Above: Wellington Pride centre Monica Tagoai threads her way through Otago traffic in their match this afternoon. Photo by Caswell Images, more photos at this link here There were four Wellington representative teams in action in away games this afternoon, for two wins and two losses. The Wellington 13s ended their short representative season with a 7-64 defeat to the Hawke’s Bay U14s in Palmerston North, while the U18 schoolgirls side beat the Hawke’s Bay schoolgirls 36-12 in Ashhurst...More

Losi Filipo gets a pass away in Lester Maulolo's tackle last Saturday at Jerry Collins Stadium between the Wellington Samoans and Wellington Centurions. It’s an odd week, as aside from the Wellington Lions Men’s NPC match against Otago on Sunday afternoon there’s little rugby on at all in the capital, leaving the fields largely silent for the first time since club pre-season matches started off back in February. However, there are still representative teams in action, with all but the Lions away from home this weekend...More

Above: Mateaki Kafatolu had a great game against Canterbury recently, helping them win 60-14. Photo by David Brownlie  “I tried to treat Tasman as just another game, but I was bloody nervous.  Brad Shields got injured in the eighth minute and I had to be called four times from the bench before I noticed what was going on, Mateaki Kafatolu recalls of his introduction to the Wellington Lions. “Izzy Walker pulled me off my backside and on to the field which has earnt me a bit of stick since,” Kafatolu continues...More

If you hate the early onset of Christmas, which seems to start around September now, the antidote is simple. Start thinking about Super Rugby 2018. I am. You'll remember 2017, the year where somehow, we lost the title. Although strictly we didn't lose the title; we just didn't win it again. The Crusaders are not the defending champions, but another team trying to win it. Have we got that clear? So with those semantics to one side, we do know one thing - 2018 is different. There as you will be aware, be 15 teams - no more Perth stopovers for anyone, of course...More

With the opportunities and success of women’s rugby going from strength to strength to World Cups, the development of our female players is becoming increasingly important. Now that the winter rugby season is officially over, sevens and touch rugby become popular.Touch rugby is a great adaptation of the code where players maintain and enhance the skills they have been fine-tuning this season to make 2018 even more successful for Sevens and Rugby competitions.Touch is a fantastic avenue for players to engage in an offseason activity that will increase: their ability to identify space and hit gaps their agility and hone their ability to draw and pass team dynamics fitness heading in to 2018 The beauty of the game is that players are given a break from the contact aspect of rugby but still playing with an oval ball...More

Above: Members of the Wellington Samoans team after their thrilling 28-27 Festival Cup win over the Wellington Centurions on Saturday. Photo by Andy McArthur. More photos here Off the Ball is in association with Rob Law Max , Lovelocks Sports Bar  and Harcourts Johnsonville  Looking at some of the news in briefs, milestones, happenings, statistics, and observations from the weekend of rugby just gone and what’s coming up this week. +++++ A busy past weekend for rugby capped off by the concluding rounds of some of the U18 and Festival/Hurricanes Development representative competitions and the start of the U16 tournament and college sevens tournaments...More

Wellington: 34  (Daniel Kirkpatrick, Sam Lousi, Mateaki Kafatolu, Thomas Umaga-Jensen, Alex Fidow; Jackson Garden-Bachop 2 con, Kirkpatrick con, pen) Waikato: 10 (Bailyn Sullivan try; Sevu Reece con, pen).   WHAT HAPPENED It wasn’t as exhilarating as last Sunday, but a bonus victory on the road following two yellow cards and sustained periods on defence is a satisfactory outcome for the Wellington Lions in Hamilton this afternoon. Dan Kirkpatrick punished an early Waikato indiscretion by kicking a third minute penalty, before the hosts anchored Wellington in their own half...More

Above: Ayesha Leti-l'iga with Monica Tagoai in support take on the Auckland Storm today at Jerry Collins Stadium. The Pride lost 30-31, but the two bonus points earned could prove crucial for their playoff chances. Photo by Dave Lintott Photography  A pair of grandstand finishes at Jerry Collins Stadium, with both matches going down to the wire. The Wellington Pride came back twice against the Auckland Storm, but their second rally wasn’t enough in their 30-31 Women’s NPC competition loss...More

The Wellington U18s Centurions and U18s Catholic Colleges sides after their match last Saturday on Porirua 2. The Centurions are back there tomorrow to play the Wellington Samoans U18s in their final, while the Catholic team meets Wanganui U18 over at Ascot Park. Porirua Park is the place to be at tomorrow if you’re after your fix of local rugby action, with six representative sides in action. The headline game is at midday on Jerry Collins Stadium, as the Wellington Pride take on the Auckland Storm in their Farah Palmer Cup Women’s NPC clash...More

Tove Svanborg is a fast learner. Before this year she could count the number of games of fifteens rugby she had played on one hand in her native Sweden. She certainly didn’t think she would be playing on the wing for the Wellington Pride in the Farah Palmer Cup when she moved from Sweden to New Zealand earlier this year. “I have played for the U18 national sevens team in Sweden and we played against other European countries such as England and Russia, but this is definitely a step up from anything I have played before,” she told Club Rugby this week...More