Wellington College Quadrangular Tournament Team of the Century

• By Adam Julian & Steven White

Rugby’s annual First XV Quadrangular Tournament, featuring Wellington College, Whanganui Collegiate, Nelson College, and Christ’s College, turns 100 this week (June 18-20) at Whanganui.

Colloquially known as “The Quad,” it is the oldest four-way rugby tournament in New Zealand (and possibly the world) and together, the schools that contest it have produced nearly 8 per cent of the 1232 All Blacks to date.

But who, from the more than 1000 players who have participated in this tournament, would be selected for a Wellington College Quad Team of the Century?

The caveat that you must have actually laced up boots for the tournament means that All Blacks prop Ken Gray, who is frequently picked in the greatest All Blacks teams, would simply not qualify here.

Meanwhile, other All Blacks made little impression at the tournament itself. By contrast, others who never became household names are Quad legends.

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15. Buxton Popoali’i – The 2007 Wellington College First XV was the first to go through a season unbeaten since 1931, scoring 722 points in 22 games. Hampered by a knee injury, Popoali’i scored 280 points, including 22 tries and 44 points in one match alone.

In the annual ‘Quad’ final against South Island champions Nelson College, Popoali’i scored the winning try from deep inside his own half and kicked two penalties and a conversion in an 18-10 win.

Popoali’i was so good that he not only made the New Zealand Secondary Schools team, but the Wellington Rugby Football Union also sought and gained a dispensation from New Zealand Rugby for him to play in the 2008 NPC. He made an immediate impact playing the full game on the right wing in the Lions’ triumphant 27-0 Ranfurly Shield victory over Auckland. It was the first time since 1982 that Wellington held the ‘Log of Wood.’ He was nicknamed Simba after the youngest character in The Lion King.

Remarkably, just two years earlier, he had heart valve replacement surgery. Health issues prevented the personal trainer from reaching his full potential. Still, he won a Jubilee Cup in 2010 with Norths, a World Series title with the All Blacks Sevens, and represented the Highlanders and Otago.

Popoali’i playing club rugby for Norths in his first season out of school in 2008.

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14. John Stephenson – The 1929 speedster helped win the second Quadrangular played on home soil and in the year of Wellington rugby’s Jubilee. There was nothing flashy about both wins, Wellington grinding out an 8-6 win over Christ’s on day one and 6-3 over Nelson on day two in front of 4,000 spectators. Stephenson scored a clutch try against Christ’s, then scored both tries and all Wellington’s points against Nelson.

After a 0-0 halftime score, Nelson took a 3-0 lead early in the second half. Wellington dug deep and pressured Nelson’s line until the ball was spun through the backs and Stephenson dashed over. With time running out, he kicked ahead a dropped ball and out-sprinted the fullback to score the winning try.

Stephenson was a keen all-round sportsman, also a member of the First XI cricket team and, along with his brother F.H. Stephenson, a track star and a sprinter. He studied accounting at Victoria and was a noted bowling all-rounder for University in club cricket.

Stephenson had been a member of the Royal Volunteer Naval Reserve for several years, being commissioned a sub-lieutenant in 1935. At the outbreak of the war, he was assigned to special instruction and spent some time in Melbourne. He was posted to H.M.S. Achilles in July. However, in October 1940, he fell ill and passed away in Auckland Hospital, aged 29.

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13. Bill Fleming – Slashing midfield back Bill Fleming was in the First XV in his final year of school in 1955 when they won the Quadrangular Tournament outright for the first time since 1937. Wellington College had wins over Christ’s (14-5) and Whanganui (25-3). That same season, Wellington College beat St Pat’s Town 48-6, although they lost to Silverstream 3-8, who had a powerful side at that time. Wellington won 15 of their 17 games and scored a then-school record 409 points.

Fleming joined the Wellington College Old Boys and was straight into the Senior A backline in what was a battling team that struggled for continuity year on year. Despite his youth, Fleming quickly established himself as a leading player in the competition on both attack and defence. Fleming’s WCOB finished a credible third in the 1962 Jubilee Cup. He played 39 games for the Wellington representative side between 1957 and 1962, scoring 20 tries.

He was later heavily involved with the Upper Hutt club in coaching and administration and is a past Life Member of the Upper Hutt Rams.

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12. Fred ‘Stan’ Ransom  – The first Quad was played in Wellington in 1925 and nobody was better than Stan Ransom.

The weather on day one was so poor that games moved from the school’s ground to the desolate Lyall Bay Reserve. Ransom regathered a kick and scored the winning try in an 11-8 win over Nelson.

The final back at the school, on heavy ground, saw Whanganui Collegiate build a 9-0 lead and later a 13-9 lead in the second half. Ransom scored a clutch try that brought it back to 12-13 and helped set up the winner for A.C. Catheart (17-13).

After school, Ransom joined the University club and won the inaugural Jubilee Cup in 1929. He played 13 matches for Wellington over four seasons, including a leading role in the 1930 win over the touring British Isles, 12-8.

Additionally, Ransom was a renowned hurdler and, in 1927-28, was the New Zealand co-champion and record holder for the 440-yard (400m) hurdles.

He became a teacher and taught at Wellington College. In 1952, he succeeded Norman Millard as the principal of Hutt Valley High School, a position he held until his retirement in 1967.

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11. Wes Goosen – Never lost a match at Quad. He was part of the Wellington teams that won finals against Nelson in 2011 (18-10), 2012 (31-31), and 2013 (16-10), scoring a try in the last match.

Equally comfortable on the wing or at centre, Goosen helped Wellington win two local Premierships and reach the National Top Four in 2013. That year, he was selected for New Zealand Schools and scored the winning try in a 17-16 victory over Australia, set up by future All Black Damian McKenzie (Christ’s College), whom Goosen jousted with at Quad.

Goosen went on to win three Jubilee Cups with Old Boys University. He scored 30 tries in 67 games for Wellington and 31 in 71 for the Hurricanes, winning a Super Rugby title in 2016. Since 2022, he has appeared 70 times for Edinburgh.

Goosen playing in the 2012 Wellington First XV Final.

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10. Scott Leighton – Usurps Quad-winning All Blacks Marc Ellis and Lima Sopoaga by possibly being the only player to win four consecutive Quads. Between 1992 and 1995, Wellington won the tournament, outscoring opponents 243-60. Leighton’s best year was 1995 when, from first five-eighth, he led Wellington to 20 wins in 22 matches and their first National Top Four final. Rob Corliss, who has taught and coached rugby at Wellington College for 48 years, paid tribute to Leighton.

“Scott was a superb footballer, one of the best I’ve seen at schoolboy level. He could run, kick goals, set up his outsides and manage a game with composure and authority. He was a leader on the field at the school and now gives back as a police officer. He was a huge contributor to Wellington College.”

Leighton went on to win a Jubilee Cup with Western Suburbs in 1998 and then became Poverty Bay’s all-time leading points scorer with 791 points in 69 games (45 wins). He was a New Zealand Heartland representative and the Heartland Championship Player of the Year in 2006.

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9. Bernard ‘Joey’ Sadler – The 1931 Wellingtonian published: “The 1931 season commenced with but three old caps back at school, and as usual when a new team has to be selected, the prospects looked most dismal. This year was no exception; but the team, which at the beginning of the season seemed decidedly weak, developed into a side which was not only difficult to beat but remained undefeated at the end of the season.”

They won all 11 games with Sadler a leading light. At Quad, Sadler led Wellington to a 9-3 win over Nelson and then a 28-14 win over Whanganui in the final, after trailing 6-11 at halftime. Sadler scored a try as part of the second-half comeback.

He was captain of the First XV in 1932, and although Nelson won the Quad in his last year, Wellington College enjoyed success over their local rivals.

He joined WCOB in 1933 for club rugby and was soon playing in the Senior Championship. He first made the Wellington representative team in his second year, in 1934, and the following year he was in the All Blacks as a northern-hemisphere tourist. He was the All Blacks’ top halfback in 1936 and was primed to meet Danie Craven’s Springboks in 1937, but a knee injury playing club rugby prior to that series ended his career. He was 22.

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8. Nelson Asafo Solomona – The six-foot-seven, 120kg behemoth was jokingly called the world’s biggest four-year-old because he was born on February 29 in Lower Hutt Hospital. His devastating play was featured on primetime television news, with comparisons to Jonah Lomu and Sonny Bill Williams.

Solomona was part of the Wellington teams that shared the Quad in 2012 and won it in 2013.

The 31-31 draw with Nelson College in the 2012 decider in Christchurch often saw Solomona run rampant in one of the most enthralling Quad matches ever played.

In 2013, Asafo-Solomona was more restrained but no less effective in a calm, calculated display to subdue Nelson at home 16-10. He helped Wellington College to an 18-4 record, a Wellington Premiership triumph, and a National top-four appearance that season.

After school, Asafo-Solomona enjoyed a decorated rugby league career, making 215 appearances for the Melbourne Storm in the NRL, scoring 35 tries, and winning 159 matches, including the 2017 and 2020 Premiership titles.

He has since launched a professional boxing career and won his first two fights.

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7. Filo Tiatia – An imposing 1.93 cm and 112 kg, Tiatia was more known for being a No.8 after school but while at Wellington College he was a frequent rep pick at seven and did play openside in his first class career which included two tries in his only two All Blacks Tests in 2000 a 102-0 win against Tonga and a 56-19 win against Italy.

Tiatia wrote himself into Quad folklore in 1989. Whanganui Collegiate, with 20 wins in 22 games and a 49-13 crushing of Nelson in the first game, were the warmest favourites to beat an inconsistent Wellington team.

Instead, Wellington used their size and local conditions to their advantage, steamrolling the Whanganui despite three tries from brilliant winger Jason Bowie (78 tries in 61 First XV games). Tiatia scored a try while future All Black Marc Ellis contributed 17 points in a stirring 25-14 victory.

Tiatia was a foundation Hurricane player, making 57 appearances between 1996 and 2001. In 2000, he helped Wellington win their first NPC title since 2000. In 79 games for Wellington, he scored 14 tries and won 47 times.

His younger brother Ace won Quad at Wellington College and represented Samoa, Wellington, and the Hurricanes. Tiatia is also related to All Black Alama Ieremia and to first-class players Joe Fa’aiu, Manaaki Boyle-Tiatia, and Pyrenees Boyle-Tiatia.

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6. TJ Ioane – A New Zealand Secondary Schools selection when Wellington was unbeaten in 22 games in 2007, Ioane could cover all three back row positions. Eight-time Quad-winning coach Lincoln Rawles rated him as one of the most “hard, talented and relentless” loose forwards he coached. In the 2007 Quad, Wellington beat Nelson 18-10 in the final after crushing Christ’s College 46-10.

Ioane would apply some of the attributes that first caught Rawles’s eye in his long professional career, which included stints with Otago, the Highlanders, Sale, London Irish, Glasgow, and 25 Tests for Samoa, including the 2015 and 2019 Rugby World Cup campaigns.

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5. Steve Letica – Island Bay’s Steve Letica was a leading athletic forward in the First XV in the early 1960s. In his final year in 1964, Letica and future All Black Mark Sayers scored tries in their 17-5 Quad final win over Christ’s. Letica was described as “Tigerish.” They had previously beaten Nelson College 14-3 on day one.

Wellington won the tournament consecutively from 1962 to 1964. During that time, the stars were Letica, future Otago hooker Doug Lingard, future 149-game Wellington prop Al Keown, and future All Black Mark Sayers. The team was coached by Frank Crist, a fighter pilot and goal-kicking lock who had 102 wins in 162 games for the Wellington First XV.

Letica left school and continued his upward trajectory, playing for Wellington B in 1965 and becoming a Junior All Black (NZ U23s) in 1966. However, he became ill with leukaemia and tragically passed away in May 1967 at age 20. That same year, the Steve Letica Cup was first played between the Wellington College First XV and the WCOB U19s [now against the Old Boys University Colts].

Wellington College remembering Steve Letica in a display in 2013.

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4. Naitoa Ah Kuoi – During his final season in the First XV in 2017, Ah Kuoi was presented with a commemorative jersey to acknowledge 70 appearances for his school, a number of games unlikely to be achieved by anybody else.

Lock or flanker Ah Kuoi won his only tournament as a Year 10 in 2014, with Wellington tackling themselves to a 5-0 victory over Nelson in a Whanganui quagmire. In 2015 and 2016, Wellington returned to the final and, though they lost narrowly to Nelson (6-3) and Christ’s (24-19), Ah Kuoi remained a formidable presence. In 2017, he was selected for the New Zealand Secondary Schools.

He has gone on to have an extensive professional career with Wellington, Bay of Plenty, and the Chiefs, while making the All Blacks XV. Lincoln Rawles paid tribute.

“Versatile, tough, skilful, Naitoa was an outstanding player. Just as important was his contribution off the field. He’s a big personality, drawing people in with his humour, intelligence, insight, and humility.”

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3. Jeffery Toomaga-Allen – Debuted for the First XV in 2006 as a raw and damaging Year 11 and helped Wellington win both the Quad and the Premiership. In 2007 and 2008, he anchored an imperious scrum that powered Wellington to an unbeaten 22-game season in 2007 and 20 wins in 24 games with a National Top Four appearance in 2008. In six Quad games between 2006 and 2008, Wellington outscored opponents 187-46.

After school, he played a solitary Test for the All Blacks, a 54-6 win over Japan in Tokyo in 2013. He played 41 games (27 wins) for Wellington between 2012 and 2018, but was best known for his 118 appearances (78 wins) for the Hurricanes. In 2016, he was part of the only Hurricanes team to win a Super Rugby title. He has also played for Wasps, Ulster, and the Reds.

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2. Dane Coles – Though he spent only 2004 at Wellington College after coming from Paraparaumu College, his impact was immediate. He helped Wellington win the Premiership final and the Quad in Christchurch. Wellington defeated Nelson 22-15 on day one and Whanganui 23-16 in the final. Whanganui won 17 of 20 games that season. In 2005, he was chosen for the New Zealand Under-19s and was away.

Coles revolutionised the position of hooker with his unique skills, turning the number two jersey into a hybrid of traditional duties like accurate lineout throwing and scrummaging with flanker-like carrying, especially near the touchline. The 2015 Rugby World Cup-winning All Black played 90 Tests for 74 wins and scored 23 tries. He captained the only Hurricanes team to win Super Rugby in 2016 and achieved 145 games with 29 tries and 87 wins. With Wellington, he played 71 games for 18 tries and 49 wins, part of the 2022 NPC winning team, the first since 2000.

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1. Neemia Tialata – When Neemia Tialata was first selected for the All Blacks in 2005, he was officially the heaviest ever All Black. Tialata used his size to great effect throughout his illustrious career. In 1999 and 2000, he was part of two First XVs that overpowered Christ’s in the Quad finals of 1999 (25-20) and 2000 (33-20). In both seasons, Wellington made the National Top Four, and in 2000, Tialata was Wellington’s leading try scorer with 15.

Tialata played 73 games for the Wellington Lions, 101 for the Hurricanes and won 38 of his 43 All Blacks Test matches. He was part of the 2005 and 2008 “Grand Slam” tours, won three Tri Nations championships, and attended the 2007 Rugby World Cup.

In 2023, Tialata coached Wellington College to its first Quad title since 2014 with dramatic come-from-behind victories against Christ’s (32-26) and Whanganui (32-31). He is Wellington’s coach for the 100th Quad.

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Who would you pick in this team? Who would be on our bench, numbers 16-22 in modern numbering?