Above: Quaid Quaid Martin-Laumatia with Helen and August Collins after winning the ingaural Collins Medal last weekend, and inset with Jerry Collins in 2008 (see link to article at bottom). The sudden and shocking deaths of cousins Willie and Jerry Collins rocked the entire Wellington rugby community. Quaid Martin-Laumatia had reason to be shaken more than most. His family were close friends of Willie while Quaid was an assistant to Jerry in a television programme broadcast on the Disney Channel...More

Henry Smith hitting the ball up for Wainuiomata last weekend against Avalon, with his teamates closing in support. Photo by Hugh Pretorius. In an increasingly younger competition, the value of older, experienced players has become more apparent in recent years. The Player of the Match in last year’s Jubilee Cup final was Junior Togia, who ended his 250-match Wellington Premier career with two tries that helped Tawa lift their second championship title. In last week’s season opener MSP’s 9-10 axis of Peter Sciascia and Fa’ataonu Fili was hugely instrumental in their 31-13 win over Tawa in the replay of that final...More

The Hurricanes U20s celebrated their first international fixture at Westpac Stadium in Wellington on Saturday evening by beating Argentinian U20s with a last play penalty. With two minutes remaining Argentina was down 30-28 and won a penalty directly in front 20-metres out from goal. As the siren sounded replacement Tomas Albornoz chipped the ball over to propel the Junior Pumas ahead. Referee Vincent Ringrose permitted one last kick-off which winger Malo Tuitama soared to steal for the hosts. The Hurricanes Zephyrs won a penalty five-metres in from the western touchline 25-metres out from goal, but opted for a lineout...More

UPDATE TO CAPTION: Above: Members of the Northern United and Petone teams after their Murray Henderson Trophy interclub trophy match. Norths won the fixture 25-19. Marist St Pat’s reversed last year’s Jubilee Cup final result to beat Tawa and the Upper Hutt Rams came back from a big early deficit to record bonus points in two matches played side-by-side in today’s Tranzit Coachlines Gala Day in Upper Hutt. With five players away at a wedding, MSP celebrated an opening day 31-13 win over the defending champions, while the Upper Hutt Rams came back from 3-20 down to defeat the Hutt Old Boys Marist Eagles...More

And so it begins. Tomorrow is kick-off of the 2017 season with the Tranzit Coachlines Gala Day out in Upper Hutt, spread across Awakairangi and Maoribank Parks. The first prizes on offer are the Swindale Shield and its Premier Reserve equivalent, the Harper Lock Shield, but the other battle over the next three months will be the contest to make the top eight and the right to contest the Jubilee Cup at the business end of the season. The Swindale returns full-time to daytime rugby, with this year’s earlier start and a midweek round on Anzac Day eliminating the need for the two night rounds that were played last year...More

Above: Reed Prinsep (right), Ardie Savea and Callum Gibbins at the Hurricanes captain's run ahead of their season opener at home against the Rebels. Photo: Dave Lintott / lintottphoto.co.nz "I'm not here to be Victor Vito, I'm here to be Reed Prinsep," insists the Canterbury loose forward in his first season with the Hurricanes. The 24-year old Men’s NPC regular made the move to the capital in pursuit of greater opportunities in Super Rugby and so far he has started two matches, which is double the game time he had with the Crusaders in 2016...More

Above: Members of the Johnsonville Hawks squad last week during their 20-point win over Horowhenua-Kapiti champions Paraparaumu. Photo credit to Johnsonville's new website at http://johnsonvillerugby.co.nz/wp/ New Twitter feed at @Jville_Rugby and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/jrfuc/ Almost two decades ago now, Johnsonville won their first and only Wellington club rugby Premier title. Fielding a monster pack, Johnsonville won the 1998 Swindale Shield. Later that year, Johnsonville’s suburban club rivals Western Suburbs won their first and only Jubilee Cup...More

How many losses are just enough losses in Super rugby? Judging inexactly by history, I'd say four if you want to be the New Zealand champ. Five in Africa. And as many as six in Oz. That's because of the vagaries of the comp qualifying. If you can claw back a swag of bonus points, that helps of course but most sides are busy doing that. So how crucial is this weekend's game for the Canes and Highlanders? You'd have to say the Landers are in the tight spot still. despite outlasting the Blues. Another loss and they'll have three...More

Above From left to right: Last year's New Zealand schools reps Billy Proctor (Marist St Pat's), Carlos Price (Petone) and Tim Farrell (Old Boys University) should all feature in this year's Premier club rugby competitions. Last season's National Top Four First XV Champions Mount Albert School have nine players contacted to professional Union or league franchises already illustrating the clamour for schoolboy talent. In 2017 many of the leading age group rugby players will be on show in the Swindale Shield and Jubilee Cup...More

The 2017 Wellington club rugby season kicks of this coming Saturday with a full round of Premier Swindale Shield and Premier Reserve Harper Lock Shield fixtures, all at Maoribank and Awakarangi Parks in Upper Hutt. Here is our second annual Club Rugby A-Z looking at the season ahead: A: AxemenWellington’s oldest club has managed to make the Jubilee Cup for the past two years, a considerable achievement from where the club stood a mere six years ago as an also-ran in the third-tier. However after having finished eighth both times the need for Wellington to push for the playoffs is very real, and contend for that first title since their last all the way back in 1987...More