The WRFU have released the draw for the 2018 Swindale and Harper Lock Shields. The season will get underway on St Patrick’s Day, Saturday 17th March, again with a Gala day at Upper Hutt’s Awakairangi and Maoribank Parks with the same seven matchups that kicked off the season just gone. Defending Swindale-Jubilee winners Old Boys-University get their campaign underway against Poneke and looking to retain their Beet Algar Rosebowl the two clubs play for, runners-up Hutt Old Boys Marist face Hardham Cup winners the Upper Hutt Rams, while beaten semi-finalists Marist St Pat’s and Tawa will again square off in the opening round...More

Above: A famous cartoon immortalising an incident in 1901 on Kia Ora's home ground of Butler's Paddock (on or near modern-day North Park, Petone) where the visting Wellington Football Club 'second XV wing was met by a stray bull on the tryline, forcing him to turn back and run away. Kia Ora won the game. WELLINGTON’S “GHOST” RUGBY CLUBS Part 8 – “Kia Ora” From Lower Hutt The expression “kia ora” was first widely popularised in New Zealand by the Duke of Cornwall and York (the future King George VI), during his visit to New Zealand in 1901...More

Above: The Wellington men's team after winning the Central 7s on Saturday. Photo credit: Andy McArthur. Wellington and Manawatu won the respective men’s and women’s finals at Saturday’s Central Region qualifying tournament at in Levin. Wellington defeated Manawatu 17-7 to claim victory in the men's final and Manawatu overcame Wellington 26-5 to win the women’s final. The unbeaten Manawatu women won a three-peat of titles in this tournament, while the Wellington men also won all their matches in a successful outing on a warm, breezy afternoon at Playford Park...More

Playford Park in Levin will be rock hard and the rugby promises to be as hot as the recent weather this Saturday for 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, Manawatu, Taranaki, Hawke’s Bay and Poverty Bay will be chasing four places available for the Women’s Nationals...More

Above: The Wellington Wednesday Representative Team of 1909, selected from Wellington’s Wednesday Clubs WELLINGTON’S “GHOST” RUGBY CLUBSPart 7 – The Sporting Mayors Of The Wednesday Football Club In 1894, the Liberal Government of the day passed the Shops and Shop-Assistants Act, under which all shops in Wellington City, (except a chemist, fishmonger, fruiterer, confectioner, coffee-house keeper, eating-house keeper, or the keeper of a bookstall on a railway-platform), were to be “closed in each week on the afternoon of one working-day, at the hour of one of the clock”...More

Above: Scots College enters the arena on Sacred Heart College on day two of the Condor Sevens. Photo credit: Ben Gardner. It was close, but no silverware for the Wellington schools at this year’s Condor 7’s nationals in Auckland. However, the four schools representing the province turned in highly commendable displays that certainly give support to the idea that Wellington deserves another permanent spot in each of the Boys and Girls competitions going forward. For the third time in five years Scots College came within one game of claiming the national crown...More

Four Wellington schools will venture north this weekend for the national finals of the Condor Sevens again being held at Auckland’s Sacred Heart College. St Mary’s College will be out to retain the title they won impressively last year while Scots College makes their return after not having reached the nationals the past two years. Rongotai are back after an even longer absence dating to 2005, while the Aotea College girls make their debut at the event. St Mary’s College won the local qualifier on Labour Day at a canter, continuing their remarkable run of success over the past 15 months...More

Above: The Brooklyn Rugby Football Club Third-Grade team of 1954. WELLINGTON’S “GHOST” RUGBY CLUBS Part 6 – Brooklyn’s “Squabby Greeks”, “Teddy Roberts” And “Ashton Fitchett” Known as “Wellington’s Salubrious Hill Suburb”, Brooklyn was formed 130 years ago in 1888, when 200 sections comprising “Goathurst Farm” (to the east of Ohiro Road), formerly owned by James Symons, were auctioned. Goathurst bordered “Fitchetts Farm” (to the west of Ohiro Road) part of which, the following year, was also sub-divided...More

Rongotai College are returning to the Youthtown Condor Sevens tournament this coming weekend at Sacred Heart College, Auckland, for the first time in over a decade. Rongotai has previously attended in 1998 and 2005. In 1998, wing Eni Afoa was selected for the New Zealand Under-19’s on the back of his tournament form. In 2005 future All Black Julian Savea was selected in the tournament team. In addition to Julian and Ardie Savea, Ma’a Nonu, Roy Kinikinilau and Max Pearson have represented the New Zealand Sevens team out of Rongotai College...More

Above: The White Swan Hotel is the three-storey building on the left of the above photo, around 1920 WELLINGTON’S “GHOST” RUGBY CLUBS Part 5 – The Tale Of The “Dirty Duck” Non-Conformists & The Carlton Football Club The carpark now located between Cuba Street and Swan Lane (at 159 Cuba Street), was once the site of the White Swan Hotel, which in the 1930’s earned the rather curious sobriquet, “the Dirty Duck”. The hotel was originally built in 1860 by William Churchill, who lived nearby on Ghuznee Street...More