They didn’t make their First XVs

Above: When Upper Hutt and Poneke met in the Jubilee Cup round of 2008.

Ahead of the annual ‘School Leavers to Watch’ article coming out later this week. 

Many young up and coming players destined for higher honours or long club rugby careers are well known before they join the senior ranks, having already made their names playing First XV rugby at school.

What of those players who failed to crack their First XVs on a regular basis whilst at college or some who didn’t even take up serious rugby until they had left the classroom behind them? Below is a selection of players who have played in Wellington who followed that ‘late bloomer’ path.

As always, let us know who to add to this list – we could do a part two of prominent players we have missed or more club rugby regulars.

Brian Killeen

Midfielder Brian ‘Shorty’ Killeen was a double Jubilee Cup winner with Hutt in 1931 and 1934. He was at Wellington College between 1924-26 but failed to make the First XV. Leaving school, he was in playing in the third grade when former All Black and midfield wizard of the 1920s Bert Cooke discovered him and helped promote him to the top side. Killeen went on to play for Wellington and later Auckland, as captain. One test for the All Blacks at Athletic Park 1936.

+++++

Jack Lamason

John Ryder ‘Jack’ Lamason was a year-round captain of club and Wellington provincial teams for several years during the peak of his career in the 1930s. Lamason was both Wellington’s rugby and cricket captain, and he represented New Zealand in the latter sport. The wing forward turned No. 8 was at Wellington College between 1919-21 – but never made his school’s First XV rugby side or First XI cricket team! He went on to captain WCOB to the Jubilee Cup in 1933 and played 28 matches for Wellington 1932-36. He went to England with the New Zealand cricket team in 1937 but didn’t play in any of the tests.

+++++

Graham Mexted

No. 8 Graham Mexted represented Wellington on 38 occasions from the early to mid-1950s and played six matches including one test for the All Blacks. Mexted had a meteoric rise, from one week playing what today is Premier 2 club rugby, to the next playing for Wellington B to the next playing for Wellington against the British Lions and impressing so much he was soon selected in the All Blacks. Mexted grew up in Tawa and attended Wellington College 1940-43. He was a tennis and track champion at school – but was never in the First XV.  Leaving school, Mexted played  three seasons at WCOB, in the backs. The Tawa club was formed in 1947 and he was a founding member of his home club, switching to the forwards and the rest is history.

+++++

Ken Gray

Ken Gray was a versatile prop, who started rugby life as a lock (until 1961) and played over a century of matches for Wellington and 24 Tests and 50 matches for the All Blacks between 1963-69. He led Wellington to many famous victories, none more so than the twin wins in 1965 and 1966 against the touring Springboks and British and Irish Lions. Leaving the Wellington College second XV he joined the Paremata club near his family’s farm in Pauatahanui and he was selected to play for Wellington B from that club in 1958. Gray subsequently moved to Petone and played for that famous club for over a decade, as well as for Wellington and for the All Blacks during this time.

+++++

Ron Horsley

The first player on this list who didn’t attend Wellington College – but he still accepted the rugby light and passed it on, all the way to the All Blacks and tours overseas to South Africa in 1960 and Great Britain in 1963/64. Horsely barely played rugby at all whilst at Rongotai College in the late 1940s. He joined the Wellington Football Club as a quiet lock and soon found his voice on the field and worked his way up to the top team. He played 46 matches for the Wellington rep team 1956-61, then 37 for Manawatu representing Kia Toa 1962-64. Played 31 games and three tests for the All Blacks.

+++++

Ralph Caulton

Wellington College’s long jump champion in 1954, Ralph Caulton’s highest team at school was the 2A side. Caulton left school and started his life-long association with Poneke. He played his initial Senior rugby at centre, but when he moved to the wing, he started finding his groove. He made his Wellington debut in 1958 and was a regular until 1965, playing 72 matches for his province. All Blacks wing 1959-64, 31 tries scored in 50 games including 16 tests. He hit top form for Wellington in a loss to the against the British Lions in 1959, earning All Blacks call-up and scoring twice on debut and then another double in the next test. Later co-coached Marlborough to win the Ranfurly Shield off Canterbury in 1973.

+++++

Charlie Henderson

Halfback Dave ‘Charlie’ Henderson spent a decade at the top in Wellington Jubilee Cup and Swindale Shield rugby, as the Wellington Axemen’s halfback from 1969-79. During his career , the Axemen shared the Swindale Shield with Petone in 1972, sharing the Jubilee Cup Athletic in 1972 and with MSP in 1978 and winning the unofficial National Club Rugby title in 1979. Henderson also played exactly 100 first-class matches for Wellington and was a key cog in Wellington’s inaugural NPC-winning side in 1978. A stellar career for Henderson who started out as a flanker at Wellington College and worked his way through the club grades after leaving school.

+++++

Martin Leslie 

The son of a former All Blacks captain and Wellington’s third most capped player, Andy Leslie, didn’t mean rugby success in its own right. Martin’s brother John was also a promising player but was in the backs, whereas Martin was a loose forward like his father. He attended St Pat’s Silverstream where the Second XV was his highest calling. But his career took off when he left school and joined the Petone club. He made his Wellington debut in 1991, still aged 19, and went on to play 71 matches for his home province 1991-98 and 21 for the Hurricanes 1996-98. Later moved to Scotland and played 37 internationals for them 1998-2003.

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Lome Fa’atau

Another player who didn’t play First XV and didn’t focus on rugby at all whilst at St Pat’s Town. Fa’atau was always super-talented but channelled his efforts to the basketball court. He joined family and friends at Marist St Pat’s and couldn’t help climbing through the ranks with his searing pace and high work ethic. Fa’atau scored a famous try for MSP in the 1999 Jubilee Cup semi-final against Wests and went on to win the Cup that year and in 2001. He soon moved into rep rugby and played NPC for Wellington and Taranaki. He played 56 matches for the Hurricanes and Chiefs and was the try scorer in the 2006 Super 12 with 10 tries. Fa’atau played 34 internationals for Manu Samoa/PI and played for several years overseas.

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Ben Huntley

It is not just the players who have reached the top echelon having not played any or much topflight school rugby. Poneke’s Ben Huntley was a former Rongotai College Second XV player when he reconnected with his junior club and commenced his senior career in what is now the U85kg grade. He went on to make his Premier debut in 2008 as a late injury replacement and two seasons later was playing in a Jubilee Cup final. He went on to play over 200 Premier matches for Poneke. Started on the wing but moved to midfield.

+++++

Jason Love

We stand corrected, but Jason Love made one appearance for the St Pat’s Silverstream First XV, against St Pat’s Town in 2004! Fast-forward 20 years to 2024 and Love played his 200th Premier club rugby match for Wainuiomata. Love spent his first year out of school with the Hutt Old Boys Marist U19s. However, his father Yogi Rogers, a Wainuiomata centurion and Manly league representative, would soon lure Love over the hill and the rest is history. Small in stature, Love was fast and knew his way to the tryline – and he was determined – catching and riding the Wainuiomata wave from their Premier promotion all the way to the Jubilee Cup final in 2014 and beyond.