The End of Year Wrap (some off-season news and happenings to wind down 2022)

Club Rugby wishes everyone a merry Christmas and safe travels over the New Year.

As well as for family and friends, this time of the year is for rest and re-charging, before hitting the ground running in 2023 with another year of exciting and action-packed rugby and sport.

Below is some news and information and collections to wrap 2022.

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The 2023 Swindale Shield draw is imminent, and we understand a draft has been circulated amongst clubs for final consultation. Watch this space.

Most clubs are back into training and planning for 2023, Tuesday nights at most suburban grounds are getting busy again.

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From our end, we are looking at starting a weekly E-Newsletter in early 2023, so please look out for that.

Club Rugby is on the lookout for an intern social media helper for next year. So if anyone knows of people who want to help out with social media and in particular graphic design please let us know. Additionally, writing stories is our bread and butter but still popular in the post print-media age. So we are also keen to know if anyone is out there who could be interested in helping us with such things as match reports and interview stories and profiles. This is all volunteer assistance, although if we grow you grow with us. Best contact is by email at editor@clubrugby.co.nz

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We are currently busy working on much of our rugby history content to publish throughout next year. Stories of past players and clubs who helped shape the game we know today. Plenty of inspirational stories and tales of players who failed to make their school First XVs then reached the top (such as Brian Killeen), stellar careers cruelly cut short by injury (Joey Sadler), comebacks from adversity (Mick Kenny), loss and great sadness (Jackie Ruru) and players with strong family connections today (Kenneth Svenson) are just some themes for this series in 2023. The first part of these articles that we published last year are all collated at our page above under the Archives tab or here: https://clubrugby.nz/wp/pioneers-of-rugby-in-wellington/

Plus we will have some some Ranfurly Shield content for next year and our annual look back at the season 100 years ago (1923). Looking ahead to the season starting on Saturday 1 April, we will also be preparing our annual Gains & Losses, School Leavers to Watch, Club Rugby A-Z and similar articles, as well as following all the sevens and 15s rugby as it is gets underway.

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On the subject of the Ranfurly Shield, has the WRFU determined next year’s pre-NPC Ranfurly Shield challengers? It is our understanding that this year’s Heartland Championship Meads Cup champion (South Canterbury) is a mandatory challenge. But wouldn’t it be great to take the RS on the road to the East Coast! Or to Cooks Gardens or the Levin Domain.

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In some rugby news, Hamilton Boys’ High School won last week’s World Schools Challenge, beating South Africa’s Grey College 22-10 in the final.

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Below. Northern United recently announced that their Colts team is returning after a short hiatus. They were beaten finalists as recently as three years ago, and their Premier Men’s team are of course current club championship title holders. Martinborough (Wairarapa-Bush) have also made strong overtures about entering their team in the WRFU Colts competition in 2023, so watch this space.

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Some clubs – like the Upper Hutt Rams – have been announcing the players joining them from school next year. Here is one below – Tyrone Trego out of HIBS was last weekend’s Senior Boys 100m dash winner at the New Zealand Secondary Schools Track & Field Championships. Not lacking for pace at the Rams next year. This year’s St Pat’s Silverstream wing Oliver Krijnen was fifth in the same final.

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In case this was missed, from a fortnight ago:

WELLINGTON RUGBY CHIEF EXECUTIVE HANGS UP HIS BOOTS

Wellington Rugby Football Union Chief Executive Matt Evans has announced he is stepping down after 12 years at the organisation.

“After much reflection, and having secured the Ranfurly Shield and NPC Championship this year, the time is right to hand over the reins.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity and the support that has been provided to me over the last 12 years. I started as the Chief Financial Officer, and for the last 3.5 years I have had the privilege of being the Chief Executive Officer.

“I would like to acknowledge and thank all the Wellington Rugby staff, past and present, I’ve had the good fortune to work with and I have enjoyed working together with the Board to run the game we all love.

“This is the right time for me to pursue other interests and for someone else to lead the next phase of rugby in Wellington, Evans said.

Evans will leave at the end of January 2023 and Chair Russell Poole said he leaves WRFU in a strong position.

“Under his watch, the Lions end 2022 holding the Ranfurly Shield and NPC title, and the Pride have finished in the top four of the Farah Palmer Cup.

“Of late we especially thank Matt for his work as he has managed the move with the help of WRFU staff to the NZCIS [New Zealand Campus of Innovation & Sport] complex, and we look forward to him stopping in from time to time to see the benefits of his work in this space.

“We wish Matt and his family all the best for their future endeavours and on behalf of the Board and the rugby clubs in Wellington we thank Matt for his contribution to rugby in the region,” said Poole.

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Also recent news, the Hurricanes Poua recently confirmed the final three spots on their squad for next year, as the announcement said:

Manawatū front rower, Sosoli Talawadua, Black Ferns Sevens, Shakira Baker and Kiwi Fern, Autumn-Rain Stephens-Daly have put pen-to-paper, which will see them head to the Captial ahead of the Hurricanes Poua opening round on February 25.

Our only question there is in the case of Baker and Stephens-Daly, couldn’t they find any dynamic young outside backs from club or provincial rugby in Wellington or Manawatu? Baker is a veteran in the twilight of her career and Stephens-Daly has been playing rugby league and has no connection with the lower North Island.

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The Tawa Rugby Football Club recently made Tony Tomlinson and Amy Visvalingam Life Members.

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Susan Poutoa is the new Chairperson of the Johnsonville Rugby Football Club, the first woman to hold that position at the club.

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Old Boys University‘s Dave Jensen and Janelle Schreiber have been named Head Coach and Team Manager of the 2023 NZ Universities Women’s team.

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Henry Fidow and Pat Dunn were awarded Life Membership at Marist St Pat’s Rugby Football Club.

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Poneke Football Club have named their Premier and Premier Reserve coaches for 2023, as below.

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Congratulations on Argentina winning the Football World Cup. They can play rugby pretty well t

Whether a round or egg-shaped ball ⚽🤝🏉, there’s always some kicking magic from Argentina 🇦🇷#HSBC7s | #Canada7s | @lospumas7arg pic.twitter.com/OKprNFrBDw

— HSBC SVNS (@SVNSSeries) December 19, 2022

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The annual Hawke’s Bay Sevens tournament is in Waipukurau on 18 February.

For more, and to enter a team visit: https://www.sporty.co.nz/viewform/222368

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Good news for young players potentially looking for a professional playing gig somewhere new in the future:

Thursday marked a big step forward for rugby in Asia with the local federation announcing a new pan-Asia competition set to kick off in 2024.

Eight clubs from around Asia will compete in the first edition of the newly conceived Grand League, with the competition set to expand further in the years following.

While teams for the Grand League have not yet been confirmed, it’s anticipated that the likes of Hong Kong, South Korea, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines could all take part in the new tournament.