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Club Rugby attended the annual Manawatu Pasifika 10s tournament at Bill Brown Park in Palmerston North on Saturday. This is a well-run tournament and has enthusiastic support. The 10s format is also a good one, as it still has the structure of 15s rugby while also the razzle-dazzle of sevens. Close sevens games are really exciting, but one-sided games less so, but 10s still has that 15s feel to it. Games in the 10-a-side format are 10 minutes each way and this sort of tournament with multiple teams would be good if played over two days. The only thing that didn’t play ball was the weather and it was pretty dark out there for the morning games and our camera lens we use for taking photos was struggling. Although it did lighten up over the middle of the day, before the skies darkened again and late rain rolled in.
Both the Men’s (six teams) and Women’s (three) tournaments were won by the composite Fullsend teams, invitational teams based in Whanganui and established in 2022. There were several new faces in this side, but a couple of older ones too such as Timoci Serawalu, who was coaching the team. He said this is his fulltime gig now, as he’s hung up his playing boots in 7s-10s rugby!
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The second half of November is looking like it is going to be busy for sevens rugby.
There is one confirmed and two unconfirmed senior club tournaments on consecutive Saturdays on 15, 22 and 29 November. There is also the possible Central Provincial Sevens tournament following these in early December but this is also unconfirmed at this stage. Plus the annual Condor 7s school tournament at Naenae College on Monday 27 October, which is confirmed.
Starting on the 15th, the first of these tournaments is now official, the inaugural Feilding Blitz 7s. For Wellington clubs and teams looking to get a jump on form and combinations on their rivals this is a perfect lead-in to the two WRFU club tournaments unofficially marked down for the following two weekends.
From the organisers:
- Saturday 15 November 2025
- Johnston Park, Feilding
- Cash prizes up for grabs!
- Men’s Open, Colts/ U85kg divisions.
- . Link to register HERE! https://forms.gle/CqVLri96d1a6VWy7A
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A heart-stopping semi-finals weekend in the Heartland Championship, with the upshot being that Horowhenua-Kapiti is the only Hurricanes region side left standing for the finals this coming Saturday, from the four that contested the semi-finals. More on all this is below.
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The WRFU awards are coming up. Lookout for a bit of content on this website post-awards to wrap the 15s year up, such as the now annual Best & Fairest Team of the Season and our own Club Rugby 2025 Awards article.
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Rest in peace Peter Russell – many say he should have coached Wellington. From the NZ Herald (not paywalled):
Rugby coach Peter Russell, who revived the Magpies’ fortunes with a historic first NPC top division semifinal in his first season at the helm of Hawke’s Bay in 2007, died suddenly on Thursday, aged 62.
His achievements with Hawke’s Bay within his first few months in charge of the side earned him the NPC Coach of the Year title.
Russell was a star on the rise when he came to Hawke’s Bay and tackled the job of developing a team that had finished ninth when elevated to the 14-team elite level of the Air New Zealand Cup the previous season.
As a Wellington Under-19 and colts coach from 1995-1999, Russell’s teams recorded 38 wins from 41 games. His four years as senior coach at Marist St Pat’s took them to three Wellington championship titles and he then coached Wairarapa Bush to win the last NPC third division title in 2025 and the first Heartland Championship title in 2006.
Read more HERE
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Laban takes the chains. Founding Western Suburbs outside back Ken Laban has won the Lower Hutt mayority. From cutting through rugby commentaries to cutting ribbons, Laban has a busy three years ahead. Former Upper Hutt coach and club President Wayne Guppy will have more time to spend watching the Rams at Maidstone Park after losing the Upper Hutt job, while up the line former MSP back Bernie Wanden will oversee the elected arm of the Horowhenua District Council for another term.
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Semi-finals time in the NPC this coming weekend, both in the South Island. Otago will play Bay of Plenty in the first semi-final in Dunedin on Friday (kick-off 7.15pm), while Canterbury will face Hawke’s Bay on Saturday (kick-off 7:15pm).
Canterbury did it again with a late win. This time an extra-time to beat Counties Manukau. The last time Canterbury was stretched to extra time in an NPC playoff match was the 2018 final which they lost to Auckland 40-33 at Eden Park. In a 2012 semi-final Canterbury conquered Taranaki 51-27 in extra time in Christchurch. All Blacks prop Wyatt Crockett scored two tries. Canterbury went on to beat Auckland 31-18 in the final. Crockett scored six tries for Canterbury and won 58 out of his 73 matches. He was 18-2 with Tasman and won 291 first class matches overall. Sean Fitzpatrick won 302 out of 348 first class matches.
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The Biggest NZ Junior Girls Rugby Festival rolled into Upper Hutt on Friday. Fraser Park transformed into a sea of colour, energy, and laughter as 62 teams from across New Zealand, came together for one big celebration of female rugby across two days. It was supposed to be three, but Sunday was cancelled owing to the state of the weather at the moment and the grounds not liking it.
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Heartland Championship semi-finals chat
Four Hurricanes region unions participated in this past weekend’s Heartland Championship top tier Meads and second division Lochore Cup semi-finals and one has made it into the final.
Two played each other. In the Lochore Cup, Horowhenua-Kapiti will move on to a showdown with North Otago in Oamaru next week after an extraordinary afternoon at Cooks Gardens in Whanganui. The two sides were locked up at 8-all at the break, and following a late exchange of penalties saw the pair at 18-all at full-time. There the visitors blew the hosts away in the extra periods, running in two tries and a penalty in the first 10 minutes and adding a second for a 40-18 triumph. It was back and forth down south as well, with the North Otago beating Poverty Bay 48-46 after the visitors led 29-24 at the interval. North Otago will host Horowhenua-Kapiti in the Lochore decider.
Wairarapa Bush will spend the offseason wondering what might have been, going down 21-19 against top qualifiers in their Meads Cup semi-final in Ashburton.
Wearing black armbands in memory of Peter Russell, the Bush played into the strong nor-wester in the first half. Needing to keep the scoreboard manageable, they found themselves down by 13 in just 11 minutes as the hosts came out of the gates with a pair of penalties to Tom Reekie bracketing a close range try from big Fijian blindside Manasa Samo. The visitors needed to respond and with the Biumaiwai brothers and Folau Finau-Vea particularly prominent they got on the front foot. A Jack Eschenbach break got them to within striking distance, and it was perhaps fitting the big No8 from OBU squeezed over in the right hand corner.
The Bush would set up camp again after a snipe from halfback Sam Walton-Sexton only to concede a needless penalty and the hosts took advantage as Samo battered his way over for a second. Walton-Sexton replied for the visitors and it looked like the margin would be only six at the break. However Mid-Canty broke downfield and it appeared that winger Raitube Vasurakuta – who tormented the Bush in their earlier meeting – and scored a decisive try right on halftime, only for it to be ruled out for a forward pass while under advantage. Reekie knocked over his third penalty to have the hosts in front by nine, but turning into the wind.
Wairarapa Bush practically built a compound in the Hammers 22m after the break, but in a heartbreaking theme for the visitors their option taking and basic skills near the line cost them on several occasions, and you were left wondering why they didnt take some handy kicks at goal to build pressure and panic. The hosts managed just a single breakout that ended with Reekie crossing, but as with the end of the first half it too was ruled out. Eventually after 33 scoreless minutes bench lock Cody Cunningham went over with Eschenbach adding the extras. The Bush’s hopes took a dent when winger Soli Malatai went to the bin for a high tackle but even then they had their chances to snatch it, but couldn’t grasp them.
Mid-Canterbury will host next weekend’s Meads Cup final, where they’ll meet defending champions Thames Valley. The Swampfoxes – who had former OBU Goat Kenan Gillson at hooker – proved too strong for South Canterbury, winning 61-31 in Timaru after they rode the wind home in the second half. The two sides were at 24-apiece after the first 40, and while the hosts scored straight off the second half kick-off it was all Valley after that as they ran in 37 unanswered points. Foxes No. 8 Aporosa Vuniyayawa had a day to remember with four tries.
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Only four players have scored four tries in a match for Thames Valley: Irvine “Butch” Campbell vs. North Otago, 1990, 33-3 Gregory Ellis vs. North Otago, 1994, 86-7 Gavin McLiver vs. Marlborough, 1995, 45-33 Aporosa Vuniyayawa vs. South Canterbury, 2025, 61-31.
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Willie Wright became the 16th centurion for South Canterbury on Saturday. Although South Canterbury lost their Meads Cup semi-final to Thames Valley, 61-31, Wright stands out as one of the most accomplished players in New Zealand Heartland rugby. He has won eight Hamersley Cup senior club titles with Celtic and has achieved a formidable record with South Canterbury, winning 76 of the 100 matches he has played, scoring 603 points. Notably, he played in all 39 record games that South Canterbury won in the Heartland Championships between 2021 and 2024. Additionally, Wright has claimed the Meads Cup three times and won the Lochore Cup in 2019.
South Canterbury centurions: Barry Gallagher (100), Mick Casey (102), Dick Sharpe (104), Eric Smith (107), Nick Strachan (109), Robin Heron (110), Noel Glass (110), Ray Vercoe (111), Peter Grant (113) Barry Fairbrother (115), Matt Fetu (116), Gerard Coughlan (117), Stephen Tarrant (129), Stephen Todd (152).
Fairbrother holds the province’s record for most points with 1048. He also kicked a New Zealand first-class record 61 drop goals in 118 first-class games. South Canterbury’s top try scorer is Stephen Todd with 60.
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Club awards season continues, from the Upper Hutt Rams page on Friday below. In summary, Mat Luamanu (if former Lions Communications Manager Sam Rossiter-Stead is reading it is Mat with ‘one T’) won the Premier team’s Best Team Member award, Dan Schijvers best back and Josh Mallon best forward. Ieti Campbell won the Premier MVP.
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Final rehearsals are in full swing for Pack of Girls, and the cast is proving they’re as tough as any rugby squad. Under the direction of Felicity Cozens, with support from Rob Ormsby, performers are mastering not only the physicality of rugby but also the comedy, choreography, and quick-fire dialogue that make this play such a delight.
Set in a small rural New Zealand community of the late 1990s, the story follows a women’s rugby team as they tackle far more than the game itself. Themes of sexism, toxic relationships, and personal boundaries are explored with wit and warmth, ensuring audiences laugh as much as they reflect.
The season runs 16 October – 1 November at Porirua Little Theatre. Tickets: www.porirualittletheatre.co.nz.
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SOCKtober 2025
It’s a special time of year for the Ahuru Mowai Trust with their annual sock fundraiser SOCKtober.All funds raised go to support the creation of safe spaces and places for families raising children with extra and special needs. “You might not be able to walk a mile in their shoes, but you can wear some socks to show your support” To check out the range, visit:
https://dynastyteamstore.co.nz/collections/ahuru-mowai-trust
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Give them an inch and they will take a mile.
Former Nelson College and now Crusaders academy first-five Harry Inch is likely to be joining the New Zealand Warriors. He’s a running first or second-five so will probably do well in rugby league, but why can’t that sport develop its own players in this country? This could also leave a hole in first-fives coming through. Who are the other 10s stamping their marks in this age bracket around the country?
Read more HERE (NZ Herald link, not paywalled)
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This column is a collaborative effort. It is almost over for this year, but will return weekly on Mondays from early 2026. To contribute or if you have news and information to share please get in touch.
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fraser park isnt in upper hutt