Riverton has made an impressive start to its 2026 Division 1 campaign since stepping up from the Division 2 competition.
The Riverton Rugby Club is pleasantly surprised. It just might be the success story of the 2026 Southland club rugby season to date.
After winning the province’s Division 2 competition twice in 2024 and 2025, the 151-year-old club decided to test itself in the Division 1 ranks this year.
“There’s only so many times you can win a division,” coach Tony Perriam told The Tribune about the decision to enter the Division 1 grade this year.
“I said, let’s step up and see how you go.”
Through its first five games to start the 2026 season, Riverton has won four of them and looks more than at home at the next level.
It was actually the game Riverton lost, which was against Wyndham, when Perriam took some real confidence that they belonged in Division 1.
Wyndham has been a powerhouse of Division 1 rugby for many years and is favoured to take out the title in its 125th jubilee year.
Riverton lost 27-11 that day, but Perriam liked what he saw from his team.
“Once we finished that Wyndham game, we thought we’ve got a real show of competing [in Division 1]. [Wyndham] will be the guys in the final at the end.”
Riverton’s goal is a top-four spot in the eight-team competition, and to date, it is on track.
While Riverton has won the other four games they’ve played, Perriam acknowledged they have been tight victories.
Three of the wins have been by five points or less, including the 23-20 victory over Pioneer in Riverton on Thursday night.
First five-eighth Ben Symon kicked a long-range penalty to put Riverton up 23-20 with about five minutes to play, and Pioneer then had a penalty of its own to level the scores back up but missed.
The success of the Riverton Rugby Club in recent years is more than just about a rugby team doing well; that success has played a key role in bringing the seaside town together.
“The support is amazing. Last night the clubrooms were full, but the week before that they were absolutely crammed.
“There was someone there last night from up in Canterbury, he must have come out to see what Division 1 rugby was like, and he couldn’t believe the crowd that was there. He said we don’t get half the amount [in Canterbury], and this was on a Thursday night.
“It’s like any place, if you’ve got a winning team, they will support it.”
Riverton has been joined this year by Waikiwi, who has also moved up from Division 2 to the Division 1 competition.
Waikiwi has shown in 2026 that it can also compete in the Division 1 ranks.
“Waikiwi are a good side, we’ve played them the last couple of years in the [Division 2] finals and beat them, and they have always been close. They are a good team to play against,” Perriam said.
On Thursday night, the Kiel McPhee-coached Waikiwi outfit ran up a convincing 47-12 victory over Albion at the Gore Showgrounds.
In other Division 1 games played on Thursday night, Wyndham beat neighbours Edendale 28-19, while the Waikaka/Riversdale Vikings had a 28-19 victory over Tokanui.
The Premier men’s, Premier women’s, and Division 2/3 grades have the week off this week as many Southland rugby folk turn their sights to shooting ducks on Saturday rather than pacing the footy sidelines.