Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 095: Henry Morgan

Henry Morgan was a long-serving administrator who is best known for helping grow and run the junior game in Wellington.

His name lives on today with the H.D. Morgan Cup named in his honour. The H.D. Morgan silverware is currently contested in the second round of the Premier 2 Grade.

Morgan was a member of the Johnsonville club and became a member of the WRFU’s management committee in 1926 and served on it until 1962. He was subsequently elected a Life Member of the WRFU.

Morgan’s work with junior rugby in capital competitions is his legacy. He served in most roles on the junior committee, including as Chairman in several stints.

Morgan was born in Australia but came to Wellington aged eight and settled in Johnsonville with his family, his lifelong home.

In those days there were two competitions – Wednesday and Saturday – because of the variation in half-day closing of businesses. Morgan played in both. He was one of the original group which obtained the present Johnsonville ground, Helston Park.

Morgan’s playing days came to an end during the first world war. He was in the force in Samoa in 1914, served at Gallipoli with the First Wellington Regiment and then went to France where he was badly wounded at Fleurs in 1916.

Returning home, he couldn’t play rugby or cricket anymore, so found an outlet in administrative work and in particular in junior rugby which he had a passion for.

Morgan played a leading hand in establishing the Junior Advisory Committee, which was formed in 1926, and grew to administer up to 100 clubs and over 35 clubs and schools at its peak. He drew satisfaction from seeing many young players rise through the ranks to become senior club rugby players and some on to represeantive and All Blacks level.

Like many men of his time, Morgan was modest and self-effacing and preferred to see his traits of hard work and integrity shine through and form the basis of his popularity amongst peers and longevity in the game.

Henry died in 1967 and the trophy bearing his name was first established in 1969 in the Senior Third Division Championship – the third XV competition at the time, or the equivalent of today’s Reserve Grade competition.

Porirua were the inaugural winners. The first shared title was the very next year with Petone and WCOB splitting the spoils.

Oriental-Rongotai are the 2023 and 2024 back-to-back champions, having beaten Stokes Valley 12-8 in the 2023 final and the Upper Hutt Rams 29-17 in the final.

The previous 10 winners of the HD Morgan Cup

• 2015: Oriental-Rongotai
• 2016: Wainuiomata
• 2017: Upper Hutt Rams
• 2018: Johnsonville
• 2019: Marist St Pat’s
• 2020: Old Boys University
• 2021: Avalon
• 2022: Petone
• 2023: Oriental-Rongotai
• 2024: Oriental-Rongotai

REFERENCES

Much of the information above is derived directly from a 1956 story in the Rugby Weekly publication highlighting Morgan’s then 30 years of service since the formation of the Junior Advisory Committee.

Additional sources:

Boag, Richard. Old Boys University Trophies Manual, 2022.

Swan, Arthur C.; Jackson, Gordon F. W. (1952). Wellington’s Rugby History 1870 – 1950. Wellington, New Zealand: A. H. & A. W. Reed.