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Manukura won their third straight NZSS Top 4 girls title and lifted the Hine Pounamu Trophy into the wet sky at Arena Manawatu, beating Hamilton Girls’ High School 20-17 with a last-play try. PHOTO: Andy McArthur.
Monday morning edition (updates expected later in the day): A busy weekend that was and yet another bumper weekend coming up in a few days in the first weekend of September.
As always, look out for our preview on Friday and at this point in the week games and venues are all subject to change or confirmation, but a glance at a selection of these upcoming encounters on 6 September are:
- Wellington Centurions v Tasman B, Evans Bay Park, 11.30am
- Avalon Wolves U85kgs v High School Old Boys U85kgs, Fraser Park, TBC.
- Centurions U18s v Wellington Samoa U18s, Maidstone Park 12.00pm.
- Wellington U19s v Hurricanes Heartland U20s, Maidstone Park 1.00pm
- Wairarapa-Bush U18s v Wellington Māori U18s, Masterton
- Wellington U85kgs v Wellington Fijians, TBC.
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The Hurricanes U18 Trustbank Central Secondary School Shield starts this Saturday. Last year’s competition was tight, with the Wellington Centurions U18s winning the title on the last afternoon at Lyndurst Park when they came back from 6-26 down to beat Wellington Samoa U18 30-26. The Wellington Māori U18s won Division 2.
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Southland‘s 25-10 win over Waikato in Hamilton was their eighth successful challenge for the Ranfurly Shield. Their record in all Shield games is 31 wins, 44 defeats and three draws.
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Some proof that you might never be too old to make it in the form of Greytown winger Charlie Brown. Long one of the fastest players in the Wairarapa, senior rep honours had seemingly passed him by. But on Saturday, aged (allegedly) 36, he debuted for his province in the last quarter of their narrow defeat to Mid-Canterbury
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A couple of unusual rarities from Wairarapa-Bush women’s No. 8 Bia Oliveira. Not only does she wear goggles on the field – the sort briefly tried at international level by Ardie Savea, but she is also the team’s goalkicker. And when she does, she ditches the goggles for a pair of regular prescription glasses that get run out to her along with the kicking tee!
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The final scoring was as follows. Rotorua BHS: 43 (Isileli Tuutafaiva, Te Ariki Rogers 2, Hunter Weaver, Tokoaitua Owen, Tyler Phillips tries; Tuko Richards-Te Whau 5 con, pen) Feilding High School: 17 (Aston Scott, Joseph Nikola tries; Nixon Foreman 2 con, pen) HT: 15-10.
Most Points to Win a National Top Four 2001: Wesley College, 86 2025: Rotorua Boys’ High School, 84 1997: Wesley College, 72 2022: Hamilton BHS, 65.
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In their most successful season to date, Feilding High School advanced to the National Top Four final in 2025, registering 16 wins, three losses, and a draw, outscoring their opponents 727 to 377.
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Blues region schools finished fourth in both the boys and girls, Westlake Boys’ High School defeated by Southland Boys’ High School in the 3 v 4 playoff and Christchurch Girls’ High School beating Howick College for third in the girls.
Manawatu said they were stretched for fields on Saturday, with a lot on, not least the Cyclones and Top 4 rugby at the Arena and the NZSS football tournament at Massey. Hence why the U19s game was played at Pahiatua (Bush play in the MRU Colts competition). But playing the Development match at Bill Brown Park 2 was perhaps a bit rough? Not the best field. There was Manawatu-Horowhenua-Kapiti lower representative game on at Bill Brown 1. What about other places such as Johnston Park in Fielding or Ashurst? Ongley Park was much more benign in the wind as well.
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As above – when was the last time a reserve came on the field in a Pride or Lions game and scored three tries?
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A good win for the Wellington Lions on Sunday at Porirua Park. It was a tale of two first-fives in the first 20 minutes of the second half. Veteran Lions first-five Jackson Garden-Bachop put on a defensive masterclass in the wet over that 20 minute period, time and again scrambling out of trouble and not making an error. Then when the Lions got back down the other end young-gun Auckland first-five Rico Simpson had his clearing kick charged down and lock Hugo Plummer poured through to score the match-winner.
No photos this week from the Wellington – Auckland game! It seems that none of Wellington’s many, vibrant photographers that make up the local rugby community were at the game for various reasons, related to the weather (a big factor), illness, other family or home front commitments, a less than accommodating media liaison and set-up at these games and other rugby on at rugby at Palmerston North.
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While the Wellington Centurions still have two matches to play this year, against Tasman B and Canterbury B, that is the end of the line for both the Wellington Samoa Men’s team and the Wellington Māori Men’s team.
The Samoa side has struggled this rep season to field its preferred top side, with injuries and players coming and going from the Lions and Centurions and commitments outside rugby. They will be back stronger again in the future, while their supporters can now focus on the U18 competition which they have won three times and most recently in 2022 when they beat Hawke’s Bay U18 25-24 in the decider in Napier.
Meanwhile, the Wellington Fijians have two more matches to play in a fortnight when they play the Wellington U85kg representative side this weekend and then the Wairarapa Bush Development on the 13th.
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Perhaps the biggest yawn fest early last week was the release of the 2026 Super Rugby Pacific draw.
Most rugby supporters aren’t interested in this yet.
Those that are will see that the Hurricanes play six home matches, which includes a season opener in Wellington on 20 February against Moana Pasifika. This follows a round one ‘bye’.
Five of their six home games are in Wellington, with the regions getting one game on Friday 13 March which hasn’t been revealed yet.
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Listening to the various commentaries, how long before viewers can select their commentator, style and pitch of commentary or language using AI?
This concept is already an option on Sky of course, but these are two different commentary teams. What of AI coming into play so you could listen in whatever ancient or current language you want and an AI voice to choose from in a dropdown menu, from Winston McCarthy to James Bond to Art Bell?
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From the RNZ website last Wednesday:
A rugby player who died on Wednesday believed he was suffering from the same neurodegenerative brain condition diagnosed in a team-mate who died by suspected suicide.
Former Highlanders flanker and Tasman NPC captain Shane Christie has died aged 39.
The Tasman Rugby Union confirmed his death today.
Christie played 29 matches for the Highlanders between 2014-2016 and was part of their Super Rugby winning side of 2015, although he spent the majority of that campaign sidelined with injury.
He also played 73 times for Tasman over seven seasons, before retiring due to concussion-related symptoms. He skippered Tasman to their first NPC title in 2013.
Read more here: https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/sport/571246/late-rugby-player-shane-christie-had-called-for-duty-of-care-for-players
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Club awards season continues to be in full flourish. We are working on putting together our annual ‘Club Rugby’ awards article so look out for that soon. Some
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The Wellington Rugby Referees Association recently held their annual awards. One award to note here is Malcolm Gibbs, winning the Dilnott Trophy award – see below:
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Wellington’s clubs continue to have their prize giving, one example from the Wellington Axemen below:
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West Coast has made a historically strong start to the Heartland Championship with three wins in a row and their first win against perennial powerhouse Whanganui on Saturday, who they’ve only beaten four times since 2014. West Coast won 38-19. It was 19-14 to the Butcher Boys at halftime, so West Coast scored 24 unanswered points in the second half.
In 2013, West Coast won five of their first six games and reached the Meads Cup semi-final, where they lost 28-25 to eventual champions Mid Canterbury. In 1999, the West Coast were third division finalists, beaten 14-12 by Poverty Bay in the semi-final. Ngāti Porou East Coast won the final against Poverty Bay 18-15.
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Still seeing players without mouthguards in photos – they know who they are.
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The three Auckland NPC teams are firmly rooted to the bottom of the table and each winless and 0-5 so far in the competition. A bleak campaign so far for North Harbour, Auckland and Counties Manukau.
The NZ Herald reluctantly reported some of the NPC on their website on Monday morning, but not these teams as per their clear editorial policy this year. The newspaper serving 1.7 million people in the Auckland region noted Southland’s Ranfurly Shield and also Northland’s late 27-22 win over Hawke’s Bay on Saturday.
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A 62-19 win for the Black Ferns on Monday morning (NZT) over Japan, as expected. They won 10 tries to three and are now in the quarter-finals.
As the report wrote: “New Zealand got history out of the way quickly, with winger Portia Woodman-Wickliffe’s opening try seeing her slip two tackles to score her record-extending 50th in her 30th test and record-extending 22nd in her 12th World Cup match.
Superb milestone for the wing, although perhaps disingenuous to compare to her All Blacks men’s counterparts in all-time try-scoring lists.
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The All Blacks put their 30-year Eden Park unbeaten record on the line this coming Saturday evening, hosting the Springboks in the first of two tests.
This column is a collaborative effort, so to contribute or have news or information please get in touch.
