Meet Your Local Rugby Club

Wairarapa Bush Rugby Referee Association

“If you’re about to step back from playing the game of rugby, or if you’re o the eld for a while to recover from an injury, refereeing may be just the thing for you,” says Graeme Reisima, spokesperson for the Wairarapa Bush Rugby Referee Association. His involvement in refereeing started back in 1992.

What are the bene ts to the referee of refereeing?

“So many,” says Graeme. “You stay involved in a game that you love, longer. You get a new perspective on the game, which can be useful if you return to playing. It’s not the same level of commitment as playing - which suits people with young families or lots of other commitments. And refereeing helps you remain active, even into your 60s.”

The Wairarapa Bush Rugby Referee Association holds one training meeting each week, but you can carry out the training to your own timeframe. Kit is supplied and referees get reimbursed for travel.

“You can do as much or as little refereeing as you want. That’s important,” Graeme says. “It doesn’t have to be every weekend, for example. All

needs can be catered for.”

There are pathways from refereeing community games to the top level.

Two Wairarapa locals, Alistair Payne and Rebecca Mahoney, are examples of this. Alistair continues to ref at the top level. Rebecca has retired from national squads but is still active at the community level.

Graeme is a big believer that if you put the e ort in, “you’ll reap the rewards. You can get to lofty heights.”

The general decline in numbers playing rugby, or any sport, actually, has been mirrored by a decline in the numbers prepared to referee rugby games.

“We need new members to replace our ageing refs. To be honest, I’m worried

there will come a time when we don’t have the numbers to cover the games.”

What’s important to Graeme is to hold the line with community rugby until there’s a resurgence of numbers in the game at all levels. “It’s our national game. It’s important to our identity.”

He talks about Australia’s national game, Aussie Rules. “In the rural areas their game is declining similar to what we are seeing here.”

And Graeme speaks to migrants who might not necessarily have rugby in their DNA: “bring your children along to JAB and let the clubs foster their love of the game.”

You never know, those children might be the referees of the future.

Pioneer Rugby Football Club

“The coaches, the players, and everyone involved has been pushing hard to prepare for the 2024 season,” says Richard Carroll, who has been President of Pioneer for four years and has had multiple previous roles with the club. The Pioneer Sports Club is kept busy with several sports including junior and senior rugby league, senior netball, junior and senior darts, and touch rugby. As part of the work of getting their gear and systems in place, a fully redesigned Pioneer jersey will be launched this season, to tell the story of the club’s Rangitāne and Kahungunu roots. “At Pioneer, we have a way of being comfortable with who we are and how we do things,” says Carroll. “We’ve worked together for a long time and have developed a great club culture.” For the 2024 season, the team brings a strong position of being competitive on the track and a “culture of excellence,” he says. “Our players want this. Many of them put in hard physical days in the shearing sheds and in forestry, do a workout at the gym, then play hard on the eld. Their tness is phenomenal.”

One of the roles the Pioneer players take seriously is their in uence on, and role

PIONEER RUGBY FOOTBALL CLUB

modelling for, the children in the area.

“Our kids use Facebook to follow our boys who train at the gym, they look up to them. Our senior players are like All Blacks to our children.”

Pioneer has had the biggest growth in juniors of any rugby club in the district.

“Three years ago, we had about 80 juniors. Two years ago, that rose to 150. And the numbers are still growing. We have Under 6’s Rippa teams, right on

up. Last year, our Under 11’s girls team competed in the general competition.”

The club provides free gear for the juniors, simply asking for koha. And koha doesn’t necessarily mean money - it could be a plate of food or the gift of time.

“We want our kids playing with their mates in a safe environment and learning how to achieve”. This strategy seems to be working with the Under 13 sides for Pioneer either winning the championship or playing in the nals.

Volunteer coaches and referees are always hard to nd. Carroll says that the club aims to “make them and then cherish them. We don’t want our coaches being swamped with compliance and admin and sponsorship tasks. We’re getting in behind them with a team of support.”

With the hot summer and with some Council grounds likely to be closed from time to time, Pioneer players are happy to be exible and go where they’re told to play.

“Our aim is to get into the nals and play about 17 games this season. We’re ready to go.” This is rugby at its rawest. “You can get a better game of footy down at the club than you’ll see on TV,” Carroll says. “None of us gets paid to do this and everyone is doing a hell of a job. We have a tight community that gets in behind us.”

Martinborough Rugby Football Club

“The main emphasis of the Martinborough Rugby Club is its community focus,” says Shaun Draper, the Club’s President. “Our players are mostly sourced locally, and we work to build a culture and teams around our local identity.”

Last year, the Club worked to put together an Under 21 team to play in Wellington but couldn’t quite get it o the ground. This year, the focus is on putting together both Premier and Reserve grade teams, with a major focus on keeping the young players moving from college grade into club rugby, and enthusiastic in the sport.

“We try to build a culture where every player is welcome and part of our club,” Shaun says. “Our supporters are also a major part of our community club culture. Its amazing to see how many supporters come to all our games.

“We’ve got plenty of players turning up for training. And they’re in good form. James Bruce is deeply engaged in coaching both the Senior teams, as well as being heavily involved with the JABs. He encourages the young ones to get on board and give rugby a go.”

Shaun also says the club is fortunate to have a great team of people running the JAB grades, led by Ana-May Gudsell.

“It’s these young ones that are getting a taste for rugby that are the future of our club and the sport of rugby.”

Martinborough bene ts, too, from having Robbie Robinson play an active role in the Rugby Club; both playing and coaching in 2023 and coaching in 2024. Robbie made his rugby debut for Southland against the Hawke’s Bay Magpies, playing most of his games at full-back. In 2009, he was selected for the New Zealand Under 20s team for the Junior World Cup in Japan. The team went through the tournament unbeaten.

with the local Health Fit Collective gym, where the players can work out, get a massage and physio, and tap into the onsite run coach.

The Health Fit Collective’s website says its vision is that “if business cannot help its community, then we believe it has no soul. We want to give back to our generous community. So, we support local social enterprise with our ‘hybrid’ model, sponsoring ‘good sorts’ in our local communities that need help.

‘The only time you ever look down at someone is to give them a hand up’Quincy Jones.”

The Martinborough Rugby Club has a “great community-based partnership”

COACH James Bruce 027 277 2962 jamesbruce@xtra.co.nz

RUGBY CLUB

WAIRARAPA WAHINE TOA

RUGBY FOOTBALL CLUB

Wairarapa Wāhine Toa Rugby Football Club

Robyn Cherry-Campbell, committee member of Wairarapa Wāhine Toa, says the club is committed to supporting girls and women to have opportunities to play rugby.

From being team manager and strapper for the original Wairarapa Wāhine Toa team in 2022 Robyn assisted with the documentation and processes required to become an o cial rugby club and a liated to Wairarapa Bush Rugby Union in 2023.

In its second season, Wairarapa Wāhine Toa is the only local woman’s rugby club, but opportunities have broadened for

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playing other women’s teams and for choosing rugby as a career.

“Playing in the Manawatū competition means we’ll get six to nine games in the season, with an opportunity for our players to join the Manawatū Academy,” says Robyn. “Several of our players were selected for the Academy last year, one chosen to captain the Manawatū under 18 team. Another of our players, Gracie Donaldson, is at the Academy this year.”

Manawatū Academy players can also be picked by the Cyclones, the elite women’s team that competes in the Farah Palmer Cup Championship with other bigger provincial teams. Several Cyclone players have gone further to play for the Black Ferns. There’s also the opportunity for Wairarapa Wāhine Toa players to go on to play representative rugby in the Wairarapa Bush side. Players have also achieved national representation with Xanthe Somerville selected for the National Maori Under18 side in 2023.

“We’re building a pathway from JAB through to Senior club, Heartland representative teams, and beyond.”

2024 is going to be a great year for Wairarapa Wāhine Toa.

“We’ve retained our core player pool with the women and have also added

two JAB teams. It is awesome for JAB girls to play in a girls’ team against other teams whether they’re girl, boy or mixed teams. These girls are the Wairarapa Wāhine Toa players of the future.”

In 2023, Wairarapa Wāhine Toa won the Sir Brian Lochore Trophy and was recognised as the Wairarapa Bush Rugby Union Club of the Year. Special thanks are given to the coaches who helped make that win possible.

“Wairarapa Wāhine Toa is very lucky to have great coaches,” says Robyn.

“The committee thanks foundation coach Scott Collins who has recently shifted to Auckland. He brought a wealth of experience in women’s rugby and has been pivotal in the success of Wairarapa Wāhine Toa to date. We’re also very fortunate to have Brent Gare as a head coach. Stacey Grant is coming on board to the coaching team of four, bringing a wealth of experience in rugby and Māori rugby.”

One of the goals of Wairarapa Wāhine Toa as an incorporated society is to recruit people with the right skills to

the Committee. “We encourage women to grow both on and off the field at Wairarapa Wāhine Toa,” Robyn says. “They can go on to be leaders in the Committee space, as well as in coaching, refereeing, and rugby governance at a national level.”

When asked why girls and women choose rugby rather than other sports, Robyn commented, “Rugby is still a religion in New Zealand. It means so much to many of us. Rugby’s point of difference for women is the physicality of it - it speaks to women having no limitations. We can be and do whatever

we want, the game is inclusive of all shapes, sizes and abilities.”

Pathways and career opportunities are available within women’s rugby, on and off the field, including internationally, and are part of the club’s focus. “Young women can do their OE in Japan or England or Ireland, take a day job, and play some great rugby. There’s automatic international recognition for the value of New Zealand rugby players.”

The committee thanks everyone who has been involved with the club to date

but wants to make special mention of Waireka Collings.

“She works full-time, is studying for a master’s degree, is a mother of five and is only 40 years old. Yet she plays rugby, is a wonderful mentoring presence, and has written our waiata and haka, and has been part of the Wairarapa Wāhine Toa whanau since the beginning.”

“Our wāhine hold a variety of roles in our community. They’re businesswomen, schoolteachers, police officers, and so on, and many are also completing higher education. These are the sort of women we want our JAB girls to be around and to aspire to.”

Pre-season training happens on Mondays and Wednesdays between 6 and 7pm at the Solway Showgrounds. If you’re keen to get involved, then send an email to wahinerugby@gmail.com or go to www.facebook.com/Waiwahinetoa.

CARTERTON RUGBY FOOTBALL CLUB

Carterton Rugby Football Club

Carterton Rugby Club won the Championship the last two years, so “there’s a lot to defend,” says President Steve Hurley. “But when a new season starts, you go back to the drawing board, you start from scratch. Every year we factor in new members, retiring members, new dynamics, and di erent tness levels. We start again and work to put forward a skilled and motivated team, every season. We’re here to play great rugby.”

The numbers of players participating in pre-season training this year are very good compared with previous years, and so Carterton will be putting forward both Premier and Reserve teams in 2024.

“We’re also extremely strong in the JAB area. We’ve got 100+ kids in the juniors, both boys and girls.”

Carterton Rugby Club has a strong presence in the game this year. To ensure the club’s ongoing strength, changes are afoot.

“We’re in the process of joining together the Carterton Rugby and Carterton Netball clubs,” Steve says. “Netball brings 60 to 80 players, together with many non-playing members, so there will be a new and very positive dynamic at the club.”

A plan to upgrade the clubrooms and install two netball courts is already being developed. And one of the club’s aims is to boost the number and types

of activities and events in the club, particularly around the time of pre-season training and during the o -season.

“For example, we recently held a joint netball-rugby fun run,” Steve said. “We’re getting and keeping people engaged and connected.”

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intention is to add more sports into the joint venture. Featherston’s sports hub is a great model.

Two big initiatives will be rolled out during the season, each held on rugby days when both the Premier and Reserve teams play at home.

The first, early in the season, will be held to honour and celebrate old timers, including a commemoration for any who have passed away during the year.

All past members and players will be invited, along with their families, and food will be served.

Later on, in mid-to-late season, the club will hold a Pasifika day. “Last year’s Pasifika day was very successful,” Steve says. Pasifika communities were invited to participate in traditional dress and to cook the food supplied by the club.

“Carterton Rugby Club is a real community club. It represents the town,

and the town gets in behind it. The club’s name is getting out there. We’re not only a force to be reckoned with in the game of rugby, but we’re also a great place to come for socialising and having fun together.”

Steve can’t thank the rugby coaches enough. “They give their time and their expertise. They’re gold. We look after them.”

EAST COAST

RUGBY FOOTBALL CLUB

East Coast Rugby Football Club

The East Coast RFC is a small sports club, established in 1953, to cover rugby, netball, and hockey for the rural heart of Wairarapa.

“Last year, all the codes were successfull”, says Nicole James-Boyce with pride.

Nicole shares the Club Captain role with Lisa Wyeth aka Aunty. Lisa owns Aunties Café in Church Street, Masterton, so the teams, the crew, and the community all get a feed after training sessions.

Lisa preps the food at her café and then brings it over to the clubrooms where past, current, and future players

them on the dishes.

Sometimes, the community takes a turn, with the schools, the hockey girls, netball girls, or the JABs giving Aunty a break while they prep and cook.

Nicole had rugby handed down in her blood with her dad (“a legend”) playing for Wairarapa Bush. She once played herself, and now her son plays, and she’s been involved with the club for about 20 years.

“I love the sport and the club,” she says. “The club is really about our community and its rural, hardworking culture. It provides a sense of whanaungatanga - belonging and connection. It’s a safe and inclusive space for old and young whānau. Tamariki and rangatahi are always front of mind. The next generation is our hope.”

And because Nicole would do anything for young people, she’s taken on the role of interim JAB delegate. It’s clear that ‘heart’ is at the forefront of this club, with all the players sharing the same values and culture. Because of that, many town players come out to be part of the East Coast club and bring their kids too.

Nicole acknowledges the work of Chris Liddle, the immediate past JAB delegate and ongoing Reserves player. “He came to help out and ended up

in the role for years. He helped grow the kids. And with help from his wife and Club Captains, he got them new uniforms. He got the dads into coaching, too.”

At least three dads stepped up during Chris’s tenure: Josh Prentice, Jessie Williams, and Hayden Meads. Nicole says the Reserves have got a solid set of numbers heading into the 2024 season, with those numbers still building. “Last year, they went all the way and just missed out on the top four spot, due to a fair bit of injury. But they really built a foundation for growth

moving forward.”

The Premiers had some rough patches last year with players moving overseas and with some co-coach turnover. This year, “they’re regrouping and rebuilding with Premier coach Greg Paku. He and his entire whānau have been East Coasties forever,” Nicole says.

Nicole says that Greg, alongside the likes of Reserves coaches Jayde Noora and T.K. Karaitiana are “bringing back the manaakitanga” - kindness, respect, responsibility, and reciprocity.

“Our club and our Senior teams rely on our country lads who work hard in the

shearing sheds and in forestry,” she says. “We’re looking forward to what they bring to the table.”

Regular fundraisers take place to help support the club and players, including crutching bees, rewood, and social gatherings.

CONTACTS:

CLUBROOMS

Whareama, Langdale Road, Masterton

WEBSITE sporty.co.nz/ eastcoastrfcwairarapa

FACEBOOK facebook.com/ eastcoastrfc

EMAIL

eastcoastrfc@gmail.com

PRESIDENT Ross Wakeling

SECRETARY Dar Rameka

CLUB CAPTAINS

Lisa Wyeth 027 672 6050

Nicole James-Boyce 027 977 5292

COACHES

Premiers: Guy Williams and Greg Paku 027 426 8851

Reserves: T.K. Karaitiana and Jayde Nooroa

TUHIRANGI RUGBY FOOTBALL CLUB

Tuhirangi Rugby Football Club

The Tuhirangi Rugby Club is a social hub for the rural community of Pirinoa. “If the club shut down, what would we do on a Saturday?” Ken Aburn ponders. Today, he’s the President of the club, but started out playing for it in the 1980s, and his son has also played.

CONTACTS:

CLUBROOMS Community Hall, Main Road, Pirinoa

PRESIDENT

Ken Aburn 027 444 8172 kjaburn@slingshot.co.nz

Mitch Kelly 021 871 535 Mjkelly.1993@gmail.com

SECRETARY

Scarlett Boyle 027 635 1274 trfc@hotmail.co.nz

With two or three dozen senior players each year, as well as a bevy of juniors, Tuhirangi is going all out this season. The club won the Senior Reserves for the last two years. This year, the club plans to start out playing a Senior Reserves team in the rst round, with an eye to playing the bottom of the Premiers in the second round, if they do well.

The club always aims to put on a good feed for the players and the community, organised by the amazing Carmen and a whole team of helpers.

Aburn says that the team is lucky to have a raft of amazing sponsors and he extends his thanks to them all.

The club gives huge thanks to Kurt Portas, as well, as he steps down as Club Captain. “He’s given the club so many years of service,” says Aburn.

RUGBY CLUB

MASTERTON MARIST

RUGBY FOOTBALL CLUB

Masterton Marist Rugby Football Club

Marist Rugby Clubs president, Michelle Beaver, would like to wish everyone a warm welcome to the 2024 rugby season.

“Our Club has a great heart,” Michelle says. “Marist is a highly diverse club with many di erent ethnicities. The boys highlight this at training and games with karakia, prayer, waiata and music belting from the changing rooms - it’s a great sense of community.”

Entire families play in the Senior grade - brothers, fathers, uncles - and their jerseys are the same as the JABs. We’re one big family.”

Marist has been a consistent performer in Premier rugby since the early 90’s, with a winning streak from 1997-2000, and has held good status over the years within Wairarapa rugby and beyond. In 2022, Marist was nominated for Wairarapa Bush ‘club of the year’. Its NZ Marist Colts team has been touring Aotearoa since 1974 - an awesome opportunity to travel and play, that opens doors to professional rugby.

Michelle has been involved with the club for 45 or 50 years … she’s lost track. It’s fair to say the club holds a big space in the hearts of Michelle’s family, other local families, and the community. The club has given birth to some great rugby players including Shannon Paku, who went on to play for the Hurricanes,

Blues, and the Māori All Blacks. Paku has since been CEO of Manawatū Rugby and is currently the Interim CEO for Wellington Rugby.

It’s the community that really leads this rugby club, Michelle says. “It’s the supporters, volunteers and sponsors that make it all possible.”

Marist’s Premier and Reserve teams (coached by Gerald, Jo, Brownie, Meki, Eric, and Abel) rely on the club’s loyal sponsors, amazing supporters “and the wider Marist whānau, making our club even more whānau orientated. It is something we pride ourselves on, which I’m sure our JAB coordinators Blair Gard’ner and Emily Thompson agree with,” Michelle says.

The Marist Rugby Club’s children are a big hit with about 130 JABs, and dozens of parent coaches, putting their best foot forward.

“We have big numbers of players up to about age 13 when they disappear into college activities. They often come back to us once they leave school.

Entire families play in the Senior grade – brothers, fathers, uncles – and their jerseys are the same as the JABs. We’re one big family.”

Senior players also coach JAB teams and, in the eyes of the children, these big men coaching them may as well be All Blacks: they’re heroes.

Blair has been involved with the JABs for about seven years now. He gives big thanks to Emily (who he describes as ‘camp mother’) who runs the JAB side of the club, and all the parents and seniors who coach the juniors.

“But I’m always keen for more coaches,” he says. The ideal is to have two per team so, with 10 or 11 teams, that’s at least 20 coaches. The timing of JAB training can be largely dictated by the availability of the volunteer coaches, which helps.

Blair also gives thanks to Michelle for all the work she has done in support of the club over decades, as well as to Rob

Baker and Diane Pillar, who built up the JABs for years prior to Blair and Emily picking up the mantle.

Saturday 6 April is Muster Day at the Marist Rugby Club. Between 10 and 12 noon, parents and their kids can come down to the clubrooms to meet the people involved, have a kick around, feel comfortable with the coaches, size up the rugby jerseys, and try on the hoodies.

Each child can have their name lettered on the back of the hoodie and, thanks to many marvellous sponsors, they only cost $20 each.

“The Marist Rugby Club and management team, wish our fellow Wairarapa Bush clubs all the best for the 2024 season.”

RUGBY CLUB

MASTERTON RED STAR RUGBY FOOTBALL CLUB

Masterton Red Star Rugby Football Club

Masterton Red Star is back in the Premier grade for the first time in several seasons.

Club Captain Peter Bresaz says, “Masterton Red Star is back in the Premier grade for the rst time in several seasons.” Although the club doesn’t currently have a reserves team, it is working towards’ building one over time. The underlying message is that the club has been building for at least the last three years and is ready to go. Chris Senior, Premier coach, as well as Deputy Principal at Chanel College, has played a big part in that. He’s achieved the highest level of formal training and quali cations for an amateur coach and took the Wairarapa Bush Under 20s to win last year’s Hurricane Under 20 Cup in the Under 20s Heartland Series.

Both Bresaz and Senior are club stalwarts. Having played 450 to 500 games of senior rugby between them, they reckon they have a fair bit of rugby under their legs. Their sons and daughters have gone on to play at the club too. And the duo has also represented Wairarapa in about 100 Wairarapa Bush games between them. These days, they focus on giving back to the club.

“We have a young team that we’ve worked with for three or four years. They’re now in their early 20s and ready to have a crack at Senior level. The river may divide us from the other clubs, but we’re ready to meet them all on the eld,” Peter says. “Our boys may be

young, but they’re experienced and they’re ready for a challenge.”

Premier Coach Chris Senior says that turning up every day is what makes each of the players good. “One day, they’ll be the old timers egging on younger players. They just have to get

in there and keep playing. And our new teams are creating a bit of momentum around the club so that other players are coming back.”

Chris assists with the JABs and their coaching teams, too, and is proud of the numbers that consistently sit at around 80 to 100 every year. “Our Senior players are getting in and coaching the JABs, which is great for the kids who look up to these guys, great for the players who realise they’ve become role models, and great for building a cohesive club.”

Masterton Red Star has a strong culture both on and off the field and is looking to make its presence felt. Come game day, it’s not only enthusiasm and cohesion the team will bring to the field. The club has upgraded its amenities with the surface resown, the lighting improved, and new goal posts erected: home days will offer great games in a great environment.

Peter says, “Masterton Red Star has a very loyal bunch of supporters that attends the games come rain or shine. The support is phenomenal.”

CONTACTS:

CLUBROOMS

Herbert Street, Masterton

GROUNDS Colombo Road, behind the hospital

WEBSITE ramsrugby.co.nz

PRESIDENT

Barry Todd | 021 408 961 bazrobtodd@hotmail.com

CLUB CAPTAIN

Peter Bresaz 027 226 4186

petebresaz@gmail.com

PREMIER COACH

Chris Senior 021 106 7934 seniorc@chanelcollege.school.nz

PREMIER MANAGER

Seth Po’ona 021 0860 6784 sethpoona@yahoo.com

SECRETARY

Michelle Mortenson 021 254 5638 mstnredstarrugby@gmail.com morties@xtra.co.nz

We have a young team that we’ve worked with for three or four years. They’re now in their early 20s and ready to have a crack at Senior level.

will rely on support from our supporters, sponsors, and community.

“We are looking forward to the 2024 season as we focus on the team and club culture as well as results on the field.”

FEATHERSTON RUGBY FOOTBALL CLUB

Featherston Rugby Football Club

“Opened in 1878, we’re the second oldest rugby club around,” says Ritchie Wards, secretary for Featherston’s Rugby Club. “The Greytown Rugby Club beat us by a few days.”

A 100 years ago, one of the players at Featherston Rugby Club (Q. Donald) went on to be selected for the 1924-25 All Blacks team.

Today, Featherston’s rugby club has taken on a new lease of life with a refreshed committee, new and returning volunteers, and a partnership with other sport’s codes at the Featherston Sports Hub.

“The Rugby Club owns the hall,” Ritchie says, “but we are co-located with athletics, netball, cricket, football, and rugby league, to make it easier for children and adults to participate in sport.”

Getting a senior rugby team together can be tough at the community club level, but Featherston’s rugby club is not daunted by that.

“We have worked hard and can con rm that Featherston will have a Senior Reserves team. And we continue to focus on the grass roots with our amazing JAB teams.”

With about 50 children signed up, the

Under 10s, Under 8s, and Rippa teams intend to put in a good showing in 2024. “Rippa is an excellent way to learn rugby for boys and girls. The kids wear Velcro tags on the sides of their shorts, and the tags are ripped o instead of the children being tackled. It’s a safe way to learn a contact sport,” says Ritchie. Feedback from parents has been great. Kids as young as ve years old are welcome.

In Featherston, Rugby is known as a way for children to learn social skills, learn how to problem solve and weigh up decisions, and to make lifelong friends, as well as being a great physical workout that is good for our bodies and our mental health. Ritchie says it can’t be rated highly enough. The Sports Hub also has a library, aimed at helping improve literacy through sports. It’s a zone where sons can show their dad’s how well they can read.

Woman’s rugby is also becoming popular, with the club actively advocating for a woman Wairarapa tournament.

Property Brokers in Featherston is a major sponsor of the rugby club, paying for the kid’s uniforms. Fees are kept very low and can be paid o at a small rate each week.

CONTACTS:

CLUBROOMS Johnston Street, Featherston

WEBSITE

sporty.co.nz/featherstonrfc

FACEBOOK

facebook.com/featherstonrugby

PRESIDENT

Marc Van de Loo 021 544 545 featherstonrugby@gmail.com

SECRETARY Ritchie Wards 027 408 7704 secretary.featherstonrugby@gmail.com

JUNIOR MANAGERS

Nifo Ili 021 232 909 nifoili13@gmail.com

Rae Karaitiana 022 569 1210 majizty@gmail.com

SENIOR RESERVES COACH

Miritana Haira 027 647 4113 miritana.haira@gmail.com

Rugby in Featherston is all about bringing people together in a safe, positive environment while letting o some steam and being part of a family. New players are always welcome: come and be one of our brothers and sisters.

RUGBY CLUB

GREYTOWN

RUGBY FOOTBALL CLUB

Greytown Rugby Football Club

“We had a young team last year,” says Jenna Telford, Greytown Rugby Club’s President. “They gained mountains of experience last season and have predominantly stayed on, so we’re looking good for 2024.”

Established back in 1876, Greytown boasts one of the oldest rugby clubs in New Zealand and the oldest in the Wairarapa Bush province. With its newly upgraded clubrooms and wellmaintained grounds, the club has earned a reputation for being a powerhouse for local talent.

Several past players have gone on to gain national honours and even to pull on the black jersey and silver fern. Most recently, Will Cole, an ex-Greytown JAB player, was selected for Hurricanes Under 20s, played in Taupo in early March. He’s now moved up to the Hawke’s Bay Magpie Academy. The club is elding both Premier and Reserve teams this year; the Reserve team is also known as the Papawai Prowlers. The JABs are looking good too.

“All grades are covered, and the Senior teams are buddying up and mentoring the young players especially the Under 11s and Under 13s. Former College players who were committed JABs all the way through, are coming back to help coach.”

Local Greytown asset, Peter Russell, who has well over a decade of professional rugby coaching experience – with the Hawke’s Bay Magpies, Manawatu Turbos, Otago Highlanders and Newcastle Falcons to name a few - has spent March providing the locals with coaching clinics full of tips and techniques.

“We are a family-oriented clubrooms,” Jenna says. Just prior to the start of the JAB season, the club will put on a fun whānau touch day, to get everyone involved. And an ‘old-timers’ day is coming up soon.

“2026 is our 150th Jubilee. We’ve got a lot to plan for and a lot to look forward to.”