Axeman Archie a sharp scorer

• By Adam Julian
• Photos by Brad Roberts

Archie Treadwell can’t stop scoring tries.

The Wellington Axemen lock has scored 16 tries in 14 matches, easily the best effort by a lock in a single Premier club season. Kane Gush (Wainuiomata) 2010, Cole Stewart (Pōneke) 2017, Glen Angus (Wainuiomata) 2018, James Poloniata (OBU) 2019, and Tane Tata (Upper Hutt Rams) 2021 each scored seven tries in a season.

Treadwell has doubled their tally in his first senior season in the capital. Only current HOBM loose forward Luca Rees, who scored 23 tries for Oriental-Rongotai in 2018, could claim to have scored more tries by a forward. What’s the secret?

“Right place, right time,” Treadwell drolly responded.

What about the 55-metre runaway, one of two tries he scored in Wellington’s 41-32 win over Old Boys University in the Hardham Cup semi-final on Saturday?

“That one was pretty good,” Treadwell laughed.

“I can’t give away my tricks. We’ve got one more game to win.

“Much of the credit goes to the boys and the style of rugby we play. We have an attacking formation but are encouraged to play what’s in front of us. We have really dynamic ball carriers and when we’re on the front foot, it’s very hard to stop. We’ve scored a lot of cracking tries this year. Often I just have to pick the ball up and fall over the line.”

Standing six-foot-five, 108kg, Treadwell has the bulk to be a damaging ball carrier. He’s also supremely fit and a noted link player who spent four years in Otago, where the game is typically quicker but less confrontational than in Wellington.

That balance of attributes has piqued the interest of Wellington Lions selectors. Treadwell has been training with the Lions for the past fortnight and played the last half hour of a disappointing 54-35 pre-season loss to Manawatū last Friday.

“It was 33-7 at halftime. I hope I did alright. The Lions. It would be cool to have a crack at the NPC. I was going to England to play for Old Northamptonians RFC at the end of the season. I’ve delayed that until October in case something happens,” Treadwell said.

Treadwell’s immediate priority is helping the Axemen beat Paremata-Plimmerton in Saturday’s Hardham VC Cup final at Jerry Collins Stadium in Porirua.

Wellington last contested the Hardham Cup final in 2013 when they were narrowly beaten 26-16 by Northern United. They last won the Hardham Cup in 1990, three years after winning their last Jubilee Cup in 1987. Archie’s father, Axemen centurion and prominent lawyer Mical Treadwell, featured in that team and the 1985 winning side too.

“I grew up around the club, played in the juniors from age five and was ballboy for the seniors when Grant Cederwall was coach. It was my dream to come back here, play in the seniors, give something back and help the club win something,” Treadwell said

“Dad is still involved on the board. He tells stories about playing with All Blacks like Murray Mexted and Murray Pearce, which is pretty surreal. In my first year here, I’ve noticed a special sense of care for each other. We’re an odd mix. We’re either over 30, under 23 or all from MSP.”

Wellington won three games in the Swindale Shield, their best effort since 2021. This is noteworthy because between 2022 and 2024 they lost 43 consecutive matches.

Treadwell scored tries in the 50-31 win against Pōneke, 52-27 win over Norths, and most tellingly in the 40-38 win against Paremata-Plimmerton, Wellington’s final opponents.

“We got them at Ngāti Toa. It was a really good game, attacking teams with a lot of class. Their nine Esi Komaisavai is awesome. We have to try to stop him,” Treadwell said.

It’s likely Treadwell is the most familiar of the Axemen, including All Black Matt Proctor, with winning finals.

A promising Wellington age group representative cricket bowler, Treadwell was part of the Scots College First XVs from 2019 to 2021 that won the Wellington Premiership. He identified the 36-36 draw with St Patrick’s College, Silverstream in the 2021 final at Hnry Stadium as the “craziest” game of rugby he’s played.

His degree in sports exercise science and marketing took him to Otago, where he played for the unbeaten Dunedin Sharks Colts in 2022 and 2023. Cam Burgess (MSP), Lachie Forbes (Petone) and Bed Brown (Pōneke)are fellow Wellington players who made an impression as part of the same team.

He launched his senior rugby career at Southern, who were twice semi-finalists in the Otago Metro competition. He was good enough to earn selection for Otago B. Upon returning to the capital, he works in administration and marketing for Tommy’s Rentals while sharpening his rugby axe.

P.S. Tawa’s Telea Seumanutafa scored 10 tries in the Swindale Shield and 16 for the season in 2015, playing the majority at blindside flanker and some games at lock. The single-season record for most tries is 26, held by Wellington Axemen All Black winger Michael Knight in 1970.

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Wellington v Paremata-Plimmerton head-to-head

The Axemen beat Paremata-Plimmerton 40-38 in their previous meeting this year at Ngati Toa Domain on 13 June.

Paremata-Plimmerton have won seven of their past 10 meetings and there has been one draw, in clashes going back to 2018.

Paremata-Plimmerton won their 2022 and 2023 meetings by 51-3 and 68-5 respectively – but if you take these two results out of the equation this one is close.

Of the remaining eight matches in this period, six of them have been decided by inside the margin of a converted try, plus one by 10 points (38-28 in last year’s meeting) and one draw 13-13 (2018 Hardham Cup round-robin). Their meeting in 2021 was a grim battle at Hataitai Park which Wellington won 8-7.

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Match details:

The Hardham VC Memorial Cup decider kicks off on Porirua 2 at 2.45pm Saturday.

Line-ups will be named on Friday.

The referee is Nathan Pinder, with Quintin Renner and Luke Cunningham the assistant referees and Ethan Jefferson the super-sub in case of any injurious events befalling the former three.