Some School Leavers to watch in club rugby in 2025

• By Steven White

The Wellington club rugby competition consistently produces prodigious talent.

As always, some players leave school and head to other regions for work or study or to join their rugby academies, others to other codes or sports.

But there is always a core group of promising school leavers making their debuts in Wellington club rugby in the early rounds of the season, either in the Colts or Premier Reserve competitions or in the Premier Swindale Shield, and whom supporters can watch in person or through the various livestreams and follow for free throughout the season.

Below are some rookie names to keep an eye on in 2025.

Before we launch into it, it must be re-emphasised that this is a guide only and by no means a definitive list of names. Every club has been contacted for input. A read of this corresponding article every year it has been done shows some players mentioned haven’t kicked on as perhaps anticipated and others have been mentioned in passing only but have quickly become key players for their clubs and in higher teams.

As is tradition with this article the first name on the list is the previous year’s College Sport Wellington Rugby Player of the Year.

That player is St Patrick’s College, Silverstream’s Thompson Tukapua. The first-five was selected in the New Zealand Secondary Schools squad (but didn’t play owing to injury) after a strong season playing for Silverstream culminating in them beating Wellington College 31-12 in the final. Tukapua is a natural attacking player and has a strong boot. He is a current Hurricanes U20s squad member. He should feature in Premier rugby for Petone this year, if not regularly then he will be a main driver of their Colts side.

Thompson Tukapua slips the tackle of MSP-bound halfback Max Reynolds in last year’s traditional win over St Pat’s Town. Photo: Andy McArthur. And below, Tukapua scores a try for Silverstream in last year’s Premiership First XV final.

Tukapua’s Silverstream teammate Drew Berg-McLean is another highly promising player to watch in 2025. Berg-McLean is a flanker of the ‘pest’ variety, good for several individual turnovers a game and likes to get his hands on the ball and is often in support of his teammates when the counterattack is on. He is heading to Hutt Old Boys Marist. Berg-Mclean definitely good enough to mix it in Premier rugby, but he might see more Colts action given the physical nature of Wellington senior rugby and the fact that the HOBM Colts were at least 20 points better than anyone else last year and with him they would likely continue that run.

Drew Berg-McLean on the burst for Silverstream in their traditional last year against St Pat’s Town. Photo: Andy McArthur.

Berg-Mclean is joined at HOBM by prop Mako Blackman, who has joined the WRFU Academy this year out of Ngati Porou East Coast. Blackman was a member of the New Zealand Māori U18 Ngā Whatukura team last year, representing the Uawa Sports Club. was a student at Wellington College and briefly appeared in their First XV as a year 11. Blackman is a prop, so will gain plenty of experience by being in the Eagles forwards environment and under Eagles head coach and former front-rower Otto Rasch.

Another player who might have the luxury of being eased into Premier rugby is Rathkeale College school leaver and Hurricanes U20s lock Johnny Falloon. Last year’s NZSS lock Falloon will be under the watchful eye of Wellington Academy manager and former ABs lock Dion Waller. Falloon is a new Old Boys University player this year, but with  depth around him at the Goats, such as his Hurricanes U20s teammates and second year players Harry Irving and Finn O’Sullivan, Falloon might not be rushed straight into the Premier pounder.

Johnny Falloon, centre, flanked by his new OBU teammates Finn O’Sullivan and Harry Irving in the Wellington U20’s lineout last month.

Falloon is one of several first year players joining OBU this year – boasting five recent head prefects of their respective schools.

He is joined there by his Rathkeale College teammate and fellow first year VUW student Hamish Huggins. The specialist prop was head boy of Rathkeale last year and in the Hurricanes U18s last year and is a current Wellington Academy member.

Jonty Riley is another 2024 head boy of his school. The lock/loose forward comes to Wellington and to VUW and OBU from John McGlashan College in Dunedin. He was in the Highlanders U18s last year.

Mitchell Shields is in the Wellington Academy and attending lectures in Kelburn in 2025. He is another recent head prefect at OBU this year, having graduated from Wairarapa College. Shields is a loose forward and is returning from off-season surgery.

But wait there’s another – Ollie Church was Wellington College’s head boy in 2024. The Wellington Academy flanker was in the NZ Schools Barbarians last year. He is a first year student at Te Wananga O Raukawa (Otaki).

Wellington College’s Ollie Church – one of five 2024 head prefects at OBU this year. Photo: Andy McArthur. 

Hooker George White comes to Old Boys University out of Hutt International Boys’ School and impressed in representative rugby last spring playing for the Centurions U18s. Will have a mentor in OBU Premier captain and hooker Louie Calvert. Another Wellington Academy player and VUW student.

Isaiah Barry comes to Goatland and to VUW from Aquinas College, the first-five being in the Western Bay of Plenty U18 team last year, and a younger brother of OBU and former Wellington U19 flanker Nathanial.

A trio of Scots College school leavers are also at OBU, these being halfback Jake Lawson, outside back Manihera Gardiner (returning from injury and a fifth ex-head boy of the group) and wing/outside back Hayden Patu, who is a Wellington Academy member.

Also joining Petone with Thompson Tukapua are centre/fullback Adam Jansen Van Vuuren out of Paraparaumu College, lock Sam Thompson out of Silverstream but previously also at Paraparaumu College, halfback Peighton Fa’amausili out of St Bernard’s College and centre Charlie Carroll out of Wairarapa College and a member of the New Zealand Māori U18 Ngā Whatukura side last year.

Pōneke have gained two players from Hastings Boys’ High School, both in the mix to make their Premier debuts. Halfback Mike Brown and loosehead prop Elijah Talalupe are both in the Wellington Academy and will add value to the competition.

Mike Brown gets his pass away for Hastings Boys’ High School last year. He is joining Pōneke this year. Photo: Andy McArthur.

Johnsonville have welcomed Scots College prop Charlie Barton and Wesley College’s Fili Sukanaceva to their club for this year.

Marist St Pat’s will be boosted by several, mostly local, recent school leavers.

An out of town player at MSP is Cory Peterson, a first-five or fullback out of St John’s College Hastings First XV.

Another is hooker Cazna Sale, joins the club out of the Palmerston North Boys’ High School First XV. He was in the Hurricanes U18s last year and is in the Wellington U20s mix.

Also in the forwards, lock Preston Moananu joins MSP from the winning St Pat’s Silverstream First XV. Moananu also played for the Wellington Samoans U18s and is the Wellington U20s group.

Prop Corban King comes from the Wellington College First XV and was also a member of the Centurions U18s during last year’s representative season.

Ronnie Sofeni spent three years in the St Pat’s Town First XV squad, as a blindside flanker/No. 8, while teammate Jeremy Kelly-Perez is also a loose forward.

In the backs, Max Reynolds is a halfback and was the vice-captain of the St Pat’s Town First XV last year. Reynolds is joined by St Pat’s Town halfback CJ Gibson.

Second five Dante Ford-Tuveve is also straight out of the St Pat’s First XV. He is a hard running midfielder who was part of the Wellington Samoans U18s last year and most recently in the Wellington U20s and played in last month’s Academy series at Massey.

Tawa College won the Beard Trophy last year and played an exciting attacking brand of rugby. A core group of their players heading to the Tawa club this year will join their Colts side, some others might get to play Premiers.

Cliff Hunt can cover first and second five, centre and fullback and made the Wellington Centurions U18s last spring. Below – Cliff Hunt scores the try for the Centurions U18s in their 30-26 win last September over the Wellington Samoa U18s, running in support of left wing Hayden Patu who is heading to OBU.

Eden Govind is a first five-fullback who has been a Wellington U18s Māori Representative over the past two years.

Hooker-prop Malachi Suniula was Tawa College’s captain two years in running in 2023 and 204 and played for the U18s Centurions in 2023 and the Wellington Samoa U18s last season.

Tawa also gain Wellington College’s hard tackling blindside flanker – No. 8 Ele Lupe, who was also in the Wellington Samoa U18s over each of the past two years.

The 2013,2016 and 2021 Jubilee Cup champions also welcome two players from Gisborne Boys’ High School. Loose forward Luke Bidois and hooker-prop Malosi Luafalealo were both in the Poverty Bay U18s last season.

Malachi Suniula lays down the Beard Trophy challenge to Aotea College in last July’s decider at Porirua Park.

2023 Swindale Shield champions Paremata-Plimmerton welcome several school leavers this year, including a core group from Aotea College.

These Aotea College players include last year’s captain and vice-captain, Kobe Ieremia and Aura Kupa. Ieremia is a No. 8 and Akira’s younger brother/Alama’s son. Kupa is a tighthead prop with a nose for the tryline, as he showed in Beard Trophy rugby last year.

Other Aotea players include wing Connor Savea and Jah Manava, while flanker Cooper Mallon comes from St Pat’s Silverstream, hooker Jacob Emeny from Paraparaumu College and flanker Henry Albiston from Kapiti College.

Josh Bromley out of Wellington College and outside back Haare Kawiti out of Scots College are with the Wellington Axemen.

The Upper Hutt Rams always gain players from the local colleges at the top of the valley, and have previously reported on their social media channels some to be joining them this year.

These include St Pat’s Silverstream’s Tamati Payne , Preston Maraku, Liam Slight and Tawhi Mahuri-Tukukino

Ories are another club that does a good job keeping players in the game, particularly from feeder college Rongotai College.

As well as the players noted above, there are some familiar names from last year’s First XV competition having not appeared on lists given to us by clubs.

Some have gone over to rugby league, such as our understanding of where last year’s Scots College captain Rewiri Ngarimu is heading, others to university elsewhere, such as Condor 7s MVP and HIBS player Sean Carter who is in Christchurch and playing for the University of Canterbury club and Wellington College captain and NZ Barbarians player Harry Law, also be in Canterbury (but not playing in 2025 owing to injury rehabilitation) .

Taita College head boy, CSW Allrounder of the Year and wing/fullback Wesley Faitele. was ruled out of the Wellington U20s trial team earlier this year due to injury.  He is part of the Wellington Rugby Pathways Academy. He has shoulder surgery coming up in April that puts him out of the whole 2025 season, and as such hasn’t committed to a club knowing that e would not be contributing on the field.

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• All clubs were contacted for input for this article.
• Look out for the annual Wellington club rugby Gains and Losses article middle of next week. 

The Wellington Premier, Premier 2 and Colts competitions get underway on Saturday 5 April.