The Whanganui Rugby Football Union (WRFU) is the governing body for rugby union in the Whanganui region of New Zealand. The Whanganui Rugby Football Union was formed in 1888.
The Whanganui team play from Cooks Gardens, Whanganui, and have enjoyed much success on the playing field throughout their history. Although not a First division team they are one of the leading provinces in terms of the number of lower divisional titles won.
History The Whanganui Rugby Football Union was formed on 11 April 1888. It then joined the NZRFU as a foundation member in 1892. Wanganui's first official game after affiliation with the NZRFU was against the British and Irish Lions in 1888, with a 1–1 draw being more than encouraging for the union. In 1913 Whanganui played Australia and won 11-6 and in 1966 (with King Country) they won against touring side, British and Irish Lions 12–6.
Club rugby Wanganui Rugby Football Union is made up of 13 clubs: Counties Border Hunterville Kaierau Marist Marton Rugby and Sports Club Ngamatapouri Ratana Ruapehu Taihape Utiku Old Boys Wanganui Pirates Wanganui Tech
Club champions
President's Rosebowl 2026 - Marist 16-15 CountiesBurnes, Campbell. Rugby News magazine (August 2026). Charlotte Smulders Publisher, New Zealand. 2025 - Taihape 15-14 KaierauBurnes, Campbell. Rugby News magazine (August 2025). Charlotte Smulders Publisher, New Zealand. 2024 - Border 36-34 Kaierau 2023 - Border 24-23 Taihape 2022 - Border 16-15 Taihape
Premier Women 2026 - Freyberg OB 31-24 Taihape 2025 - Marist 42-5 Taihape
Provincial rugby Whanganui previously played in the Second division North Island provincial competition and subsequently in the National Provincial Championship (NPC) Third division. In 2006 when the national rugby competitions were restructured, Whanganui entered the Heartland Championship, a competition for New Zealand's smaller provincial unions. They have been regular winners or finalists of Heartland trophies.
Honours
CompetitionChampionRunner upNational Provincial Championship Second Division (North) 1976, 1982, 1983, 1984National Provincial Championship Third Division 1989, 1996, 2003 1988, 1993Heartland Championship Meads Cup2008, 2009, 2011, 2015, 2016, 20172006, 2007, 2010, 2012, 2019, 2022, 2023Heartland Championship Lochore Cup 2014, 2021
Heartland Championship placings
Heartland Championship resultsYear Place Playoffs Semifinal Final 20068 7 1 0 309 146 +163 5 35 1st Meads Cup Won 30–17 against Mid Canterbury Lost 14–16 to Wairarapa Bush 20078 5 0 3 206 135 +71 6 26 3rd Meads Cup Won 18–0 against Mid Canterbury Lost 8–25 to North Otago 20088 8 0 0 353 78 +275 7 39 1st Meads Cup Won 40–18 against West Coast Won 27–12 against Mid Canterbury 20098 6 0 2 275 108 +167 6 30 2nd Meads Cup Won 48–13 against Poverty Bay Won 34–13 against Mid Canterbury 20108 7 0 1 254 134 +120 6 34 1st Meads Cup Won 31–24 against Poverty Bay Lost 18–39 to North Otago 20118 7 0 1 364 117 +247 7 35 1st Meads Cup Won 32–22 against Mid Canterbury Won 30–10 against East Coast 20128 7 0 1 237 133 +104 3 31 2nd Meads Cup Won 23–20 against Wairarapa Bush Lost 27–29 to East Coast 20138 4 0 4 171 160 +11 5 21 6th Lochore Cup Lost 30–40 to Buller — 20148 3 0 5 203 194 +9 5 17 8th Lochore Cup Won 37–6 against King Country Won 16–12 against North Otago 20158 6 1 1 318 185 +133 7 33 3rd Meads Cup Won 26–11 against Mid Canterbury Won 28–11 against South Canterbury 20168 8 0 0 362 110 +252 6 38 1st Meads Cup Won 58–26 against Wairarapa Bush Won 20–18 against Buller 20178 5 0 3 338 163 +175 6 26 4th Meads Cup Won 29–24 against South Canterbury Won 30–14 against Horowhenua-Kapiti 20188 8 0 0 331 113 +218 7 39 1st Meads Cup Lost 7–17 to Thames Valley — 20198 5 0 3 294 184 +110 8 28 4th Meads Cup Won 20-15 against Thames Valley Lost 19-33 to North Otago 20218 6 0 2 286 149 +137 6 30 3rd Lochore Cup No semi final played Won 22-16 against North Otago 20228 7 0 1 352 142 +210 8 36 2nd Meads Cup Won 25-18 against Thames Valley Lost 36-47 to South Canterbury 20238 6 0 2 264 156 +108 8 32 2nd Meads Cup Won 38-3 against Thames Valley Lost 30-40 to South Canterbury 20248 6 0 2 383 199 +184 7 31 2nd Meads Cup Lost 15-38 to Thames Valley— 20258 5 0 3 258 220 +38 1 26 5th Lochore Cup Lost 18–40 to Horowhenua-Kapiti —
There was no competition in 2020 due to Covid-19.
Meads Cup winning teams
2015 Steelform Wanganui Heartland extended squad
Forwards: Brett Turner (Pirates); Bryn Hudson (Ngamatapouri); Cole Baldwin (Border); Daniel Fitzgerald (Marist); Fraser Hammond (Ruapehu); Kamipeli Latu (Border); Kieran Hussey (Border); Lasa Ulukuta (Pirates); Malakai Volau (Utiku OB); Peter Rowe (Ruapehu)(Captain); Renato Tikoilosomone (Border); Roman Tutauha (Ruapehu); Sam Madams (Border); Tololi Moala (Pirates); Viki Tofa (Marist). * John Smyth Brought in as injury cover.
Backs: Areta Lama (Kaierau); Ace Malo (Kaierau); Denning Tyrell (Pirates); Jaye Flaws (Taihape); Kane Tamou (Ratana); Lindsay Horrocks (Border); Michael Nabuliwaqe (Utiku OB); Poasa Waqanibau (Border); Samu Kubunavanua (Utiku OB); Simon Dibben (Marist); Stephen Pereofeta (Wanganui Collegiate); Troy Brown (Ruapehu); William Short (Ruapehu); Zyon Hekenui (Ruapehu); Trinity Spooner-Neera (Hawkes Bay)
Ranfurly Shield
+ Ranfurly Shield Challenges 28 Won 0 Defences 0
Matches
1907 6–5 Auckland1914 17–3 Hawera1919 30–3 Wellington1920 20–14 Wellington1926 36–3 Hastings1927Manawhenua 25–6 Palmerston North1930 19–0 Invercargill1934 39–16 Napier1948 20–3 Dunedin1951 14–0 Hamilton1954 17–13 Christchurch1956 19–6 Christchurch1957 34–5 Wellington1958 22–9 New Plymouth1959 17–11 New Plymouth1963 41–18 Auckland1963 14–12 New Plymouth1964 15–15 New Plymouth1965 23–9 New Plymouth1973Marlborough 30–6 Blenheim1976 16–9 Auckland1977 26–9 Palmerston North1982 30–9 Wellington1987 59–6 Auckland2000 86–3 Tokoroa2009 61–6 Whanganui2010 62–6 Invercargill2012 51–7 Inglewood
Wanganui v Taranaki chllenge of 1964
A 15-all draw against the powerful in Taranaki side of 1964 remains the closest the men from Wanganui have ever come to winning the Ranfurly Shield.
Into the last minutes of the match Wanganui held a 12–11 lead and even if on paper and in the match itself they had seemed the inferior team it seemed as if they would hang on. Their hero was wing Colin Pierce who had kicked all of Wanganui's points from penalties to put them ahead even though Taranaki had gained tries to John McCullough and Ross Brown.
Wanganui might well have won as the match approached the final minute but for excitement of their supporters who thinking they were part of a historic moment as Wanganui had never won the Ranfurly Shield crowded the touchline.
A desperate Brown had dropped for goal trying to gain the winning points. When it had missed Pierce had dashed to the 22 and taken a quick drop out. In the event his hurried kick had landed among the Wanganui spectators and they gave referee John Pring and touch judge George Brightwell a dilemma for they were both unsighted by the sideline mayhem were not sure whether the ball had bounced or gone out on a full.
Pring ruled that it had been on the full and so that last scrum of the match in what was the last set-piece took place on the Wanganui 22 and it was from there that Taranaki worked the move from which replacement wing Kerry Hurley grubber kicked ahead and won the chase as the ball bounced just a feet from touch over the Wanganui goal-line. And that was it: Taranaki had won 14–12.
All Blacks There have been 17 players selected for the All Blacks while playing club rugby in Whanganui:
Moke Belliss John Blair George Bullock-Douglas Andrew Donald Keith Gudsell Peter Henderson John Hogan Peter Johns Peter McDonnell Sandy McNicol Henare Milner Peter Murray Bill Osborne Waate Potaka Harrison Rowley Peina Taituha Hector Thomson
Other All Blacks from Whanganui
Andy Haden (All Black 1972-85) was born in 1950 in Whanganui and attended Wanganui Boys' College before he played senior rugby for Massey University in 1970 and moved to Auckland in early 1971.
Glen Osborne, a nephew of Bill Osborne, played representative rugby for Wanganui from 1990 to 1991. He joined North Harbour in 1992 and played for the All Blacks from 1995 until 1999.
Charlie Seeling (All Black 1904-08) started his rugby career for Wanganui before moving to Auckland from where he was selected for the original All Blacks.
Notable players
John Blair In 1897 John Blair became the first of 17 Wanganui players to pull on an All Blacks jersey.
Moke Belliss Until the emergence of Bill Osborne in 1975, Ernest (‘Moke’) Belliss was without doubt Wanganui's greatest contribution to New Zealand rugby. Belliss made his representative debut for Wanganui in 1914 before enlisting to serve during World War II. He first came to national attention as a member of the New Zealand Army rugby team of 1919 which won the King's Cup tournament in Britain and then toured South Africa. Belliss played in the three home tests against the 1921 Springboks and captained the All Blacks in Australia the following year. Belliss has been compared to later players such as Waka Nathan and Buck Shelford. Commentator Winston McCarthy remembered him as hard, tough and fast, a good handler and a ferocious tackler. His opponents feared him and players of his era ranked him with the world's best. His son Jack captained Wanganui until the early 1950s and his grandson Peter Belliss was a flanker or lock for the side in the 1970s before turning his attention to bowls, a sport in which he won two world titles.
Bill Osborne Born and bred in Whanganui, midfield back Bill Osborne graduated from the Whanganui High School first XV straight into the Kaierau senior side. In 1973 he made his debut for Wanganui four days after his 18th birthday. Selection for the New Zealand Colts followed in 1974 and he made the All Blacks for the waterlogged test against Scotland at Eden Park in 1975. He played in 14 of the 24 matches on the 1976 tour of South Africa. In 1978 Osborne lost his spot for the home series against Australia to Bay of Plenty's Mark Taylor. He won his place back for the end-of-year tour of Britain and Ireland and played in all four internationals as the All Blacks completed their first-ever Grand Slam against the home unions. Osborne and Bruce Robertson of Counties formed one of the great midfield combinations of any All Black era.
In all Osborne played 48 times for New Zealand, including 16 tests. Having retired in 1981, he made a comeback the following season, playing in two of the three tests against Australia before once more announcing his retirement. Again he had a change of heart and by now representing Waikato he was selected for the All Blacks side to tour South Africa in 1985. This tour was cancelled as a result of court action taken against the New Zealand Rugby Union. A replacement tour of Argentina was arranged but Osborne withdrew from the side. In 1986 he joined all but two of the 1985 selections on the unsanctioned New Zealand Cavaliers tour of South Africa.
Trevor Olney While he might not have reached the heights of Belliss and Osborne, Trevor Olney was hailed as an unsung hero by many in New Zealand's provincial unions. Between 1973 and 1990 Olney played a record 146 times for Wanganui. These were amateur days in which a player had to fit training and matches around a full-time job, so his commitment over 18 seasons was truly remarkable. He also played for New Zealand Māori.
Bob Barrell Bob Barrell debuted in 1963. He was an All Black trialist in 1976 and top New Zealand point scorer that year with 164 points. He scored a record 980 points for the union between 1963 and 1977.
Super Rugby Wanganui comes within the Hurricanes region, along with Wellington, Wairarapa Bush, Poverty Bay, Hawke's Bay, Manawatu and Horowhenua-Kapiti.
References
External links Official site