Above: Clapham's Paddock, on the south-east corner of Fitzherbert Terrace, Thorndon,around 1890 The article below was publshed in the recent St Patrick's College, Wellington, Rugby Football Club newsletter. The first references to organised football in Wellington date back to at least 1866, with a Wellington football team playing a visiting naval team from HMS Challenger in 1869. However, it was not until May 1871 that Wellington's first Football Club was established, at the time noting that it was, "an acknowledged fact that athletics and outdoor sports improve both the physique and health of those who take part in them...More

Above: Upper Hutt Rams captain Hayden Schrijvers (left) being presented with the American Ambassador’s Trophy and Rams wing Max Pearson (right) running away to score one of his two tries in the Cup final against Marist St Pat’s. The Upper Hutt Rams Men’s and Colts teams and the Oriental-Rongotai Women’s side celebrated wins in today’s Wellington Club Sevens Championship American Ambassador’s tournament at Trentham Memorial Park. The Upper Hutt Rams won the Men’s division for the second time in three years, the Ories Women’s side went back to back in the Women’s section and the Upper Hutt Rams lifted the Colts competition...More

Uodate Friday night: Three teams have pulled out of the Colts division, meaning a re-working of the draw. Colts draw TBC on Saturday morning. The 2015 club rugby season returns to where it began, with the official Wellington club rugby Sevens rugby championship, the American Ambassador’s tournament, being played at Trentham Memorial Park tomorrow. The Premier Fifteens competition kicked off at TMP in hot, dusty conditions back in March. A fine day is forecast for Saturday, and the rugby promises to be sweltering by mid-afternoon as Wellington’s leading clubs and players start battling it out in the crossover round across Men’s, Women’s and Colts divisions...More

Above: Members of the St Pat’s Town celebrating beating Scots College in their recent Secondary Schools Condor 7s semi-final. On Saturday they and St Pat’s Silverstream line up in the Colts grade of the Wellington Ambassador’s 7s at Trentham Memorial Park. St. Patrick’s College, Wellington wasn’t expected to win the Wellington Sevens title. Then again they weren’t expected to win the First XV crown either. However the Town boys are riding a crest of a wave. They captured Premier One honours for the first time since 1995 and on Labour Day added the Christian Cullen trophy to their collection of silverware...More

Match Details Result: Wellington 24 – France 23 When: 24 June 1989Weather: Overcast and showery Crowd: 22,000 The Tour Two years after finishing runners-up to the All Blacks in the inaugural Rugby World Cup, France touched down in New Zealand for their seventh visit as a touring side since their first in 1961. New Zealand fans were familiar with many of their players, such as fullback Serge Blanco, who had had been a regular tourist down under, centre Philippe Sella, halfback Pierre Berbizier, and loose forwards Laurent Rodriguez and Jean Condom amongst others...More

With the Rugby World Cup over and the All Blacks becoming back-to-back champions, Adam Julian reflects on his form starting XV from the tournament below. 15. Ayumu Goromaru (Japan) His performance against South Africa was one for the ages. He scored 24 of Japan’s 34 points and amassed 58 in total for the tournament, which was second behind Scotland’s Greg Laidlaw at the end of the pool stage. Goromaru attacks with flair, kicks accurately and is a reliable defender. Ben Smith was in imperious form most of the time, but he misses the cut because his yellow card in the final cost two tries...More

UPDATED: If today’s warm-up tournament rugby is a fair gauge, then no one will want to miss any of the American Ambassador’s WRFU club championship 7s tournament at Trentham Memorial next Saturday. Nine hours of action-packed rugby was played at today’s Open 7s tournament played on the top fields of Porirua Park, won by the Upper Hutt Rams (men’s) and Oriental-Rongotai (women’s) teams. The Rams and Ories will go into next the American Ambassador’s event as warm favourites in the men’s and women’s divisions after both playing through the day unbeaten and running away with comfortable Cup final victories...More

UPDATED FRIDAY: POOLS:  Men’sPool A: Norths A, Tawa, Upper Hutt Rams A, Wellington, MSP BPool B: Wainuiomata, Petone, Old Boys University, Avalon B, Ories BPool C: Paremata-Plimmerton, Norths B, HOBM A, Ories A, Upper Hutt Rams BPool D: Johnsonville, Avalon A, MSP A, HOBM b, NZIS Women’sOries, Avalon Wainuiomata, HOBM, MSP, NZIS SCHEDULE: 9.00am - 4.46pm - Pool Play (Fields 3 and 4 at Porirua Park). 4.46pm: Men's Plate Semi-finals  5.03pm: Men's Cup Semi-Finals 5.20pm: Women's Cup Final and Men's Plate Final 5...More

Above: Referee of the Year Richard Gordon blows fulltime on the Jubilee Cup final and the 2015 Team of the Year, Old Boys University, commence their celebrations. Last year the Old Boys University Colts won the Club Team of the Year award at the annual end of season Wellington Rugby Football Union awards. The gong remains with the club this year, but in 2015 it’s the club’s Premiers that have won at the WRFU awards. The Old Boys University Premiers reached the final of the Jubilee Cup for just the second time and on 1 August at Jerry Collins Stadium, and made club history by beating Marist St Pat’s 30-27 to collect the club’s first Wellington Championship title since 1965 when predecessor club University last won...More

UPDATED: St. Pats Town are the Christian Cullen Cup Wellington Secondary Schools’ Sevens Champions while Scots College – runners up at the Condor Sevens in 2013 and 2014 – will not compete at the Nationals in Auckland. Today at Naenae College, Town and St. Pats Silverstream won through to the 29th national tournament. As expected top seeds Silverstream and Scots reached the semi-finals with relative ease. Silverstream scored 130 points and only conceded one try in their first three games...More