Above: Lise Soloa swings in to score Wellington’s first try in the Piri Weepu Sevens Men’s Cup final against Horowhenua-KapitiThe Wellington (WRFU) Men’s and Women’s teams warmed up for next weekend’s Central Region Sevens qualifying tournament in Palmerston North with comprehensive tournament wins in today’s Piri Weepu Sevens at Mary Crowther Park.The one-day Piri Weepu Sevens event was down on teams from last year but not on action as the final day of rugby in Wellington for 2014 finished with a flourish...More

Above: St Pat’s Silverstream’s Salesi Rayasi away on a run today on the opening day of the Natonal Condor Sevens. Photo courtesy of?https://www.facebook.com/condorsevens/?and @CondorSevensAll three Wellington schools, Scots College, St Pat’s Silverstream and Wellington East Girls’ College, have qualified for the Cup quarter-finals of the National Secondary Schools Condor Sevens tournament, after a super-competitive opening day of matches today at Auckland’s Kelston Boys’ High School...More

Above: Scenes from last year’s Piri Weepu tournament, with men’s competition winners the Pacific Warriors and women’s division finalists WRFU and Northern United (inset).It’s a smaller tournament this year, and the player it’s named after is himself involved in his London Welsh side’s clash with table-topping Northampton Saints in England on Monday (NZT) but tomorrow’s fourth annual Piri Weepu Invitational 7s tournament hosted by the Wainuiomata Rugby Football Club promises to be a fitting finale to a hurly-burly year of rugby in Wellington...More

The New Zealand Rugby Union has this week released the 2015 National Squads.Mike Fraser and Ben O’Keeffe are the two Wellington referees who have earned professional refereeing contracts.O’Keeffe has had a promotion from the 2014 Super Rugby Squad, Richard Gordon a promotion from the Wider Training Squad and Nick Hogan is a new addition?to the Wider Training Squad.The full squads are:Professional Referees:?Chris Pollock, Glen Jackson, Mike Fraser, Nick Briant, Ben O’Keeffe and...More

Ambrose Curtis (Oriental-Rongotai - pictured above) and Murphy Taramai (Upper Hutt Rams) have both been named today in the All Blacks Sevens team for the first two legs of the Sevens World Series in Dubai and South Africa.The season opening Dubai tournament is next weekend, 5-6 December, while the South African leg in Port Elizabeth is the following weekend on 13 and 14 December.Last season’s World Rugby Sevens Rookie of the Year Curtis returns to the side for the start of his second full season, while Taramai is one of two caps alongside Sam Vaka...More

This weekend sees the two winners of the Wellington Regional Condor Sevens, St Pat’s Silverstream and Wellington East Girls College, plus boys’ runners-up Scots College, all in action at the National Secondary Schools Tournament at Auckland’s Kelston Boys’ High School.?Both the boy’s squads head to the event in good form and with high hopes. Silverstream won the Colts section of the WRFU open tournament in mid-October, then followed that up by beating Scots in the last play to win the regional Condors qualifying tournament on Labour Day after surviving a strong challenge from St Bernard’s in their semi-final...More

Wellington and Upper Hutt Rams loose forward Murphy Taramai (pictured above) is one of six new faces in the All Blacks Sevens squad contracted for the 2014/15 IRB HSBC Sevens World Series.Taramai also joins Wellington teammates Lote Raikabula and last year’s World Series Rookie of the Year Ambrose Curtis in the squad.The squad is anchored by a core of experienced players who have been the mainstay of the All Blacks Sevens through recent seasons including long serving captain DJ Forbes, 2013 IRB Sevens Player of the Year Tim Mikkelson, 2014 IRB Sevens Dream Team member Scott Curry and Curtis...More

UPDATED: The Wellington Men’s and Women’s Sevens sides are competing in the third annual Auckland 7s competition this weekend.The tournament at the Northcote/Birkenhead Rugby Football Club on the North Shore is the first leg in the build-up to the National 7s regional qualifiers in Palmerston North on 6 December. The Wellington teams are also entered in next Saturday’s Piri Weepu 7s hosted by the Wainuiomata RFC.The two-day Men’s tournament opens on Saturday with Men’s pool play and continues on Sunday with the crossover rounds...More

Crowd favourites Captain Hurricane and Leo the Lion will line up this Sunday in the inaugural domestic cricket Twenty20 competition Georgie Pie Super Smash Dash for Cash Mascot Race.?The Georgie Pie Super Smash Dash for Cash Mascot Race at Westpac Stadium is set to feature 10 sports mascots from around the country, to crown New Zealand’s fastest mascot, with $500 also going to the winning mascot’s chosen charity.While the race is for charity, it’s also a chance for some old scores to be settled and questions to be answered; Who is the hottest bird in Wellington? Will Leo be distracted by some tasty prey and who has the best facial hair for Movember? ?Asked for comment, Captain Hurricane maintained that his moustache is made for speed, while the Saints Gorilla offered the retort “oog oog”...More

Scots College have flown home to win the inaugural Hurricanes Youth Council Secondary School Sevens tournament at Massey University this afternoon.In wet and later extremely windy conditions, Scots College exacted revenge on rivals St Pat’s Silverstream who had beaten them in the final of the Wellington Condor Sevens qualifying event on Labour Day, defeating them 24-19 in the semi-final.Scots College then went on to beat Wellington College 36-14 in the final, after Wellington College had accounted for fourth placed qualifier Hastings Boys’ High School 27-17 in the other semi-final...More