The Howick Hornets are a

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...

club based in

Howick, New Zealand Howick is an eastern suburb of Auckland, New Zealand, forming part of what is sometimes called East Auckland. Modern Howick draws much of its character from the succeeding waves of Asian settlement that it has experienced since New Zealand’s ...

. The premier team competes in

Auckland Rugby League The Auckland Rugby League (ARL) is the governing body for the sport of rugby league in the Auckland Region of New Zealand. It is responsible for rugby league in the region, including both club and school rugby league. It began in 1910 when the fi ...

's senior competitions. The club currently competes in the top division, the Fox Memorial Trophy. The club has a rivalry with neighbours, the Pakuranga Jaguars. The Howick Hornets are the current Fox Memorial champions and hold the Roope Rooster challenge trophy.

History

The Howick Rugby League Football Club was founded in 1961 with the team playing at the Howick Domain. Former New Zealand representative Cliff Johnson was the club's first chairman. The club first entered a senior team into

competitions in 1964 under coach Tommy Baxter. In 1965 Paparoa Park, the club's current home ground, was created with the help of the Howick Borough Council. Between 1978 and 1985 the club competed in senior competitions as Eastern United, a combined team with the Pakuranga club. The team was coached by former Kiwi Murray Eade. The club won the Sharman Cup, the second division title, in 2005 and 2009. In 2005 they defeated the

Bay Roskill Vikings The Bay Roskill Vikings are a rugby league football club based in Mount Roskill and Blockhouse Bay, New Zealand, who compete in Auckland Rugby League's Sharman Cup competition. The club was established in 1979. History The club was formed in O ...

20–16. In 2009 the team won the Sharman Cup by defeating the

Glenora Bears The Glenora Bears are a rugby league football club based in Glen Eden, New Zealand who compete in Auckland Rugby League's Fox Memorial competition. History The club was established in 1931 Auckland Rugby League season, 1931 when the Auckland ...

19–12 in extra time. They also won the

's 2009 Club of the Year award for the first time ever. In 2010 the club won promotion to the Fox Memorial Trophy and finished third before losing to the

Te Atatu Roosters The Te Atatu Roosters is a rugby league club based in Te Atatū, New Zealand. They participate in the Auckland Rugby League competition. They currently have 25 teams across schoolboy, junior and senior grades. The Roosters premier team began t ...

in a semi final. This was the first time in the club's 49-year history that they had competed in the top division of the Auckland Rugby League. During the season the Hornets defeated the

Mt Albert Lions The Mount Albert Lions are a rugby league club based in Mount Albert, New Zealand. The Lions home ground is at Fowlds Park. Their patron is the former Prime Minister of New Zealand, Helen Clark. In 2008 and 2009 the Lions won the Fox Memorial. ...

for the first time in three decades and defeated the

Otahuhu Leopards The Otahuhu Leopards are a rugby league club based in Otahuhu, Auckland. Founded in 1911, the club has produced 49 New Zealand national rugby league team players. The club competes in the Fox Memorial competition run by Auckland Rugby Leagu ...

for the first time in the club's history. They also hosted a

Māori Television Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

broadcast from Paparoa Park for the first time. Six players from the Hornets were named in the Counties Manukau representative team to compete in the Albert Baskerville Trophy. In 2011 the Hornets won the Fox Memorial, defeating the

24–14 in the Grand Final.

Notable players

Players who have played for the club include Paul Atkins,

Zeb Luisi Zebastian Lucky Luisi (born 22 December 1984), also known by the nicknames of "Lucky", "Zeb", "Zebba", is a New Zealand rugby league footballer who has competed in the Auckland Rugby League competition, his most recent club being the Howick Horne ...

Anthony Gelling Anthony Gelling (born 18 October 1990) is a Cook Islands international rugby league footballer who plays as a er and forward. He has previously played for the Wigan Warriors in the Super League, the New Zealand Warriors in the National Rugby L ...

Samuel Brunton Samuel Brunton (born 20 February 1990) is a New Zealand former professional rugby league player. He played as a or . He is a Cook Islands international. Early years Brunton was a Howick Hornets and Mangere East Hawks junior.

Luke Laban People *Luke (given name), a masculine given name (including a list of people and characters with the name) *Luke (surname) (including a list of people and characters with the name) *Luke the Evangelist, author of the Gospel of Luke. Also known as ...

Luke Laban
''warriors.co.nz'' and

Isaac John Isaac John (born 12 December 1988) is a former New Zealand professional rugby league footballer who previously played for the Mount Pritchard Mounties in the Intrust Super Premiership. A Cook Islands and New Zealand international representati ...

Howick Senior Team Records (2022)

The season record for the most senior men's team in the club.

References

External links

Official Club siteOfficial ARL Site
{{Rugby League in Auckland Rugby clubs established in 1961