|
Kia Toa RFC
Kia Toa RFC is a constituent club in the Manawatu province for rugby in New Zealand. It is at the Palmerston North Bowling Club on Linton Street and is one of the oldest clubs in the Manawatu. Kia Toa is a Māori term, which can be translated as "Be Brave". Due to the colours of the jersey, a dark blue and light blue combination, Kia Toa are known sometimes as "The Double Blues." History The club was founded in 1902 and is the oldest Town based club in the Manawatu. The club is currently based out of the Manawatu Bowling Club at 24 Linton Street. Eight of its senior players have worn the All Blacks jersey, six women players have worn the Black Ferns jersey. Additionally, there have been members who have worn the New Zealand colours in Sevens, Maori All Blacks, New Zealand U-20s, and New Zealand Divisional XV, and hundreds who have worn the green and white representative colours. Honors *2017 Runners Up *2016 Runners Up *2015 Runners Up *2014 Runners Up *2013 Hankins Shiel ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Manawatu Rugby Union
The Manawatu Rugby Football Union (MRU) is the governing body of the sport of rugby union in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. Founded in 1886, Manawatu is one of New Zealand's oldest rugby unions. In 1892, the MRU, amongst other unions, was instrumental in the founding of the New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU). In 1997–98 Manawatu entered into an amalgamation with , as the "Central Vikings", and wore orange and blue. The union is based in the city of Palmerston North though its catchment area includes players and clubs from nearby towns in the province, including Ashhurst, Feilding, Rongotea, Linton, Bulls, Pahiatua, Woodville and Dannevirke. It has over 5,000 players, making it the tenth largest union in New Zealand in terms of player numbers. In 2011, the union celebrated its 125th jubilee. Manawatu have traditionally played in a distinctive green and white tramline jersey, which is thought to have been established in 1909. In 1996, a jersey including red was ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lote Raikabula
Lote Raikabula (born 31 July 1983 in Suva, Fiji) is a New Zealand rugby player who has played both rugby union and rugby sevens. He currently plays for the All Blacks Sevens team in the IRB Sevens World Series & is the Rugby coach for Trinity College, Kandy. He has played more than 60 tournaments since his debut in 2006, playing in 20 tournament-winning teams. he has five IRB Sevens World Series medals, a Rugby World Cup Sevens title and two Commonwealth Games gold medals. Raikabula has played rugby union for both Hawkes Bay and Manawatu in the Air New Zealand Cup. Raikabula has won five IRB Sevens World Series medals, a Rugby World Cup Sevens title, and two Commonwealth Games gold medals. He played ten years for the New Zealand sevens team from 2006 - 2016, retiring from international rugby shortly before the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics, at the age of 33. Coaching In November 2016 he was appointed as the head coach of Rugby at Trinity College Kandy, Sri Lanka. His services as ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Farah Palmer
Dame Farah Rangikoepa Palmer (born 27 November 1972) is a professor at Massey University and a former captain of New Zealand's women's rugby union team, the Black Ferns. Youth and early career Palmer was born in Te Kuiti, New Zealand and raised in Piopio. While at primary and secondary school, Palmer played netball competitively, and also participated in athletics, swimming, tennis, and cross-country. Although she had played rugby socially before, Palmer started playing regularly after she moved to Otago University to study physical education. She joined the University club in 1992 and that year played her first match for Otago. By 1994 she was playing regularly for Otago. Originally a prop, she changed to hooker.* National team Palmer first played for New Zealand on 31 August 1996 against Australia in Sydney—a match won 28–5. That year she was also appointed Otago captain, and became the captain of the Black Ferns in 1997 with a 67–0 win over England. In 1 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stuart Ross
Stuart Ross is a Canadian fiction writer, poet, editor, and creative-writing instructor. Ross was born in Toronto's north end in 1959 and grew up in the Borough of North York. He began writing at a very young age and was first published at age 16 by Books by Kids (now Annick Press). This book, ''The Thing in Exile'', also contained work by teen writers Steven Feldman and Mark Laba. Ross attended Alternative Independent Study Program for high school. He went on to self-publish dozens of books and chapbooks through his Proper Tales Press imprint. As his books began to emerge from larger literary publishing houses, he has continued his Proper Tales Press project. Ross has been active in the Toronto literary scene since the mid-1970s. He is co-founder, with Nicholas Power, of the Toronto Small Press Book Fair, which has been operating since 1987 under various directorships. This fair, the first of its kind in Canada, inspired similar events in Vancouver, Ottawa, and Hamilton. Ross ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hurricanes (rugby Union)
The Hurricanes ( ; formerly the Wellington Hurricanes) is a New Zealand professional rugby union team based in Wellington that competes in Super Rugby. The Hurricanes were formed to represent the lower North Island, including the East Coast, Hawke's Bay, Horowhenua Kapiti, Manawatu, Poverty Bay, Wairarapa-Bush, Wanganui and Wellington unions. They currently play at Sky Stadium (formerly named Westpac Stadium), having previously played at the now-defunct Athletic Park. The Hurricanes had a poor first season in 1996's Super 12, but rebounded in 1997 with a third placing. The team did not reach the play-offs for another five years as they struggled in the bottom four of the table. Since 2003 the Hurricanes have made the post-season play-offs seven times out of fourteen seasons, including the 2006 final, which they lost in foggy weather against the Crusaders 19–12. After hosting but failing to win the final in 2015, the 2016 season was the Hurricanes' best season to date. The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stormers
The Stormers (known for sponsorship reasons as the DHL Stormers) is a South African professional rugby union team based in Cape Town in the Western Cape that competes in the United Rugby Championship, a trans-hemispheric competition that also involves sides from Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales. They competed in the Super Rugby competition until 2020. They are centred on the Western Province Currie Cup side, but also draw players from the Boland Cavaliers (covering the Cape Winelands and West Coast districts, with home matches in Wellington). Through 2005, they also drew players from the SWD Eagles (George), which meant that they drew players from all three unions in the Western Cape Province. However, the general realignment of franchise areas resulting from the expansion of the competition resulted in the Eagles being moved to the area of the Southern Spears (later succeeded by the Southern Kings). Prior to 1998, South Africa did not use a franchise system for the Super 1 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Munster Rugby
Munster Rugby ( ga, Rugbaí Mumhan) is one of the four professional provincial rugby teams from the island of Ireland. They compete in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup. The team represents the IRFU's Munster Branch, which is responsible for rugby union throughout the Irish province of Munster. The team motto is "To the brave and faithful, nothing is impossible." This is derived from the motto of the MacCarthy clan – "Forti et Fideli nihil difficile". Their main home ground is Thomond Park, Limerick, though some games are played at Musgrave Park, Cork. History Foundation and early years Munster was officially founded in 1879, at the same time as Leinster and Ulster, with Connacht being founded ten years later in 1889. The first interprovincial matches between Leinster, Ulster and Munster, however, were held in 1875. The founding of the Munster branch of the IRFU was intended to organise and oversee the game within the province and prevent ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lifeimi Mafi
Lifeimi Mafi (born 15 August 1982) is a Tongan-born, New Zealand former rugby union player. Career in New Zealand Born in Nukuʻalofa, Tonga, Mafi initially played his club rugby with Kia Toa (Kia Toa is a Māori term which translates to "be brave"), based in the suburb of Awapuni, Palmerston North. It is one of the oldest clubs in Manawatu, and produced former Munster fullback Christian Cullen, Bristol number 8 Dan Ward-Smith, and former Black Ferns captain Farah Palmer. He represented Manawatu in 2003, before moving to Taranaki in 2004 in time to play the British and Irish Lions in 2005. He made 25 appearances for Taranaki, and was named their "Back of the Season" in 2006. Mafi was also called into the Hurricanes squad in 2006 as replacement for the injured Conrad Smith, although he never took the field in a Super Rugby match. Mafi represented New Zealand at U19 and U21 level. He played alongside players of the calibre of Ben Atiga, Jimmy Cowan, John Afoa, Stephen Donald an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Christian Cullen
Christian Mathias Cullen (born 12 February 1976) is a retired New Zealand rugby union player. He played most of his rugby at fullback for New Zealand (the All Blacks), for the Hurricanes in the Super 12, and for Manawatu, Wellington and later Munster at provincial level. He was nicknamed the '' Paekakariki Express'' and was considered to be one of the most potent running fullbacks rugby has ever seen. With 46 tries scored in 58 tests, Cullen is the 9th-highest try-scorer in international rugby. Youth and early career Cullen was born in Paraparaumu and grew up in Paekākāriki, a small town north of Wellington. He is the youngest of three children. He has an elder twin brother named Shane and a sister named Anita. Cullen is of Irish descent; he also has Samoan and German ancestry. His rugby talent emerged in his high school years and he was selected in the New Zealand secondary schools team in 1993 and 1994. He played senior rugby for Manawatu in 1995 and scored 70 points ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sharks (rugby Union)
The Sharks (known as the Cell C Sharks as they are their title sponsor) is a South African professional rugby union team based in Durban in KwaZulu Natal. They compete internationally in the United Rugby Championship and Heineken Champions Cup, having competed in the Super Rugby competition until 2020. They are centred on the union, also based in Durban and drawing players from all of KwaZulu-Natal Province. The team plays its home matches at the Hollywoodbets Kings Park Stadium in Durban. In 1993–1995 South Africa was represented in the Super 10 by their three top unions (top three teams from the previous years Currie Cup). Natal (as they were called then) qualified in 1993 and 1994. Natal were runners-up in 1994 after having lost to Queensland 21–10 in the final. In 1996 and 1997 South Africa was represented in the Super 12 by their four top unions rather than franchises, and Natal qualified and competed both years. They have never won the Super Rugby competition, bu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wasps RFC
Wasps Rugby Football Club is a professional rugby union team. They last played in Premiership Rugby, the top division of English rugby until being suspended on 12 October 2022. On 17 October 2022 the club entered administration, resulting in relegation to the RFU Championship, and all staff being made redundant. They exited administration on 16 December 2022. Founded in 1867 as Wasps FC, Wasps Football Club, from 1923 to 1996 they were based at Repton Avenue in Sudbury, London. From 1996 to 2002 the team played at Loftus Road in Shepherd's Bush and from 2002 to 2014 they played at Adams Park in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. From 2014 and 2022 their home ground was the Coventry Building Society Arena in north Coventry. From 2023 they will play at the Damson Park, ARMCO Arena in Solihull. Wasps won 12 major titles. They were European Champions twice, in 2004 Heineken Cup Final, 2004 and 2007 Heineken Cup Final, 2007; won six English Championships including three in a row from ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dan Ward-Smith
Daniel Ward-Smith (born 2 January 1978) is a former New Zealand-born English rugby union player who played at number eight for Bristol & London Wasps. He also covered flanker and second row, which made him a useful forward to have in the Wasps squad. Ward-Smith was born in Palmerston North but spent his early childhood in Cornwall in the United Kingdom. He moved back to his hometown with his family when he was 13. After attending both Awatapu College and Waiopehu College he studied at Massey University. Career New Zealand Ward-Smith has played for Manawatu under-19s and played all twelve provincial games for Manawatu in 1999. Ward-Smith was selected in the NPC XV for that year. He made two appearances representing the New Zealand Maori Colts, with the aim of achieving a Super Rugby contract with the Wellington Hurricanes. However Ward-Smith eventually pursued a Rugby Career in the UK due to having dual Nationality. England Ward-Smith travelled to the UK on a short ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
