Rugby History

LA “Shag” Thomas played several seasons for both Petone in club rugby and Wellington in representative rugby between 1917-28 and two years in the Hawke’s Bay in 1920-21. Thomas won four Wellington Senior A Club Championship titles with Petone, including three in succession 1922-24, and he made the All Blacks in

Focusing on some of the supporters and looking at three individuals that were well known or helped galvanise the Wellington rugby public in years gone by. These days you can count the crowd at some games, it seems. In a bygone era there were many characters and supporters who helped shaped

Arthur 'Artie' Lambourn was a regular fixture of Petone and Wellington teams throughout the 1930s. His name is linked closely to rugby in the region in the years up to World War Two, and he played 45 first-class games for his province from 1932-39 and 40 matches for the All Blacks

Herb Lilburne could be one of the most valuable players to have ever transferred from Canterbury to Wellington. In the 1920s and 1930s, New Zealand rugby and especially Wellington was blessed with super-talented backs that were popular and helped draw big crowds to the game in an era of wing forwards