Above: Thomas Umaga-Jensen threads his way through the forwards in Sunday's 60-14 win over Canterbury. Photo by Dave Brownlie Photography. “I was real nervous about it. I thought it would be a close game or they might thrash us. They have some big names and growing up I have watched them beat everyone,” Thomas Umaga-Jensen shares of his anxiety before Wellington’s NPC clash against Canterbury on Sunday. In only his second game for the Wellington Lions, Thomas was a key player in the record 60-14 thrashing of the Premiership champions...More

Avove: Young guns celebrating. Try scorer Isaia Walker-Leaware, halfback Kemara Hauiti-Parapara and wing Malo Tuitama after Walker-Leaware's chargedown try that started a run that saw the Lions score 45 second half points against Canterbury. Photo by David Brownlie Photos - more 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...More

Above: Wellington hooker Asafo Aumua and the forwards helped set up the record win for the Lions over Canterbury. Photo by Dave Lintott Photography - more photos here Wellington: 60 (Malo Tuitama 2, Julian Savea, Asafo Aumua, Isaia Walker-Leawere, Du'Plessis Kirifi, Ben Lam, Regan Verney tries; Jackson Garden-Bachop 7 con, 2 pen) Canterbury: 14 (Josh McKay, George Bridge tries; Richie Mo'unga 2 con). HT: 17-7. WHAT HAPPENED Two tries from charge-downs, one from an intercept, a dominant forwards display and a clinic from the first five-eighth...More

Above: First five-eighth Piri Paraone jinked and jived his way through the defence to score the first of the day for Wellington Maori against the Hawke's Bay Saracens. Photo by Chainsaw Photos Results at a glance Wellington Pride 11 – Waikato 5 Wellington U19s 24 – Manawatu U19s 20 Wellington Maori 30 – Hawke’s Bay Saracens 43 Wellington Centurions 17 –Manawatu Development 19 Wellington Samoans U18 8 – Wanganui U18 6 Wellington U18 Girls 0 - Auckland U18 Girls 12 Wellington Samoans 17 – Bay of Plenty Samoans 19 Wellington U13s 17 – Wairarapa Bush U14s 33 Wellington Centurions U18s 48 – Wellington Catholic Colleges 10 Wellington U16A 14 – Hawke’s Bay U16 A 8 Wellington U16 Development 33 - Hawke’s Bay U16 Development 7 Wellington Lions v Canterbury – playing on Sunday It was a mixed bag of results for Wellington representative rugby teams today, in a spread of competition and non-competition matches around the North Island...More

Jubilee Cup champions Old Boys University won four gongs at the inaugural WRFU Community Rugby Awards on Friday night. Old Boys University’s Premier team won the Team of the Year Award for winning 11 of 13 matches and winning the Swindale Shield and for capturing the coveted Jubilee Cup for the second time in three years. They also ended the year holding the Bill Brien Challenge Trophy and the Andy Leslie Trophy, as well as several more interclub trophies. Playing positive rugby, OBU set the single-season team try scoring record since 2005, scoring 130 tries in 22 games...More

Above: The Catholic Colleges side after their 43-0 win over East Coast U18 in Levin on Thursday night, who will be backing up on Saturday against the U18 Centurions at Porirua Park.  UPDATED: After last weekend when most rep sides were at home the reverse is true this weekend with the majority away, and spread across the North Island from Auckland to Levin. Locally just four sides are at home on Saturday. The biggest clash of the day is at Jerry Collins Stadium where the Wellington Maori and the Hawke’s Bay Saracens (Development) clash at 1pm, with the two sides currently 1-2 in the Hurricanes Shield standings...More

Dave Lintott Photography is covering the National U19 tournament. More photos here Waikato and Counties Manukau will both have the chance to defend their titles at the National Under-19 tournament on Saturday after wins in their respective semi-finals on Wednesday. Wellington had another disappointing day, losing to Tasman. Wellington will play Manawatu for seventh place, their worst finish in four years of the tourney. Wellington Fightback falls short Wellington made a woeful start against Tasman, slumping to a 28-0 deficit in the first-half...More

Above: Wellington players celebrating with the Ranfurly Shield in 1956 after they'd beaten holders Canterbury in one of the province's great triumphs in Christchurch. Photo credit: Evening Post 24/9/1956. Wellington teams ran hot in the 1950s, winning and losing the Ranfurly Shield twice in three years in this period. Wellington beat Waikato 9-6 in August 1953 to win the Ranfurly Shield and they held it for seven defences, including thrilling wins over Southland, Otago, Auckland and Taranaki, before Canterbury ended the party...More

The U13 representative season is underway and the team plays their only home match of the season this Saturday, hosting the Wairarapa Bush U14s at the Petone Recreation Ground. This is the second game of a four-contest schedule in which the U13s played Auckland U13s last week and will meet the Horowhenua Kapiti U14s in Levin and the Hawke’s Bay U14s in Palmerston North over the following two Saturdays. The Wellington U13s opened their account with a 12-22 away loss to Auckland, but manager Scott Ashton said this was a credible performance given the size difference between the two teams...More

Beauden Barrett runs out on to his home track in New Plymouth against the Pumas on Saturday. Photo by Dave Lintott Photography. More photos here Now this is a column of a Hurricanes fan, so stating the obvious, I won't be joining the ranks of the Beaudy haters. And boy have they starting coming out of the woodwork this season. Indeed, you would think that really, if we'd just had a different first-five, we'd have nailed the Lions series. And we'd be leading the Rugby Championship by now. Oh hold on, we are leading the Rugby Championship...More