The Wellington Rugby Football Union (known as the Wellington Lions for competition reasons) are a

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

governing body of

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...

in the New Zealand province of

Wellington Region Greater Wellington, also known as the Wellington Region (Māori: ''Te Upoko o te Ika''), is a non-unitary region of New Zealand that occupies the southernmost part of the North Island. The region covers an area of , and has a population of T ...

. The main stadium is Sky Stadium (formerly named Westpac Stadium) which is located in

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by metr ...

. The union also represents the Wellington Lions, which is professional rugby union team who compete in the

Mitre 10 Cup The mitre (Commonwealth English) (; Greek: μίτρα, "headband" or "turban") or miter (American English; see spelling differences), is a type of headgear now known as the traditional, ceremonial headdress of bishops and certain abbots in t ...

competition and contest for the

Ranfurly Shield The Ranfurly Shield, colloquially known as the Log o' Wood, is a trophy in New Zealand's domestic rugby union competition. First played for in 1904, the Shield is based on a challenge system. The holding union must defend the shield in challeng ...

. Before 2006 the Lions competed in the

National Provincial Championship The National Provincial Championship may refer to: * National Provincial Championship (1976–2005), original competition before reform into 14 sides * National Provincial Championship (2006–present) The National Provincial Championship, o ...

Super Rugby

Players from Wellington who are eligible to play in the Super Rugby generally play for the

Hurricanes A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...

, and traditionally contribute the core of the Hurricanes squad. This position is largely due to the Wellington basing of the Hurricanes. Further, Manawatu and

Hawke's Bay Hawke's Bay ( mi, Te Matau-a-Māui) is a local government region on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island. The region's name derives from Hawke Bay, which was named by Captain James Cook in honour of Admiral Edward Hawke. The region i ...

, two Hurricane provinces and prolific talent producers, had long been mired in the second half of the National Provincial Championship, allowing Wellington to lure the better players of these provinces with ease (

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 ...

from Manawatu for example). The reorganisation of provincial rugby in 2006 brought all three provinces into the

National Representative Rugby

The senior Wellington representative team, the Wellington Lions play in the

, which replaced the

in 2006 as the Air New Zealand Cup. The Lions have won the provincial competition five times since its inception in 1976. The titles came in 1978, 1981, 1986, 2000 and 2022. They also won the second tier competition, the Championship, in 2017. Their colours are gold and black as shown on the Lions jersey. The Lions play their home games at the Sky Stadium (formerly named Westpac Stadium), previously playing at Athletic Park until 1999. Even with an All-Star backline in the late 1990s including

Tana Umaga Jonathan Ionatana Falefasa Umaga (; ; born 27 May 1973) is a New Zealand former rugby union footballer and former captain of the national team, the All Blacks. Since 2016 he has been coach of the Blues in the Super Rugby competition. He play ...

Jonah Lomu Jonah Tali Lomu (12 May 1975 – 18 November 2015) was a New Zealand professional rugby union player. Lomu is considered to have been the first true global superstar of rugby, and consequently had a huge impact on the game. He is widely regarde ...

and

Alama Ieremia Namulauulu Alama Ieremia (born 27 October 1970) is a New Zealand rugby union coach and former international player for Western Samoa and New Zealand. Early life Ieremia was born in Sinamoga, a suburb of Apia, Samoa. He was educated in Samoa at ...

what was a superb team on paper never lived up to expectations and Wellington became known for its inconsistency. The Lions side have made it all the way to the grand final in seven times out of the last ten years (2004-2014), losing to Auckland in 2003, to Canterbury in 2004, to Waikato in 2006, Auckland in 2007, Canterbury in 2008, 2009 and most recently 2013. In 2014 Wellington lost a record nine straight losses and were relegated to the Mitre10 Cup Championship 2015. They won the Mitre10 Championship in 2017 over Bay of Plenty 59-45 to regain promotion to the Premiership in 2018.

Ranfurly Shield

The

, colloquially known as the 'Log o' Wood', is perhaps the most prestigious trophy in New Zealand domestic rugby. First played for in 1904, the Ranfurly Shield is based on a challenge system, rather than a league or knockout competition as with most football trophies. The holding union must defend the Shield in home matches, and if a challenger defeats them, they become the new holder of the Shield. Wellington won the first ever shield challenge winning it from Auckland in 1904 and defended it for 4 matches before losing it back to Auckland in 1905. It wouldn't be until 1914 when Wellington would get the shield back by winning it off Taranaki. This marked the longest time Wellington have held the shield successfully defending it for 15 matches until losing it again to Southland in 1920. They beat Southland a year later to regain the shield before promptly losing to Hawkes Bay after only 2 matches. Wellington held the shield for only one match in 1930 and after losing it to Canterbury they would not regain the shield until 1953. Up until the 1980s Wellington had short stints defending the shield but after losing it to Canterbury in 1982 it was to prove elusive. Wellington suffered 10 unsuccessful challenges for the Ranfurly Shield until they took it off Auckland in 2008, scoring five tries in a 27–0 victory, on the weekend of the Auckland Union's 125th anniversary. Wellington lost the shield to

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the primate of ...

on 29 August, losing 36–14 at the then Westpac Stadium. Canterbury then held the shield for 4 defences (over 8 weeks) before losing to

Southland Southland may refer to: Places Canada * Dunbar–Southlands, Vancouver, British Columbia New Zealand * Southland Region, a region of New Zealand * Southland County, a former New Zealand county * Southland District, part of the wider Southland Re ...

on 22 October. It is currently held by

Waikato Waikato () is a local government region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato District, Waipa District, Matamata-Piako District, South Waikato District and Hamilton City, as well as Hauraki, Coromandel Peninsul ...

who defeated

on 9 October 2015 by 36–30.

Bunnings NPC

All Blacks

Stu Wilson Stu Wilson (born 22 July 1954, in Gore) is a former New Zealand rugby union player. He played for Wellington and New Zealand, captaining the national team in the 1983 tour of Scotland and England. He played with the All Blacks The New Z ...

- 1976 * Bernie Fraser - 1979 *

Allan Hewson Allan Roy Hewson (born 6 June 1954) represented the New Zealand All Blacks in 19 Rugby Union internationals between 1981 and 1984. Hewson played at fullback. Since his retirement from international rugby Hewson has continued to be involved with ...

- 1979 * Scott Crichton – 1983 *

Murray Pierce Murray James Pierce (born 1 November 1957) is a former New Zealand rugby union player who played as a lock forward. He won 26 caps for the All Blacks between 1984 and 1989 and played in the victorious New Zealand team at the 1987 Rugby World Cu ...

– 1984 * John Gallagher - 1986 *

Jon Preston Jon Paul Preston (born 15 November 1967) is a former New Zealand rugby union player. A halfback and first five-eighth, Preston represented Canterbury and Wellington at a provincial level and the in Super Rugby. He was a member of the New Zeala ...

– 1991 *

Norm Hewitt Naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) and technologically enhanced naturally occurring radioactive materials (TENORM) consist of materials, usually industrial wastes or by-products enriched with radioactive elements found in the envir ...

– 1993 *

– 1994 *

– 1996 *

– 1997 *

Filo Tiatia Filogia Ian "Filo" Tiatia (born 4 June 1971 in Wellington, New Zealand) is a New Zealand international rugby union footballer, best known as a back-row forward and occasional lock for Welsh region the Ospreys. Tiatia made his debut for Wellingt ...

– 2000 *

Jerry Collins Jerry Collins (4 November 1980 – 5 June 2015) was a Samoan – New Zealand rugby union player. He played for New Zealand, for whom he was capped 48 times, as well as for the Wellington Hurricanes in New Zealand, Toulon and Narbonne in the Rug ...

– 2001 *

Rodney So'oialo Rodney So'oialo (born 3 October 1979 in Motoʻotua, Samoa) is a New Zealand rugby union player who recently played in Japan for the Honda Heat. He is now the director of rugby and head coach at Trinity College Kandy, Sri Lanka. Previously, he h ...

– 2002 *

Ma'a Nonu Ma'a Allan Nonu (; born 21 May 1982) is a professional rugby union player from New Zealand who currently plays for the San Diego Legion in Major League Rugby (MLR). He plays in the inside centre, but can also cover outside centre and wing. H ...

– 2003 *

Piri Weepu Piri Awahou Tihou Weepu (born 7 September 1983) is a retired New Zealand rugby union player. Weepu played most recently for Wairarapa Bush in the Heartland Championship. Generally Weepu played as a half-back but also played at first five-eigh ...

– 2004 *

Conrad Smith Conrad Gerard Smith (born 12 October 1981) is a New Zealand rugby union coach and former player, who played predominantly at centre. He captained the Hurricanes in Super Rugby, and played for New Zealand from 2004 until 2015. He was a key me ...

– 2005 *

Neemia Tialata Neemia Stanley Tialata (born 15 July 1982 in Lower Hutt, New Zealand) is a New Zealand rugby union footballer. He currently plays for Stade Toulousain in the Top 14. As well as representing New Zealand from 2005 - 2010, he also played for the H ...

– 2005 * Ross Filipo – 2007 * John Schwalger – 2007 *

Cory Jane Cory Steven Jane (born 8 February 1983) is a New Zealand international rugby union player. He first played for the All Blacks in 2008 and plays as a winger. In 2011 Jane was selected into the Tri Nations team as injury cover. A few weeks late ...

– 2008 *

Hosea Gear Hosea Emiliano Gear (born 16 March 1984) is a former New Zealand rugby union player who played as a wing. He has also played 14 international matches for New Zealand. Early life The younger brother of Rico Gear, he was born in Gisborne, New Ze ...

– 2008 * Victor Vito – 2010 *

Julian Savea Sio Julian Savea (born 7 August 1990) is a New Zealand rugby union player. He currently plays wing for in Super Rugby Aotearoa. Savea formerly played for in the Top 14, and is a former captain of the Wellington Lions in the Mitre 10 Cup. Be ...

– 2012 *

Dane Coles Dane or Danes may refer to: People Pertaining to Denmark * Dane, somebody from Denmark * Danes, an ethnic group native to Denmark * Danes (Germanic tribe) Other people * Dane (name), a surname and a given name (and a list of people with the nam ...

– 2012 *

Jeremy Thrush Jeremy Thrush (born 19 April 1985) is a rugby union lock who plays for the Western Force. He previously played for in Super Rugby and Wellington Lions in the ITM Cup. He represented the Junior All Blacks, New Zealand Under-19 and New Zeal ...

– 2013 * Jeffrey Toomaga-Allen – 2013 * TJ Perenara – 2014 * Ardie Savea – 2016 * Vaea Fifita - 2017 * Peter Umaga-Jensen - 2020

International matches

Wellington has played a number of times against touring international rugby teams. Wellington drew with the

British and Irish Lions The British & Irish Lions is a rugby union team selected from players eligible for the national teams of England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. The Lions are a test side and most often select players who have already played for their national ...

in 1888 and beat them in

1908 Events January * January 1 – The British ''Nimrod'' Expedition led by Ernest Shackleton sets sail from New Zealand on the ''Nimrod'' for Antarctica. * January 3 – A total solar eclipse is visible in the Pacific Ocean, and is the 4 ...

1930 Events January * January 15 – The Moon moves into its nearest point to Earth, called perigee, at the same time as its fullest phase of the Lunar Cycle. This is the closest moon distance at in recent history, and the next one will b ...

and 1966 . They have also played other international sides including South Africa, who were beaten in 1965. The Bill Freeman coached Wellington side defeated the Springboks 23–6, arguably the finest moment in Wellington rugby history. Full results for Wellington against international touring sides: 1882 lost to New South Wales 2–14 1882 lost to New South Wales 0–8 1886 beat New South Wales 7–0 1888 drew with British team 3–3 1894 beat New South Wales 9–5 1896 beat Queensland 49–7 1901 beat New South Wales 17–16 1905 beat Australia 23–7 (combined team with Wairarapa and Horowhenua 1908 beat Anglo-Welsh 19–13 1921 lost to South Africa 3–8 1921 beat New South Wales 16–8 1923 beat New South Wales 29–16 (combined team with Manawatu) 1925 beat New South Wales 20–8 (combined team with Manawatu and Horowhenua) 1930 beat British Lions 12–8 1931 beat Australia 15–8 1937 lost to South Africa 0–29 1946 lost to Australia 15–16 1950 lost to British Isles 6–12 1956 lost to South Africa 6–8 1959 lost to British Isles 6–21 1963 lost to England 9–14 1965 beat South Africa 23–6 1966 beat British Isles 20–6 1969 lost to Wales 6–14 1971 lost to British Isles 9–47 1973 beat England 25–16 1975 lost to Scotland 25–36 1977 lost to British Isles 6–13 1979 lost to France 9–14 1980 beat Fiji 24–8

Local club rugby

Club rugby is a large part of Wellington rugby. 18 clubs currently comprise the Wellington union and all contribute at least one team to the club competitions. The premier trophy in Wellington club rugby is the Jubilee Cup, which was won in 2012 by Marist St Pat's. Petone are the club with the most Jubilee Cup successes having won the title 22 times. Years in parenthesis are when the current club was formed, though many are amalgamations of previously extant clubs. For example, Oriental-Rongotai claim their heritage back to the formation of the Oriental club in 1888 even though the current club was formed in 1969. Wellington FC is New Zealand's oldest continuous club. * Avalon RFC (1980) (Lower Hutt) *

Old Boys University Old Boys University are a New Zealand rugby union club, who were the 2015 winners of the Wellington Rugby Football Union's premier club rugby grade, the Jubilee Cup. They were the first holders of the Hardham Cup in 1939 and won it most recently ...

(1991) (Wellington) * Eastbourne RFC (1921) (Lower Hutt) * Hutt Old Boys-Marist RFC (1992) (Lower Hutt) * Johnsonville RFC (1900) (Wellington) * Marist-St Pat's RFC (1971) (Wellington) * Northern United RFC (1989) ( Porirua) * Oriental-Rongotai FC (1969) (Wellington) * Paremata-Plimmerton RFC (1959) Porirua) * Petone Rugby Club (1885) (Lower Hutt) * Poneke FC (1883) (Wellington) * Stokes Valley RFC (1949) (Lower Hutt) * Tawa RFC (1947) (Wellington) * Upper Hutt Rams RFC (2014) (Upper Hutt) *

Wainuiomata RFC {{Unreferenced, date=June 2019, bot=noref (GreenC bot) Wainuiomata Rugby Football Club (WRFC) is a rugby union club based in Wainuiomata, an outlying suburb of Lower Hutt, New Zealand. The club was formed in 1946 during the significant settlement ...

(1946) (Lower Hutt) * Wellington FC (1871) (Wellington) * Western Suburbs RFC (1983) (Wellington) Wellington club rugby is contested over the following grades, following a change to the structure: * Premier – Criteria based entry into the Swindale Shield with 14 clubs currently competing. The top 8 at the end of the Swindale competition go through to the Jubilee Cup, the remaining six go to the Hardham Cup. * Premier Reserve – Contested by the 14 'B' teams of the Swindale clubs for the Harper Lock Shield. The top 2 eligible sides at the end of that round go up to the Hardham Cup (eligible in that their Premier sides qualify for the Jubilee Cup), the remaining 12 contest the Ed Chaney and HD Morgan Memorial Cups * First Grade – Open entry grade. Clubs may enter more than one side in this competition. The first round is played for the Thompson Memorial Trophy, the second round for the Johnsonville Centeniumm Cup. * Women's Premier – Open entry Women's grade. First round is played for the Fleurs Trophy, the second for the Victoria Tavern Trophy Remaining grades include age-restricted (Under 21 years), weight-restricted (Under 85 kg), Reserve grade, and the non-competition presidents grade. High School rugby is organised by College Sport Wellington, with open-age/weight (Premier), weight-restricted (Under 80 kg, 65 kg, and 55 kg), and age-restricted (Under 15 years) for boys, and an open Girls grade. Each grade then comprises several divisions.

Championship Winners

Wellington Senior Club Championship Winners since 1880: * 1880 Athletic * 1881 No Club Championship contested * 1882 Athletic * 1883 Wellington and Greytown * 1884 Athletic * 1885 Wellington * 1886 Poneke * 1887 Poneke * 1888 Poneke * 1889 Poneke * 1890 Wellington * 1891 Athletic * 1892 Poneke * 1893 Poneke * 1894 Poneke * 1895 Petone * 1896 Melrose * 1897 Melrose * 1898 Melrose * 1899 Petone * 1900 Melrose * 1901 Wellington * 1902 Melrose * 1903 Poneke * 1904 Petone * 1905 Petone * 1906 Petone * 1907 Petone * 1908 Melrose * 1909 Poneke * 1910 Oriental * 1911 Athletic * 1912 Athletic * 1913 Athletic * 1914 Athletic and Wellington * 1915 Athletic * 1916 Petone * 1917 Petone * 1918 Poneke * 1919 Poneke * 1920 Petone * 1921 Poneke * 1922 Petone * 1923 Petone * 1924 Petone * 1925 Poneke * 1926 Athletic * 1927 Wellington College Old Boys * 1928 Victoria University College The Jubilee Cup has been played for since 1929, with the winners being: * 1929 Victoria University College * 1930 Petone * 1931 Hutt * 1932 Poneke * 1933 Wellington College Old Boys * 1934 Hutt * 1935 Petone * 1936 Athletic * 1937 Athletic * 1938 Petone * 1939 Wellington * 1940 Athletic * 1941 Athletic * 1942 Petone * 1943 Poneke-Oriental * 1944 Poneke-Oriental * 1945 Athletic * 1946 Victoria University College * 1947 Wellington * 1948 Marist Bros Old Boys * 1949 Petone/St Pat’s Old Boys * 1950 Marist Bros Old Boys * 1951 Poneke * 1952 Victoria University College * 1953 Victoria University College * 1954 Victoria University College * 1955 Onslow * 1956 Petone * 1957 Petone * 1958 Victoria University College * 1959 Petone * 1960 Marist Bros Old Boys * 1961 Petone * 1962 Marist Bros Old Boys/Onslow * 1963 Marist Bros Old Boys * 1964 Marist Bros Old Boys/ Victoria University College * 1965 Athletic * 1966 Victoria University College * 1967 Petone * 1968 Petone * 1969 Petone * 1970 Petone * 1971 Petone * 1972 Wellington/Athletic * 1973 Petone * 1974 Petone * 1975 Poneke * 1976 Petone * 1977 Athletic * 1978 Marist St Pat’s/Wellington * 1979 Marist St Pat’s * 1980 Petone * 1981 Marist St Pat’s * 1982 Wellington/Petone * 1983 Wellington * 1984 Marist St Pat’s * 1985 Wellington * 1986 Petone * 1987 Wellington * 1988 Marist St Pat’s * 1989 Petone * 1990 Petone * 1991 Hutt Old Boys * 1992 Petone * 1993 Petone * 1994 Marist St Pat’s * 1995 Marist St Pat’s * 1996 Poneke * 1997 Marist St Pat’s * 1998 Western Suburbs * 1999 Marist St Pat’s * 2000 Petone * 2001 Marist St Pat’s * 2002 Marist St Pat’s * 2003 Poneke * 2004 Northern United * 2005 Petone * 2006 Northern United * 2007 Hutt Old Boys Marist * 2008 Marist St Pat's/Northern United * 2009 Marist St Pat’s * 2010 Northern United * 2011 Oriental-Rongotai * 2012 Marist St Pat's * 2013 Tawa * 2014 Hutt Old Boys Marist * 2015 Old Boy's University * 2016 Tawa * 2017 Old Boy's University * 2018 Old Boy's University * 2019 Northern United * 2020 Old Boy's University * 2021 Tawa * 2022 Northern United

Jersey

Main sponsor is Stonewood Homes. Apparel is supplied by Paladin. Other major sponsors include: * Rutherford & Bond Toyota, Ricoh, Tui, Burger King

Women's Rugby

Wellington has a women's team that are part of the Women's Provincial Championship, called the Wellington Pride. Wellington Pride is the only team aside from Auckland to have won the Women's Championship.

References

External links

Official siteWellington LionsWellington rugby
(NZHistory.net.nz) {{Sport in Wellington New Zealand rugby union teams New Zealand rugby union governing bodies Rugby Football Union Sports organizations established in 1879