The Tawa Premiers won the Team of the Year accolade at the WRFU end of season awards on Saturday night. The Tawa Premiers celebrated their second Jubilee Cup win at Jerry Collins Stadium in early August after beating Marist St Pat’s 24-20 in the final. The win completed a stirring late season revival that saw them lose their first three round-robin games and be firmly stuck to the bottom of the ladder only to launch a six-game winning streak all the way to the winner’s dais at Porirua Park...More

Above: Members of the Moata'a team celebrate their 12-5 Cup win over Anoma’a in the final of the 10-a-side Village Kings tournament today in Wainuiomata.  UPDATED: Norths, Moata’a and St Pat’s Silverstream were the winners of the three tournaments played in the Wellington region today. The Northern United women’s sevens side won the WRFU run Wellington Women’s Sevens tournament played at Ian Galloway Park, winning the Cup final. Old Boys University won the Plate and Marist St Pat’s won the Bowl...More

The Wellington Samoa Rugby Union hosts the fifth annual Village Kings 10-a-side tournament at Wise Park, Wainuiomata on Saturday. The tournament involves 12 open invitational men’s teams representing several villages and districts in Samoa, plus two composite Fijian teams that have entered this year. Teams taking part are: Anoama’a (defending champions), Moata’a, Wainuiomata Samoans, Wellington Fijians, Tanugamanono, Malie, Falelatai, Manawatu Fijians, Faleata, Apia Maroons, Vailima and Vaitoloa...More

The Dominion Post newspaper of 26 October 2016 suggested that “the relevance of New Zealand’s national provincial competition is eroding, as the focus switches to schoolboy rugby. The competition is fast losing the selection intrigue it once provided. There is less and less at stake for players now, and that naturally has had an effect on the appeal of the competition in many parts of the country.” The numbers speak for themselves. Only 18% of the registered rugby players in New Zealand [source: New Zealand Rugby Union data, 2015] that the amateur game relies on to become a member of a community based club are aged 21 years or older, while over half (54%) are aged 12 or less, with most (based on an interpretation of the statistics), likely to change sporting codes once teenagers...More

OPINION: I've got a fair bit of time for Michael Cheika, when you actually look at what his job is - which it may surprise some people, but is apparently actually to be coach of the Wallabies. Now he does muddy the water a fair bit by falling for some juvenile needling by the New Zealand Herald, some Steve Hansen mindgames, and his shoot from the lip style on a wide range of issues. But this guy's no clown - he's just going heart-on-the-sleeve for his team and his country, and whether you can stomach how he does it, you wouldn't begrudge a New Zealand coach doing the same for the All Blacks...More

Above: Ope Peleseuma playing for the Wellington Samoans recently, one of five new names in Alama Ieremia’s Manu Samoa international squad for Tests in November. Photo by Hugh Pretorius. Wellington and Hutt Valley players Ope Peleseuma and Genesis Mamea are two of five new players recently selected in the Manu Samoa squad to play upcoming Tests against France, Georgia and Canada in November. Former Hurricanes and current Hutt Old Boys Marist midfielder Peleseuma has recently been playing for the Samoa A side in the World Rugby Americas Pacific Challenge series in Uruguay, putting his hand up for selection with a couple of dynamic performances...More

Above: Leni Apisai, who plays for the Northern United club in Wellington, is one of six new caps in the squad that leaves on Sunday. The Māori All Blacks squad to tour to Chicago, London and Ireland next month has been named, featuring six new caps. Then new players named are Leni Apisai (Wellington), Whetu Douglas (Waikato), Billy Guyton (Tasman), Leighton Price (Taranaki), Reed Prinsep (Canterbury) and Kara Pryor (Northland). Māori All Blacks Head Coach Colin Cooper (Ngāti Pūkenga/Ngāti Porou) congratulated all those selected...More

UPDATED: St. Pats Town have retained the Christian Cullen Cup Wellington Secondary Schools’ Sevens Championship, beating St Pat's Silverstream 19-7 in the final this afternoon at Naenae College. St Pat’s Town and St Pat's Silverstream will represent Wellington at the 30th National Condor 7s tournament being staged at Sacred Heart College in Auckland from December 2-4. St Mary’s College won the inaugural Kat Whata-Simpkins Trophy, beating Aotea College 42-5 in the final and they will represent Wellington in the girls section in Auckland for the second successive year...More

Above: Wellington fullback Jason Woodward on the burst, in his last match in New Zealand before heading to Bristol in England for the next stage in his career. North Harbour 40 (Tevita Li, Glen Preston, Nic Mayhew, Daniel Hilton-Jones tries; Bryn Gatland 4 pen, 4 con) Wellington Lions 37 (Leni Apisai, Wes Goosen, Joe Hill, Asafo Aumua, Sheridan Rangihuna tries; Jackson Garden-Bachop 2 pen, 3 con). HT: 20-18 WHAT HAPPENED The Wellington Lions have finished 10th in the 2016 National Provincial Championship and will return next year to contest the Championship division, after falling 40-37 to North Harbour in this afternoon’s semi-final at Westpac Stadium...More

Once again Naenae College is the venue and Labour Day Monday the date for the Wellington regional qualifying tournament for the Condor 7’s. On the line are three places – two boys and one girls – in the national tournament in Auckland in early December, which this year has moved from Kelston Boys’ High to a new venue at Sacred Heart College. The tournament has grown along with the move, and this year will feature 32 Boys teams and 20 Girls up from 24 and 16 respectively, but there’s no corresponding increase in Wellington’s allocation...More