| The Old Boys - University Rugby Club was established following the amalgamation of two of Wellington's proudest clubs - the Wellington College Old Boys Rugby Football Club and the Victoria University Rugby Football Club at the end of the 1991 season. With over two-hundred seasons behind it, the club has a proud rugby heritage and strong sense of tradition. |
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Over the years, the clubs combined have produced twenty-nine All Blacks, including two All Black captains -
George Gothard Aitken in 1921 and
Stuart Sinclair Wilson in 1983. The club's most recent All Blacks have been half-back, Jon Preston, midfielder
Paul Steinmetz and centre
Conrad Smith.
The Old Boys- University Club is one of Wellington and New Zealand's largest clubs, competing in all divisions from Premier club rugby, through to Colts (or under-21), under 80 kilogram weight restricted grades and Women's rugby. A number of thriving social or non-training teams add colour and vibrancy to the club. One team, the 'Teddybears', is the oldest surviving social team in New Zealand - in existence now for near 40 years. Others such as the 'Pink Ginners' and 'Sixty Niners' have been existence for over a quarter of a century and still going strong.
The club is renowned for its style of play and its spirit. A commitment to free-flowing, fifteen man rugby denotes our game, while the club's hospitality and sense of fun is legendary. Brains as well as brawn, with a dash of elan thrown in for good measure sums up Old Boys-University rugby. As Professor Tommy Hunter, a founding member of the Victoria University Rugby Club once famously said: 'Rugby is more than a partial impact of blind atoms. It is a game of brains'. Quite.
A high standard of coaching and facilities are another feature of the club. Coaches benefit from a strong network of former players and coaches. The training field and associated sawdust gymnasium, situated on campus at Boyd Wilson Field, ensure that training is possible in wet or dry conditions. Boyd Wilson Field is accessible from Wai-te-ata Road, off Salamanca Road in Kelburn. The club works closely with the Wellington Rugby Football Union to maintain its high coaching standards.
The club's home ground is currently the Basin Reserve - better known as an international cricket ground. However, its smooth surface and wide-open spaces suit the club's free running game.
An amateur club in all aspects, we are fortunate to be the club of choice of a number of professional players. Hurricanes, Shannon Paku, Luke Andrews, Ross Kennedy, Jimmy Gopperth and Conrad Smith bring a wealth of experience to the club and the assistance they provide younger players is testament to their status as good club men.
The Old Boys - University Rugby club is not only about Premier team rugby. The Jackie Ruru Shield, contested by the club's social teams on a challenge basis akin to the Ranfurly Shield, is an important part of our club rugby programme. The Shield, or simply 'The Ruru', as it is known, memorialised Jack Ruru, a young player of prominence who met his end whilst playing the game in 1934. Shield challenges are played with tremendous spirit and the Shield is held with great pride.
While our commitment to on-field excellence never wavers, Old Boys - University rugby is ultimately about fun, enjoyment and friendship. It is the club of gentleman, athletes and scholars and all that that implies.
Silverware
Wellington College Old Boys won the Jubilee Cup in 1927 and 1933 as well as the Hardham Cup in 1939, 1946 (shared with Wellington), 1966, 1979 and 1982 (shared with Victoria University. Meanwhile, Victoria University won the Jubilee Cup in 1928, 1929, 1946, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1958, 1964 and 1966 (shared with Marist), also winning the Hardham Cup in 1960, 1980, and 1982 (shared with Wellington College Old Boys). The combined club, playing as Harlequins, lifted the Hardham Cup in 1999 and 2001. Old Boys-University appeared were Jubilee Cup finalists in 2002.
And one for the trivia buffs - Victoria University was the first club to win the Jubilee Cup, contested for the first time in 1929, while Wellington College Old Boys were similarly the first club to win the Hardham Cup which was first contested in 1939