Sideline Conversions 2 March (some rugby news and information to start the week) – ClubRugby.nz

Action from the Academy Series at Massey on Saturday. Photo: Andy McArthur.

Club Rugby pre-season starts this coming weekend.

The summer is almost over and with it games below include (but not limited to in case there’s more on we don’t know about):

Paraparaumu v Pōneke, Soldier Field Paraparaumu
Northern United v Marist St Pat’s, Porirua Park 3
Johnsonville v Avalon Wolves, Venue TBC.
Linton Lions v Upper Hutt Rams, Linton Army Camp
Feilding Old Boys Oroua Stags v M.A.C, Victoria Park, Feilding
Feilding Yellows v Central Hawke’s Bay, Johnston Park
Spillane Tournament at Hastings. Including Hutt Old Boys Marist
Napier Pirate v Freyberg, Napier.

Looking forward to the community rugby starting up – the general vibe out there in clubland and on many social media pages is that it’s eerily quiet. But it always is at this time of year, it will get pretty loud soon!

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McEvedy Shield tomorrow today. Wellington College going for an 11-peat. St Pat’s Silverstream looking good?

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Hawke’s Bay captain Drew Berg-McLean at the Sam Doyle Trophy presentation at Massey on Saturday. Photo Andy McArthur – full gallery here: https://clubrugby.smugmug.com/2026/2026-Representative-Rugby-Lions-NPC/Academy-Series-Week-2-Mixed-/i-W2dcSLQ

Hawke’s Bay wrapped up the two-week “Game of three Halves” Academy series on Saturday with victory over Manawatu and Wellington. Hawke’s Bay beat Manawatu 28-14 and Wellington 27-17, to go with their two wins last weekend. Manawatu beat Wellington 17-14 in their other game, with Wellington having two yellow cards in that match.

Openside flanker Drew Berg-McLean was named the ‘Forward of the Series’ and Hawke’s Bay centre Triumph Voice was the ‘Back of the Series’.

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The Club Rugby history profiles series resumes for 2026 this week. A profile most weeks between now and October. All profiles posted on our front page and in the archives here https://clubrugby.nz/wp/pioneers-of-rugby-in-wellington/ 

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Peter Marriott is set to bring his regular Stat Attack from this week too. This week’s first edition for 2026 will be a bumper offering, featuring facts and figures from the Hurricanes’ opening two matches.

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Coming up on Easter Monday.

It is understood that Scots College also hosts their annual Presbyterian Quadrangular later that week, also involving St Andrew’s, Lindisfarne and St Kent’s Colleges.

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Above: Wetere heads home. We have a spreadsheet open, collating ‘gains and losses’ and player transfers for the 2026 season – to be published prior to the season kicking off on 4 April. 

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New Zealand Rugby has announced a return to Sri Lanka for the New Zealand Under 85kg national team in April, launching a two‑match international tour designed to deepen global rugby ties and fuel the sport’s growing presence across the region.

The tour will feature two fixtures against Sri Lanka’s national side, with Game One in Colombo on 25 April and Game Two in Kandy on 3 May.

A New Zealand Under 85kg squad has been confirmed for the tour, featuring a blend of players returning from the 2025 series and new selections from the National Under 85kg Club Cup.

Wellington players making the trip, all representing the Pōneke Wanderers team, are:

Pasia Asiata
Adam Preston
Matt Treeby
Nick Robertson (new cap)
Seamus Rowberry (new cap – reserve)

Club Rugby couldn’t meet the eligibility for selection because of a pies issue. But a media gig would be good!

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The Hurricanes Hunters missed out 57-54 to the Blues Development in Auckland on Saturday. That adds up to 111, so defensive alarm bells were surely ringing by the end. The Blues led 38-14 at halftime. No further details known – not a lot of coverage of these games.

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In the sweltering Lautoka slop, the Dura became manic renaissance men to overcome a halftime deficit and topple the Hurricanes. Halfbacks became wingers, props distributed like centres, and the Fijian Sevens, similarly versatile, cheered wildly from the stands. The Hurricanes’ mantra is expect the unexpected. So it was a surprise, the visitors resembled startled ferrets when proceedings became careless, even joyously loose; they had no idea.

The winning try was scored by blindside Etonia Waqaa on the wing after 35-year-old prop Peni Ravai delivered an offload in the grip of two defenders.

What about Glen Jackson – going from top flight first-five as a player to international rugby referee and now to the head coach of the Fijian Drua side.

The third round of Super Rugby Pacific also featured the defending champion Crusaders bouncing back from their Brumbies humiliation with a stunning 43-33 win over the Chiefs in Hamilton. It was easily the best spectacle of the season. In postcard conditions, there were only 42 kicks. Robotic, gormless “Box Kick-itis” was abandoned, and guess what, the rugby was fast, imaginative, skilful and captivating. The game can be this good when players express themselves. Was Will Jordan wearing a cape?

Christian Lio-Willie recorded his first first-class hat-trick, becoming the first Crusader to score three tries against the Chiefs, all from forceful pick-and-goes. He also led the Crusaders in carries (16) and tackles (14). Other Crusaders forwards to score three tries in a match are George Whitelock in 2013 against the Southern Kings (55-20) and Ross Filipo in 2007 against the Force (53-0), both in Christchurch.

If the Crusaders v Chiefs game was an early contender for match of the season, the Force and Moana Pasifika was a contender for the worst. Even veteran referee Paul Williams complained that both teams’ scrummaging wasn’t up to Super Rugby standard. Both sides look unlikely to make the top six though the Force did achieve just their second win in the last 25 matches in New Zealand.

The Brumbies toppled the Blues by a whisker, 30-27 in Canberra, with Charlie Cale scoring a try in the 81st minute. It was his fifth try in three games. Though the two-Test Wallaby topped the Brumbies tackle count with 16, he complained he “lets his teammates down” because he made “too many mistakes.” What a frank admission from a prodigious talent. Remember Jerome Kaino said the same thing after the 2011 Rugby World Cup final which the All Blacks won.

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Contributions

This Monday column is also a collaborative effort and contributions are welcome. Please get in touch at editor@clubrugby.co.nz

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Please support our sponsors and supporters:

Additionally, email advertiseclubrugby@gmail.com and Club Rugby will respond accordingly.

To offer additional support as an individual or business, Club Rugby now also has a givealittle page set up for one-off or recurring supporter donations. This is not a begging bowl! But we have operating and running costs and every extra dollar received would be put to use directly promoting and covering rugby – the glass is very much half full as to what we could be covering. The link for this is: https://givealittle.co.nz/org/communityrugbytrust This is set up so all donations are anonymous and private if the right buttons are ticked along the way, including to the team at Club Rugby, so we don’t need to know who you are.

This week, please don’t do the above that we have striked out – go and support Luke Woodcock.

Luke Woodcock is a big club rugby supporter and in particular a long-time Johnsonville Hawks fan through thick and thin.

He is perhaps best known for his cricket skills, and he once combined  for Wellington with Illi Tugaga of Ories Vatos fame in a remarkable 225-run ninth wicket partnership and scored a double century himself in a 10-hour study of concentration. Tugaga also scored a century that day. Club Rugby was there at the time and rode every ball.

Woodcock has a brain tumour and needs support. For more visit:

https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/woody-needs-your-help 

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