Experienced and new faces combine in Wellington Lions squad in 2024

• By Steven White & Adam Julian

On paper, and barring injuries in a couple of key positions, the 2024 Wellington Lions squad looks strong, and there is no reason why they shouldn’t re-enter the NPC winners’ circle in 2024.

There is a core group of vastly experienced players, another cohort of established Super Rugby players looking to dominate in the level down and a group of up and comers looking to make their names on the national stage.

But we’ll start with the news that had the Instagram fans talking on Sunday night when the full squad was revealed, and that had the union sending out a media release on Monday morning to explain. That being the inclusion of two Japanese props, Messrs Kamimori and Kato.

Loosehead Props, Yota Kamimori and Kazuki Kato join the squad following a stellar season with the Kubota Spears Tokyo Bay Funabashi.

The players will train with the wider Lions squad in the lead up to the Bunnings Warehouse NPC season and have the opportunity to push for selection in the NPC team or the Centurions squad.

Lions Head Coach, Alando Soakai, has a strong personal connection with the Kubota Spears, a side that he played for and then coached for 8 years, and the team going on to win the Japanese League One competition in 2022/23, the first in that club’s history.

In more familiar territory for supporters, the strength of Wellington club rugby shines through across the squad, with five players selected for the first time off the back of the club season.

These players are Harry Press (hooker), Callum Harkin (first-five), Mitch Mcleod (halfback), Stanley Solomon (wing) and Senio Sanele (prop).

Press has been part of the powerful HOBM pack this year and is a former Hutt International Boys’ School student, along with James O’Reilly.

Harkin has been the standout first-five in club rugby this year, and was the Player of the Jubilee Cup Final, for Old Boys University.

Harkin scores for OBU against Norths in a club match at Nairnville Park on 2022.

McLeod missed Saturday’s final for OBU through injury, but was chosen early as somewhat of a bolter, and in horse racing terms is ‘lightly raced’. See our recent article with McLeod HERE

His OBU teammate Kyle Preston will likely be the first choice halfback, but if McLeod is injured then his back-up might come from outside this named squad. Ories halfback Issac Bracewell and Wainuiomata and Wellington U20s halfback Keanu Kotuhi are the two halfbacks named in the Centurions (Development) squad. Preston himself made 10 NPC starts last year, but only made three starts as now Auckland halfback Kemara Hauiti-Parapara was the first choice ball clearer.

Kyle Preston runs back this try earlier this season in club rugby.

Solomon and Sanele have most recently been in South Africa with the New Zealand U20s team. Sanele is a rookie prop out of the Upper Hutt Rams, while livewire Solomon needs no introduction to local fans. He has been selected as a wing, but will he play elsewhere, with his background as a first-five and the fact that Ruben Love has been called into the All Blacks for the Rugby Championship?

Stanley Solomon appreciation video – this one from two years ago whilst playing for Wellington College.

With Love in the All Blacks, that fullback role could be filled by Petone’s TJ Clarke, who has a cool head on his shoulders and has an ability to make things happen around him. Clarke is also a gun goal-kicker, so would be an option off the tee. His brother Sam has been been named in the Centurions Development side and would be the next first-five should Garden-Bachop or Harkin get injured.

The players we put in the experienced veteran category, and also need no introduction are Brad Shields (a former captain), Julian Savea, Jackson Garden-Bachop and Matt Proctor (also a former captain).

Garden-Bachop returns to the Lions following the tragic passing of his younger brother Connor. By our records, Garden-Bachop is sitting fourth on the all-time Wellington first-class points scoring list with 706 points, with Allan Hewson first on 909, John Gallagher second on 797 and Mick Williment third on 748. He is also sitting on 89 caps for Wellington, and the last player to reach 100 games for Wellington was Tana Umaga in 2007.

Last year’s first-five, Adian Morgan, now with Ulster, was the only player to appear in every match last season.

Proctor, whose brother Billy is in the All Blacks with Asafo Aumua, Ardie Savea, TJ Perenara and now Ruben Love, returns for the first time since 2018 when he was captain.

Matt Proctor has most recently been playing with the Rebels in Super Rugby and before that was with the Northampton Saints for a few seasons. He turns 32 on the night of the Premiership final, should the Lions make this. He was always blessed with pace as well as power – having consistently led the stats with metres made after contact in his youth – so if he still has the speed he will be big for the Lions this year in a backline that has no shortage of attacking options and flair. Proctor played the last of his 52 games for Wellington in the 38-17 loss to Auckland in the 2018 semi-final.

Billy Proctor and Matt Proctor playing together for the Wellington Lions in 2018.

We say Riley Higgins would be a leading contender to be a first-choice starter in that midfield, along with such players as Proctor, the reliable Peter Umaga-Jensen and others such as Pepesana Patafilo, Losi Filipo and Julian Savea (the latter three being wings as well).

For Higgins’ equivalent in the forward pack, look no further than Caleb Delany. When fit, he would be a starting lock in every match in our side. Delany was a big part of the Hurricanes’ success throughout the first part of this season and when he was injured for some games it was felt.

He will lock the scrum with Hugo Plummer, who has returned from the Highlanders to Tawa during the business end of the club season and has been strong and hungry. Plummer only played 99 minutes in Super Rugby for the Highlanders so will be chomping at the bit for more action.

Tawa’s captain Akira Ieremia has been in strong form all year and he can also play blindside flanker (as can Delany) and Filo Paulo is the veteran and back-up with tonnes of experience. The retirement of Dom Bird will be keenly felt though, and if a lock or two goes down that is a problem for this squad.

Openside flanker Du’Plessis Kirifi will likely lead the Lions again. He was appointed captain in 2019 and has fashioned an excellent record of 34 wins in 46 matches. Alongside Kevin ‘Butch’ Phelan (1978), Paul Quinn (1981), Kevin Boroevich (1986) and Norm Hewitt (2000), Kirifi is one of five Wellington NPC winning captains.

Alongside Kirifi, Wellington is stacked in the loose forward department (has it ever not been) with Peter Lakai, Shields, Sione Halalilo and Dominic Ropeti to compete.

The Wellington pack will be powered by loosehead prop Xavier Numia whose untimely injury towards the end of Super Rugby Pacific was surely the only reason why he missed All Blacks selection. Tighthead prop was something of a revolving door in 2023 and could be a problem again though New Zealand Under 20s representative Siale Lauaki is maturing rapidly and earned three games for the Hurricanes. With Asafo Aumua back in the All Blacks, James O’Reilly will carry a greater load. Ories captain and centurion Penieli Poasa is a popular signing, while Press will take his chances and former Hurricanes U16 tournament MVP Leni Apisai is the veteran hooker that will do a job and won’t be overawed by any occasion.

Apisai went on to play for the NZ U20s for two seasons, and was captain in 2016, and first first played for Wellington a decade ago. He has made 54 appearances for Wellington and Auckland in first-class rugby, as well as 42 Super Rugby matches for the Hurricanes, Blues, Sunwolves and Highlanders. He has been playing for Paremata-Plimmerton in club rugby all season.

Like lock Plummer, 24 year old former Porirua College prop PJ Sheck spent this year in Super Rugby, but only played three games and 75 minutes. Like Plummer, he returned to Tawa over the back end of this year’s club rugby season and showed passion and commitment.

PJ Sheck’s try in this past Saturday’s Jubilee Cup final.

Brad Shields is the most capped forward with 71 games. James O’Reilly has played 70 games.

Head coach Alando Soakai is a former Loose forward, who attended Auckland Grammar School and was part of the 1999 and 2000 First XV’s that won the 1A Auckland championship and Moascar Cup with 36 wins in 44 matches across two seasons.

After spending 2004 on loan with Southland, Soakai made his debut for Otago in 2005 and would make 60 appearances until 2010. In Super Rugby, Soakai appeared 58 times for the Highlanders between 2007 and 2011.

Soakai was an accomplished sevens player, winning a gold medal for the All Blacks Sevens at the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games as well as a World Sevens Series title in 2007.

Soakai will be joined in the coaching staff by former Māori All Black Trent Renata who played 33 times for Wellington between 2017 and 2020.  Petone policeman Ryan Piper, who worked on a voluntary basis last season, will coordinate the defence. Greg Halford played 98 first class games and rounds out the coaching staff with former Chiefs and Hurricanes lock Bernie Upton.

Last year, Wellington used 47 players, 17 debutants in 2023. They scored 68 tries and conceded 33.

Squad:

The 2024 Wellington Lions squad is:

• Leni Apisai – Paremata-Plimmerton
• Asafo Aumua – Avalon
• Tjay Clarke – Petone
• Bradley Crichton – Northern United
• Caleb Delany – Old Boys University
• Losi Filipo – Petone
• Jackson Garden-Bachop – Northern United
• Sione Halalilo – Oriental-Rongotai
• Callum Harkin – Old Boys University
• Riley Higgins – Petone
• Akira Ieremia – Tawa
• Yato Kamimori – Kubota Spears Tokyo Bay
• Kazuki Kato – Kubota Spears Tokyo Bay
• Du’Plessis Kirifi – Northern United
• Peter Lakai – Petone
• Siale Lauaki – Tawa
• Ruben Love – Wainuiomata
• Mitch Mcleod – Old Boys University
• Xavier Numia – Oriental – Rongotai
• James O’Reilly – Hutt Old Boys Marist
• Pepesana Patafilo – Tawa
• Teofilo Paulo – Hutt Old Boys Marist
• TJ Perenara – Northern United
• Hugo Plummer – Tawa
• Penieli Poasa – Oriental-Rongotai
• Harry Press – Hutt Old Boys Marist
• Kyle Preston – Old Boys University
• Billy Proctor – Marist St Pats
• Matt Proctor – Marist St Pats
• Dominic Ropeti – Oriental-Rongotai
• Senio Sanele – Upper Hutt Rams
• Ardie Savea – Oriental-Rongotai
• Julian Savea – Oriental-Rongotai
• PJ Sheck – Tawa
• Brad Shields – Petone
• Stanley Solomon – Petone
• Peter Umaga-Jenson – Wainuiomata

Draw:

The Wellington Lions open their 2024 NPC campaign against Auckland at Eden Park on Friday 9 August for the Fred Lucas Cup.

Their first home game is the following Sunday 18 August for the John F Henning Trophy at Porirua Park at 2.05pm against Taranaki.

This is followed by their third round game and second at home on Sunday 25 August at Porirua Park at 2.05pm for the Coronation Cup against Manawatu.

They play for their fourth consecutive inter-union trophy when the Harry Saundercock Trophy is put on the line against Canterbury in Christchurch at the start of September.

There are nine regular season rounds, with quarter-finals, semi-finals throughout the middle of October and then the final at the final on Saturday 26 October.

The NPC draw is here (or by clicking the NPC Comp tab across the top of this page):

http://www.clubrugby.co.nz/national/games-results.php?competition=44&season=21&round=1

The draw in full will be entered over the next few days, to view the draw in full visit Rugby Heartland