The New Zealand Schools celebrating their win over Australia today at Porirua Park The New Zealand Schools beat Australia Schools and the New Zealand Barbarian Schools defeated Fiji Schools in today's two internationals at Porirua Park. New Zealand Schools 34 - Australia Schools 24 In temperamental conditions at Porirua Park the NZ Schools team withstood a fightback from the Australian Schools, holding on to win 34-24. After a scrappy opening ten minutes, it was the NZ Schools that struck first, with St Kentigern College captain and halfback Sam Nock scampering in for the opening try...More

The Wellington U19s and the Wellington Development team are the two sides in action in representative rugby tomorrow, with the U19s playing Canterbury in the final of the National U19 tournament in Taupo and the Development team taking on a Tasman XV in Blenheim. The U19s come into their final, which is live on Sky TV from 5.35 pm, having romped home 46-0 against North Harbour and held on to beat a powerful Auckland side 19-15. Like Wellington's team, the Canterbury U19s feature a core group of players who have gained experience this season playing Premier club rugby...More

Above: Athletic Park's Western Bank filling up fast 10 minutes after gates have opened at noon for a 3.00 pm kick-off between Wellington and Taranaki. Photo: EP 29/8/1953 1953 was a golden year in Wellington.? The new queen was on the throne, Sir Edmund Hillary had just scaled Mt Everest and rugby was on a high. In a heady seven-week period throughout August and September, Wellington won the Ranfurly Shield off Waikato and defended it five times before losing it to Canterbury at the end of the season...More

Above: Wellington openside flanker Henry Stowers scores in the corner and leaves Auckland's defenders in his wake early in their National U19 semi-final match. The Junior Wellington Lions will meet Canterbury in the final of the Graham Mourie Cup National U19 final on Saturday after holding on to beat the Auckland U19s in this evening's semi-final at Owen Delany Park in Taupo. Wellington and Canterbury both won hair-raising semi-finals, Wellington holding on with a superb second half defensive effort to beat Auckland 19-15 and Canterbury stealing a come-from-behind 26-23 win over Waikato...More

Above: New Zealand Secondary School and local lock Lui Okeamoa-Lumanau sizing up a gap in today's match against Fiji Schools There were wins today for the New Zealand Barbarians Schools and New Zealand Secondary Schools in their matches today over Australia Schools and Fiji Schools respectively at a sun-drenched Porirua Park in the International Schools Series. New Zealand Barbarians Schools 39 - Australian Schools 21 The New Zealand Barbarians Schools earned a 39-21 win over the Australian Schools...More

The Wellington Centurions U85 kg side took on the North Harbour team in Taupo on Saturday in a one-off match. A couple of late withdrawals on the Friday saw the Centurions team travel up with a final squad of 20 players. The weather in Taupo was good and playing on a great surface at Owen Delany Park was ideal. North Harbour asked for the match not to be weighed and they were coming into the game on the back of four lead up games in the previous four weeks only losing to Auckland and this probably showed in the opening quarter of the game...More

Above: Wellington fans at the parade in Napier on the morning of the Ranfurly Shield challenge in 1967, Leo the Lion, leading supporter Dick Burke and ‘I'm just mad about Wellington' man. Evening Post 30/9/67. Following on from their many battles of the 1920s (see our story last week), Wellington's and Hawke's Bay's Ranfurly Shield rivalry resumed in earnest in the 1960s with a pair of epic battles. After defending the Ranfurly Shield 24 times in the 1920s, Hawke's Bay won it again at the end of 1966 by beating Waikato 6-0...More

To the casual observer, it would seem that the Wellington U19 team enjoys playing in adverse weather conditions. Following last week's 67 point victory over Hawkes Bay in torrential rain at Porirua Park, today in Taupo the team won their National U19 Quarter-Final fixture by 46 points, playing into the teeth of a freezing southerly gale, colder than this weathered Wellington correspondent has ever experienced during winter in the Capital!This was a game won by the Wellington scrum, which over-powered their opponents from North Harbour from the first, with four of the team's six tries arising from forward charges based on a superior set-piece...More

Above: Left wing Jacob Walmsley scored a first half hat-trick for the Centurions U18s against the Wairarapa-Bush U18s at Porirua Park Updated: There were several good wins on Saturday for Wellington representative teams in inter-provincial matches. The Wellington U18s won the Hurricanes Region U18 tournament today, beating Hawke's Bay U18 27-3 in their title decider at Palmerston North. The Wellington U18s won five tries to nil. The Wellington Centurions U18s beat Wairarapa-Bush U18 42-14 at Porirua Park...More

Above: Isaia Petelo ?breaking through the Hawke's Bay Saracens' defence for the Wellington Samoans last Saturday. Both teams are in action tomorrow, the Saracens hosting Wellington Development at Napier and the Samoans playing Manawatu Development at Porirua Park. Most of Wellington's representative teams take the field this weekend in a mixture of home and away matches that could define their seasons. The Wellington Lions Men's and Wellington Pride Women's National Provincial Championship teams are both in action in Pukekohe against Counties Manukau opposition in what are must win fixtures for both...More