Rob Law Max Recruitment: Proud to be supporting club rugby in Wellington in 2014

Off-season to heat up with summer of rugby

Club Rugby | 06 November 2014 | Steven White

Supporters take their seats in the trees in the Hurricanes’ pre-season community match in Masterton earlier this year.

Rugby fans can lock in Saturday 21 March as the start date for the 2015 Swindale Shield,New Zealand’s hottest Premier rugby competition, which is set to run for 20 consecutive weekends to August.?

Details of the new-look Swindale Shield, involving 14 clubs, with a stay-of-relegation for Johnsonville and the promotion of Avalon and Paremata-Plimmerton are yet to be revealed, but it is hoped for a simple competition structure. A 13-round Swindale Shield followed by a six-team Jubilee Cup, as it used to be, would be a logical move. But supporters can’t rule out more convoluted options just yet.?

In the meantime, there are several weekends of rugby to look forward to and tournaments elsewhere involving Wellington teams to follow between now and then.

Between the end of November and the close of February when preparations for the 2015 fifteens season take hold, there are several 7s and 10s tournaments in Wellington.?

The Piri Weepu Sevens tournament on the last Saturday of November is followed by five confirmed tournaments in January and February, including the second annual Northern United 10s on 14 February and the inaugural Tawa 7s at Lyndhurst Park on 21 February.?

There’s also a clutch of representative tournaments, starting at the end of November with Wellington Schools Scots College, St Pat’s Silverstream and Wellington East Girls’ College competing in the national secondary schools Condor 7s finals and the Wellington men’s and women’s 7s sides heading to Palmerston North for the regional qualifiers for the national tournament in Rotorua in January. The Wellington men’s team is the defending national champions but must qualify all over again here.

As well as the annual Ulalei Samoan teams tournament, there’s the two New Zealand Marist 7s tournaments being held in Wellington, while the 28th annual Shannon 7s and the Hawke’s Bay tournaments will be played. It is understood that the Greytown 7s won’t be played this year.

At the same time the Hurricanes will be preparing for the 20th Super Rugby season. The Hurricanes have a confirmed pre-season community match against the Crusaders in Eketahuna on 31 January.

As well as covering it all, Club Rugby welcomes additional contributions. If you have something to publicise to the wider audience or want something to say on this website or on our social media channels please email editor@clubrugby.co.nz

2015 promises to be an exciting year.

Confirmed dates for summer of rugby coming up

• 22 and 23 November – Auckland 7s – Northcote RFC?

• Saturday 29 November - Piri Weepu 7's - William Jones Park

• Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 November – Condor 7s National finals in Auckland

• Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 December – Regional qualifiers in Palmerston North

• Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 January – National regional 7s tournament, Rotorua?

• Saturday and Sunday 24 and 25 January - Ulalei Sevens Tournament, Wellington. Venue TBC

• 31 January Hurricane v Crusaders, pre-season Super Rugby match, Eketahuna

• Friday and Saturday 5 and 6 February - New Zealand Marist Sevens - Evans Bay Park

• Sunday and Monday 7 and 8 February - BLK New Zealand Marist Secondary School Sevens – St Pat’s Artificial?

• Saturday 14 – Northern United 10s Tournament, Bernie Wood Memorial Turf, Ascot Park Porirua