Above: A year after hostilities have ceased, former Major General and now Governor General Sir Bernard Freyberg meeting the touring Wallabies before they play Wellington. Match details Result:?Australia 16 – Wellington 15When:?15 September 1946, at Athletic ParkWeather: Low cloud and drizzle with a strong northerly windCrowd:?25,000 The Tour After a forced break of several years owing to the ravages of the Second World War, international rugby resumed in New Zealand in 1946 with the first major in-bound tour since South Africa in 1937 and the first for a decade by the Wallabies...More

Above: HOBM prop Rei Manaia crashes over for a try in his side’s win over the Upper Hutt Rams today. In seven Swindale Shield matches, 461 points and 61 tries were scored. A high scoring round of Swindale Shield matches today around Wellington saw leaders Marist St Pat’s Hutt Old Boys Marist and Tawa march to their fourth straight wins to start the year, while Northern United also won for the first time this season. In bright sunshine on the Petone Recreation Ground, MSP held off a fast starting and fast finishing Petone to beat the Villagers 43-33, to maintain their lead at the top of the standings a month into the competition...More

With three weeks gone in the Premier and Premier Reserve grades the teams are starting to spread themselves out and some are already finding themselves in catch-up mode and needing their passes to stick if they want to make the sharp ends of their respective grades for the back end on the season. Elsewhere it’s the start of competition in all other WRFU grades, ensuring plenty of club rugby filling up fields across the region for the new few months. Leaders Marist St Pat’s make the trip around the harbour to face Petone on the Rec...More

Above: Vaea Fifita bursting away to score a try for Wellington against Johnsonville a fortnight ago in Wellington club rugby. In 2008 the Wellington Axemen were on the brink of extinction. The club was strapped for cash and their Premier side was held to an embarrassing 0-0 draw against Poneke Senior 2. Former All Black Murray Mexted answered an SOS. He used his contacts and expertise to inspire a revival. In 2012, Wellington won 21 out of 22 games and captured the Senior 2 title. In 2013, Wellington won 16 out of 20 games, earning a promotion to the Premier Swindale Shield...More

Above: the last three Wellington women's championship winners, Oriental-Rongotai, Northern United and Wainuiomata. Will one of these three teams or one of the six other contenders win the major silverware this year? The Wellington Women’s club rugby competition continues to grow, with nine teams entered for the start of the first round Fleurs Trophy this coming Saturday. This is an increase of one from last year and three more than 2013. Johnsonville and Hutt Old Boys Marist are the two new squads, while the other changes in 2015 are Poneke going it alone and the absence of Stokes Valley...More

Above: Wellington College All Black and second five-eighth Jack Griffiths was Wellington’s best player in this match according to The Dominion in its follow-up edition. Match details Result:?South Africa 29 – Wellington 0 When: 7 August 1937, at Athletic Park.?Weather: Fine and sunny, but with a cold southerlyCrowd:?30,000 The tour Widely regarded as the strongest international side to ever tour New Zealand, the 1937 Springboks won 16 of 17 games and beat the All Blacks 2-1 in the Test series...More

Above: Fereti Soloa makes a break for it for Hutt Old Boys Marist against Avalon on Saturday. A convincing win to Marist St Pat’s over Poneke in the ‘Battle of Kilbirnie’ and a swashbuckling come-from-behind win to Oriental-Rongotai over Old Boys-University, their first win of the season, were two of the features of Wellington Swindale Shield rugby today. On a blustery day in Wellington, many third round matches were classic games of two halves, with contests in the balance until well into the second spells...More

Above: Marist St Pat’s and Avalon players contest the high ball last week. MSP are gunning for their third straight win this weekend when they play Poneke in the Battle of Kilbirnie, while Avalon are eager to open their account against Hutt Old Boys Marist at Fraser Park. Easter weekend usually brings a double round of matches, but this year there is just the one. Saturday’s third round of the Swindale Shield promises more of the close fought action that’s highlighted the first two weeks...More

Above: Action from last year’s U85kg Restricted championship final between the MSP Blues and the Tawa Titans. The Blues have gone into hiatus this season, opening the door for a new champion to emerge from the pack. UPDATED: Easter weekend rugby kicks off tomorrow with the return of the ever-popular Under 85kg Restricted grade, starting with a grading Gala day at Ian Galloway Park.?While grade numbers have slid from the high of 20 teams a few seasons ago, 17 of the 18 sides that entered last year have returned...More

Oriental-Rongotai, Wellington Lions and Hurricanes midfielder Ma’a Nonu is set to become the fourth player to reach 150 Super Rugby appearances when he takes the field this Friday night for the Hurricanes against the Stormers. The most capped player in professional rugby from his neck of the woods and one of the most successful players to come out of Wellington in the 20 years of professional rugby, Nonu will join Keven Mealamu, Nathan Sharpe and Corey Flynn as players to have played 150 Super Rugby matches...More