Above: Thomas Ellison, one of three Poneke players in Wellington’s side that met Great Britain in 1888 who went on to tour with the inaugural New Zealand Natives side later that year.In the first of our series documenting Wellington’s tussles against international touring opposition, here’s a look at the first ever international match Wellington played, against Great Britain in May 1888.?Match details:?Wellington 3 – Great Britain 312 May 1888, At the Basin Reserve. Crowd 7,000The tour:Wellington’s first match against touring international opposition...More

The 2016 National Club Sevens tournament will be played in the Hutt Valley.Wainuiomata to be precise, after they defeated rivals Hutt Old Boys Marist 24-7 in the Cup final of the New Zealand Club Sevens Championship in Tauranga this evening.?Reversing defeats in last winter’s Jubilee Cup Wellington fifteens rugby final and November’s American Ambassador’s Wellington club Sevens championship final, Wainuiomata scampered out to a 19-0 lead by halftime.Both teams scored a try apiece after the interval as Wainuiomata held on to win...More

The Hurricanes are hours away from embarking on their 20th season of Super Rugby, which kicks off for them against the Lions in Johannesburg at 6.10 am tomorrow morning.In anticipation, we have selected 20 of our favourite Hurricanes moments and memorable matches since the Super Rugby competition began, in chronological order below:1996: Hurricanes and Blues open Super RugbyThe Hurricanes and the Blues contested the first ever Super Rugby match at Palmerston North. The Blues went on to win their maiden title in 1996 and won it again in 1997; the Hurricanes made the semi-finals for the first time in 1997 and reached their one and only final in 2006...More

The Rangataua Sports and Cultural Club in Tauranga is hosting the annual New Zealand Club Sevens tournament this Saturday.Twelve of New Zealand’s leading clubs will descend on Te Ariki Park for the one-day tournament to decide the winner of the Middlesex County Wavell Wakefield Cup (pictured above, source Google), which was first awarded in 1951 and is the official New Zealand Club Sevens Championship.?It’s an invitational tournament, and three Wellington clubs have been invited in 2015 - recent Wellington Sevens American Ambassador’s champions Hutt Old Boys Marist, runners-up Wainuiomata and last year’s Wellington winners and National semi-finalists the Upper Hutt Rams...More

UPDATED THURSDAY: The WRFU has released the confirmed first round Premier Swindale Shield and Premier Reserve Harper Lock Shield draws, New Zealand’s hottest club rugby competition.As was agreed upon late last year, the competition has been increased from 12 to 14 teams, with each club entered in the Premier grade also fielding teams in new Premier Reserve grade and Colts grade competitions.The top two competitions remain 12-match round-robins, with each team not playing two teams, this all confirmed before Christmas...More

Above: The Hurricanes and the Crusaders packing down in pre-season play in Eketahuna recently. The Crusaders are playing to win their eighth Super Rugby title and their first since 2008 when the 20th season kicks off this weekend, while the Hurricanes are searching for their maiden competition win.?2015 is certainly the last year of an era within New Zealand rugby.?Not only the last year of Super Rugby within its current format but also the expected final season for many experienced and well known players within the New Zealand scene as it is predicted many of the old guard, faces we have become oh so familiar with, will announce retirements and overseas adventures after the World Cup later in the year...More

St Pat’s Silverstream have defended their BLK New Zealand Marist College Sevens title this afternoon at Evans Bay Artificial, running away at the end to beat Christchurch’s St Bede’s College 29-12 in the Cup final.?Silverstream played through the tournament unbeaten, with wins on day one against Palmerston North Boys’ High School (45-0), St Pat’s Wellington Old Boys’ Association Barbarians (38-0) and St Thomas of Canterbury (35-12).They opened day two with an impressive 45-5 Cup quarterfinal win over the Wellington Pacific Barbarians team, to set up an afternoon Cup semi-final showdown with cross-town rivals St Pat’s Wellington...More

Above: Two of the players of the tournament, North Harbour Marist’s captain Ben Paltridge beats the Ardmore Marist defender and the corner flag to score a try in their Cup semi-final, as teammate Michael Little comes across in support.Wellington Sevens champions Hutt Old Boys Marist fell to a superbly well-organised North Harbour Marist team in the Cup final of the New Zealand Marist Federation Sevens tournament at Wakefield Park in Wellington this afternoon.Led by their captain and speedster Ben Paltridge, playmaker Michael Little and industrious forward Josh Rowland, North Harbour Marist were deserving 2015 competition winners...More

Above: Local teams St Pat’s Silverstream and hosts St Pat’s Town met in the final of this tournament in its inaugural playing last year.The southerners St Bede’s College will be battling the Wellington trio of St Bernard’s College, St Pat’s Wellington and St Pat’s Silverstream, for title honours at the second National Marist Secondary School Sevens tournament being staged at the MSP artificial turf in Wellington starting tomorrow (February 6).St Pat’s Silverstream emerged the victors in the inaugural event last year but will be challenged for honours in a tournament that has drawn 16 teams from across the country, including Roncalli College in Timaru...More

Above: Action from last year’s tournament between home team Marist St Pat’s and North Harbour MaristMany of New Zealand’s 29 Marist clubs, plus several more clubs and invitational teams, will descend on the Wakefield Park artificial grounds in Wellington this weekend for the annual New Zealand Marist Federation Club Sevens tournament.The tournament on Friday and Saturday runs over two days from early morning to early afternoon, with three divisions this year, Men’s, Women’s and International...More