The annual Te Tini A Maui (Central North Island Maori) Tournament is being played in Levin this weekend, featuring teams from throughout the Hurricanes catchment area. Wellington's Te Upoko O Te Ika is gunning for a three-peat of titles, having successfully defended the Hikaia Amohia Trophy - pictured above -  at last year’s tournament in Masterton beating Whanganui 36-22 in the Men’s A Division final. The Te Tini A Maui Tournament dates back to 1987 and a team has won the title three years in a row just twice before...More

Above: Fun in the sun, the Savea brothers full of running in last year's 71-6 slaying of the Rebels. Hurricanes supporters will be hoping for more of the same this year. The past three years have been the most fruitful in Hurricanes history. A runner-up finish in 2015 was followed by a maiden championship in 2016. Last season the Hurricanes scored more tries (102) than any other side en-route to the semi-finals. The Hurricanes prospects of another serious title tilt in 2018 appear to be strong...More

Regular Club Rugby contributor Kevin McCarthy is now flying the flag for the Vanuatu Hurricanes Supporters Club, where he is living for the next two years, working on a voluntary project and supporting the team from afar. February is always going to be a weird time for rugby. After the endless summer of 2018, and then this week's cyclone, it's even weirder. But ladies and gentlemen, it really is time for Super Rugby again. Of course for the committed like you, then we're raring to go - you might even have checked out the first round scores (yes, the comp had some South African and Argentinian action last week)...More

Club rugby will be back on-air in 2018, with Wellington’s Te Upoko o Te Ika the sole broadcaster for the first five weeks of the Swindale Shield, broadcasting“The Rugby Round-Up” every Saturday through the Swindale Shield and Jubilee Cup from 2.00pm on 1161AM, or online at teupoko.co.nz Regular Match-Day commentators, Adam Julian, JP Tocker and Gordon Noble-Campbell will provide live commentary from around the Wellington region, every Saturday afternoon, with regular support from Wellington sporting legends, John Morrison and Andy Leslie, together with other guest commentators...More

The countdown is on to the start of the 132nd season of club rugby in Wellington, with the Swindale Shield again kicking off in Upper Hutt on March 17. The province’s 14 Premier clubs are well into their preparations, and today we look at those calling the shots at training and will be from the sideline during matches - the coaches – with a mix of the familiar, new, and returning in 2018. Fitting the ‘familiar’ category are defending Swindale and Jubilee Cup champions Old Boys-University...More

Avalon loose forward Thomas Waldrom has signed with the Wellington Lions Wellington Lions coach Chris Gibbes confirmed on Monday that Waldrom would return to New Zealand following the completion of the Exeter Chiefs season to play in the Men's NPC competition. Gibbes felt Waldrom's experience would be invaluable for the squad as it prepares to return to the NPC Premiership. "The game is getting young and signing Thomas will provide us with not only what he brings on the field but his experience off it as a seasoned professional and that's exactly what he is," he said...More

Above: the local crowd swarms the players on the field afterwards. Photo by @hurricanesrugby Twitter. The Hurricanes took their game to North Harbour club Mahurangi this afternoon for their final Super Rugby 2018 pre-season fixture and came away with an encouraging 26-14 win over a full-strength Blues unit. In a stop-start match that never reached great heights as a spectacle, the Blues led 14-12 at halftime but were held scoreless by the Hurricanes after a disappointing second-half display. The Hurricanes opened the scoring in the fifth minute when halfback TJ Perenara sniped blindside in combination with No...More

 The Dominion Post has decided to bypass coverage of club rugby this year, ending 137 years of continuous coverage. Does this spell the end of the Billy Wallace Best & Fairest award? The Billy Wallace Best & Fairest award bears the name of one of Wellington’s most famous All Blacks. It has acknowledged annual excellence in the Swindale Shield and Jubilee Cup (and Hardham Cup until recently) since 1966. Typically Dominion Post reporters have assigned points in a 3,2,1 system to players after each match...More

Above: Reggie Goodes (centre, headband) and his Poneke teammates track Wellington's Vaea Fifita in a Hardham Cup semi-final in 2014.  Poneke, Wellington Lions and Hurricanes loosehead prop Reggie Goodes has announced his retirement from rugby.  The 26-year-old former Wellington College First XV bookend has made the decision to end his playing career after taking medical advice following a series of concussions.  Goodes has not played since suffering a head knock during a pre-season match for the Hurricanes in February 2017, the third time he had been forced to take extended leave from the game due to concussion since 2014...More

Reference article: See below for a list of winners in each of the Swindale Shield, Jubilee Cup, Hardham Cup and pre-Jubilee Cup championship competitions, up to date to the end of 2017. For future reference, when this drops off the stories list type your query into the search bar above and find it these lists that way. Swindale Shield Swindale Shield winners 1969 - 2019 1969 Petone 1970 Petone 1971 Petone 1972 Wellington and Petone shared 1973 Petone 1974 Petone 1975 Petone 1976 Petone 1977 Marist-St...More