Petone wing Duncan McGregor...More

Former Petone, Avalon, Hutt Old Boys Marist and Upper Hutt Rams club rugby player Willie Collins passed away in a diving accident on Sunday afternoon. Collins, a relation of the late great Jerry Collins, was the brother of August and Joe Collins who have also both played Premier rugby in Wellington over a number of seasons. The Collins family have been stalwarts of the Petone Rugby Football Club, whom Willie, Joe and August have all played Premier rugby for. August started in two Hardham Cup matches for Petone this year, while Willie last played Premier rugby in 2013 for Hutt Old Boys Marist...More

The Crowd Goes Wild television show has been running a very entertaining and thought provoking competition entitled the “Rugby Battlers XV. The idea is to vote for 15 players who epitomise the phrase' battler', honest players who weren't quite stars but toiled away none the less. Interestingly, eight All Blacks were selected for the side. A team of ‘Battler’ non-internationals only from the last quarter of a century or so is offered below:    15. Warren Johnston - The fullback played 165 matches and scored 1669 points for Northland...More

Is it time for an Amateur Rugby Union Association? In 2016, it will be 125 years since the initial meeting to form the New Zealand Rugby Union occurred (in 1891) and 20 years since rugby first went professional in New Zealand (in 1996). The inevitable monetisation of amateur values which has followed professionalism, ongoing changes to the social structure of local New Zealand communities and the greater proliferation of sporting choices at young ages, are just three of the factors which are challenges to the long-term stability and sustainability of the amateur game in New Zealand...More

Hawke’s Bay and Manawatu won the respective men’s and women’s finals at today’s Central Region qualifying tournament at Playford Park in Levin. Hawke's Bay defeated Manawatu 26-17 to claim the men's final and Manawatu pipped Wellington 24-17 with a try on the hooter to win the women’s final. The Manawatu women defended their title they won at this tournament last year in Palmerston North, while victory was sweet for the Magpies men's side after they were bundled out last year by Horowhenua-Kapiti and missed qualification for the Nationals...More

Ma’a Nonu (Oriental-Rongotai) has won the Kelvin R Tremain Player of the Year award at tonight’s 2015 New Zealand Rugby Awards. Nonu, who played his 100th Super Rugby game for the Hurricanes earlier this year, brought the curtain down on his 103-Test All Blacks career in the 34-17 Rugby World Cup final win over the Wallabies. Always dangerous on attack, he scored five Super Rugby tries, an incredible double against Australia to secure the Bledisloe Cup in Auckland and a phenomenal try in the World Cup Final...More

Above: Members of the Hutt Old Boys Marist Eagles celebrating with the first round Swindale Shield earlier this year. The Wellington Rugby Football Union has moved early to release next year’s Premier Swindale Shield Wellington club rugby draw. A bumper start to the season sees the opening round of afternoon Swindale Shield matches played on Easter Friday, 25 March, before the Hurricanes host the Kings in their first home match at Westpac Stadium in the evening. A key feature of the 2016 first round is a full round-robin, with all 14 teams playing each other once over 13 rounds to determine the first round Premier champion and to find the top eight sides that will progress through to the coveted Jubilee Cup for the second half of the season...More

Playford Park in Levin comes alive on Saturday with the Men’s and Women’s Central Region Qualifying tournament for the Sevens Nationals in the New Year. Seven of the eight Hurricanes region sides (East Coast not entering) and Taranaki will contest the Men’s side of the draw, with five spots for the Nationals up for grabs, while Wellington, Wairarapa-Bush, Manawatu, Taranaki and Poverty Bay will be chasing three places available for the Women’s Nationals. The Nationals are in Rotorua on the weekend of 16 and 17 January, a month away...More