Pioneers of rugby in Wellington profiles

Pioneers/history series of early Wellington rugby identities.

Links below, [mostly] in alphabetical order by surname as and when they are published as news stories on this website.

For updates and amendments and profile suggestions email editor@clubrugby.co.nz

This series of profiles was started in 2022 and continued in 2023, 2024 and into 2025.

August 2025: Please note that if these profiles below are slow to load – which they are getting that way owing to the number of them down this page and if your internet connection is slow, and the chances are you are reading from New Zealand so it could be – please use the search function in the menu function above.

Pioneers of rugby in Wellington: 030 George Aitken

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 058: Jimmy Tilyard and Beethoven Algar

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 093: Harry Avery

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 099: Henry Avery

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 045: Nelson Ball and Brian Killeen

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 111: Moray Bevan

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 082: Vince Bevan

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 079: Dick Burke

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 087: Guy Bowers

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 034: U.P. Calcinai

Pioneers of Wellington Rugby: 003 George Campbell

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 042: Ed Chaney and Mick Kenny

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 084: Bill Clark

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 071: MAC Cooper

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 105: Frank Crist

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 073: Ray Dalton

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 037: Stan Dean

Pioneers of rugby in Wellington: 015 H.H. Dawson

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 081: Graham Delamore

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 022: Ernie Dodd and Eric Watkins

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 089: Jackie Dougan

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 075: Kenneth Elliott

Pioneers of rugby in Wellington: 007 Tom Ellison and Davy Gage

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 047: Bill Elvy

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 110: Albin Evenson

Pioneers of rugby in Wellington: 014 G.C. Fache

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 085: Jim Fitzgerald

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 098: Billy Francis

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 112: Brian Frederikson

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 036: Charlie Gillespie and Alexander Pringle

Pioneers of Wellington Rugby: 005 J.P. Firth

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 096: Hami Grace

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 056: Alf and Jack Griffiths

Pioneers of rugby in Wellington: 009 William Hardcastle

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington: Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington: 021 Major William James Hardham, VC

Pioneers of rugby in Wellington 041: Leo Heazlewood

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 113: Ron Horsley

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 104: Mick Hourigan

Pioneers of rugby in Wellington 031: Ned Hughes

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington: 013 Thomas Hunter

Pioneers of Wellington Rugby 002: Captain James Isherwood

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 101: Alby Jack

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 100: Ron Jarden

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 114: Tom Katene

Pioneers of rugby in Wellington 026: Arthur Kelly and the Pro Blacks

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 046: Frank Kilby and Lance Johnson

Pioneers of rugby in Wellington 051: Evan ‘Ted’ Jessep

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 094: Stan Judd and Cardy Williams

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 039: Jack Lamason

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 061: Artie Lambourn

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 060: Herb Lilburne

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 086: Brian Lloyd

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 083: Colin Loader

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 043: Craig Mackenzie

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 106: Alby Makeham

Pioneers of rugby in Wellington 019: Paul Francis Kane (AKA) Markham

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 092: George Martin

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 076: David “Tim” Mason

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 109: Don McIntosh

Pioneers of rugby in Wellington: 008 William ‘Offside’ McKenzie

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 059: Hugh McLean, Don Oliver and the 1930 Wellington Axemen

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 033: Patrick McEvedy and Arthur O’Brien

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 025: Vincent Meredith

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 090: Graham Mexted

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 052: Norman Millard

Pioneers of rugby in Wellington: 028 Frank Mitchinson

Pioneers of rugby in Wellington: 001 Charles Monro

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 095: Henry Morgan

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington: 011 Alfred Newman

Pioneers of rugby in Wellington: 004 Sid Nicholls

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 068: The Nicholls Brothers

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 080: Ray O’Callaghan

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 077: Des O’Donnell

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 067: Con O’Halloran

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 065: Cecil Ongley

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 057: Bunk Pollock

Pioneers of rugby in Wellington 053: Cliff Porter

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 048: Dick Pelham and Jackie Ruru

Pioneers of rugby in Wellington 023: James Prendeville

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 066: Stan Ransom and Doug Mackay

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 063: William Reedy

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 102: Donald Riesterer

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 108: Trevor Riley

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington: 010 Harry Roberts

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington: 016 Fred Roberts and Jim Moffitt

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 044: Charles Rushbrook

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington: 017 The Ryan brothers

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 050: Joey Sadler

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 107: John Sage

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 069: Jim Sherratt

Pioneers of rugby in Wellington 018: The Spencer brothers

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 038: Sydney and Jack Shearer

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington: 088 Brian Steele

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 049: Kenneth Svenson

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 116: Jimmy Taitoko

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 070: Jack Taylor

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 064: Leslie Arthur Thomas

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington: 017 J.M. Thomson

Pioneers of rugby in Wellington 024: Hector Thomson and Duncan McGregor

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 055: Eric Tindill

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 103: Ernie Todd

Pioneers of rugby in Wellington: 029 Billy Wallace

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 115: Ivan Vodanovich

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 097: Michael Ward

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 117: Russell Watt

PIONEERS OF RUGBY IN WELLINGTON 032: Peter Webb

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington: 012 Mot Welch

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 074: Jock Wells

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 078: Roy White

Pioneers of rugby in Wellington 020: Nathanial ‘Ranji’ Arthur Wilson

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 040: Hercules ‘Bumper’ and Alan Wright