There is one month to the start of the *scheduled* kick-off for major club rugby competitions in Wellington and the Manawatu, while the Hawke’s Bay competition gets underway on the last weekend of March.
After a disrupted last two years and a recent round of sevens tournament cancellations in February, it is hoped that the 2022 season can proceed as normal as possible. It is understood that administrators are working on contingencies in case of disruptions and cancellations continuing past the pre-season period.
As well as playing inter-club games, all clubs at some point will be holding intra-club games and internal camps on various weekends. For example, Petone start their year off with their annual ‘Petoneman’ duathlon race this weekend.
Some other traditional pre-season matches and events have been cancelled this year, such as the annual Spillane Cup tournament between the New Zealand Marist clubs; others are slated to still go ahead, such as the recently revived Zemba Cup fixture between Poneke and Tukapa from Taranaki.
Covid disruptions aside, see below for a pre-season guide for March.
All matches below are assumed to be between Premier squads, unless otherwise stated.
This is not a definitive list of fixtures. We will update this article as we are made aware of additional fixtures – ones with a line struck through them denotes cancelled. Please email editor@clubrugby.co.nz for more.
Saturday 12 March
Feilding Yellows, v Upper Hutt Rams, Feilding
Freyberg v Avalon Wolves, Palmerston North
Petone v Hamilton Old Boys, Petone Rec/North Park
Carterton v Johnsonville, Carterton
Rongotai College First XV v Poneke Colts, Rongotai College
Oriental-Rongotai v Old Boys University, Rongotai College
Wainuiomata v Te Kawau, William Jones Park
Wainuiomata Premier Reserves v Pioneer, William Jones Park
Levin COB/Rahui v Paremata-Plimmerton (two games), Otaki Domain 12.30 and 2.30pm
Poneke v Hutt Old Boys Marist, Mary Crowther Park
Levin Wanderers v Poneke Premier Reserves, Levin Domain 1.00pm
Saturday 19 March
Marist St Pat’s v Wainuiomata, Evans Bay Park
Old Boys University v Massey University, Venue TBC.
Avalon v Upper Hutt Rams, Fraser Park
Feilding Yellows v Johnsonville, Feilding
Northern United v Kia Toa, Porirua Park
Tawa v Ories, Lyndhurst Park
Wainuiomata Premier Reserves v Pioneer, William Jones Park
Petone v Paremata-Plimmerton, North Park
Levin v Shannon, Playford Park – Friday night, 6.30pm
Foxton v Aotea, Easton Park, 2.45pm
Waikanae v PN College Old Boys, P, 1.00pm
Saturday 26 March
Northern United v Marist St Pat’s, Porirua Park
Upper Hutt Rams v Wellington Axemen, Hataitai Park
Poneke v Tukapa, Venue TBC
Hutt Old Boys Marist v Masterton Marist, Hutt Rec.
Paraparaumu v Johnsonville, Paraparaumu
Rahui v East Coast (Wai Bush), Otaki Domain2.30pm
Shannon v Freyberg, Shannon Domain, 2.00pm
Saturday 2 April (Swindale Round one)
Marist St Pat’s v Tawa, Evans Bay Park
Northern United v Hutt Old Boys Marist, Porirua Park
Johnsonville v Wellington (Mick Kenny Memorial Cup), Helston Park
Old Boys University v Petone (Marc Verhoeven Memorial Trophy), Nairnville Park
Poneke v Wainuiomata (Hakaraia Trophy), Kilbirnie Park
Paremata-Plimmerton v Avalon, Ngati Toa Domain
Upper Hutt Rams v Oriental-Rongotai (Bob Lendrum Cup), Maidstone Park