The amalgamation of two rugby clubs is more that the mere fusion of teams, administrations and club colours. It is the amalgamation of identities, histories and traditions. Both the Wellington College Old Boys and Victoria University Rugby clubs had strong identities and enduring histories. Each club was fortunate to have it's history documented in print. Read extracts from these works below.


The following extract is taken from the introduction of John Anderson's history of the Victoria University Rugby Football Club - The Story of the Green and Golds, published in 1987.

Participation in sport has always been a tradition at our Universities. It came to Victoria College with four foundation professors - H. Mackenzie, J. R. Brown, T. H. Easterfield and R. C. Maclaurin - men steeped in the university traditions of their homeland. So Victoria inherited the English belief that sport provides valuable regeneration for a tired brain.

The student athlete however tends to differ somewhat in attitude from the average sportsman. To the student sport is primarily recreation, a relief, however brief, from his main preoccupation, the forbidding demands of study. It provides an opportunity not only for mental and physical refreshment but for carefree enjoyment, sometimes even exuberance.

Sport to the student is a pastime rather than a way of life. And of course every student has faith in his own ability so that, especially in team sports, the activity is often a little undisciplined - individualistic even. Thus university teams are often somewhat disorganised and the penchant of their members for self-expression is often barely curbed.

Rugby journalist, Don Cameron once made a similar point. Welcoming the appointment of Bryce Rope as Chairman of the All Black selection panel he says: "Any man who has reasonable success selecting and coaching university sides in New Zealand is entitled to the warmest respect. I have seen coaches going grey before their time as they have tried to channel the diverse talents and mentalities of university players into some kind of coherent performance. One university coach of recent times in Auckland once remarked that he was trying to coach 15 geniuses who all had different ideas about how to play the game, and quite often played that way."

This then is the story of a university club whose fortunes have fluctuated more than most; a club that was born of optimism (a trait it has never discarded) and a spirit of adventure; a club that spent its first 18 years (admittedly interrupted by a world war) seeking maturity; thrilled the crowds as never before when it reached a peak in the 20s; spent all the thirties in the doldrums, yet survived a second world war and surprised even Wellington rugby writers by winning the Jubilee Cup the year after the war ended. It then went in retreat for five years only to become a legend as it again, after a break of thirty years, attracted crowds of 12,000 or more to Athletic Park where it established fresh scoring records; staged some remarkable thrilling rugby in the 60s and slowly slumped as the 70s wore on. It's renaissance has not yet begun, but its former capacity to storm the heights one season and plum the depths the next has been compressed into an almost weekly occurrence. Its only predictable feature today is its unpredictability.

But Victoria remains a great club, widely respected and honoured in its home city, in New Zealand university circles and generally around the central part of New Zealand. And deservedly so. Only Otago (which leads New Zealand clubs by a wide margin) and Canterbury among the universities can lay claim to more than Victoria's 16 All Blacks, while in Wellington only Petone, Athletic and Poneke (all established in the 19th century) have a greater number.

On the playing field even the local perennial champions, Petone, have a regard as well as respect, for Victoria's rugby teams because of the type of rugby they play and the spirit in which they play it.

Down through the years Victoria University has continued to play rugby for sport and enjoyment; wining is highly desirable, but if defeat is to become disgrace and a cause for recrimination its students will give the game away.

And who can cavil at an attitude like that!



The following extract is taken from Follow Up, the history of the Wellington College Old Boys Rugby Club, by Dai Hayward.

Old Boys has a record probably unmatched by any other rugby club in New Zealand, for initiating new developments or achieving notable landmarks.

Some of these firsts are now nationally accepted, often as the result of lobbying to persuade the Rugby Union to adopt a good idea. Others reflect the spirit and progressive approach of our club.

Here are of few of Old Boys' innovations:

In 1963 Old Boys became the first club in New Zealand to appoint a female Secretary, Muriel Amies. At this time, women's involvement with rugby clubs was mostly to make sandwiches and pour tea. Muriel was indefatigable. She was previously Social Secretary. On rare occasions she had no club function arranged, her home was open house on Saturday nights.

Wellington College Old Boys was the first club to provide captains for all national representative teams. In 1983 Stu Wilson captained the All Blacks on their tour of England and Scotland, while Fraser Mexted led the New Zealand Colts.

Old Boys proposed that the Wellington Rugby Union allow half time replacements. It was rejected. Three years later the Old Boys Chairperson argued again for their introduction in age grade matches. Stressing that each week 10,000 reserves did not play, he pleaded they be allowed half a game. The Wellington Rugby Union relented, agreeing to two replacements at half time in age grade matches. Today, replacements are allowed in All Black matches and the Old Boys initiative has been accepted internationally.

Old Boys organised the first women's rugby match on Athletic Park. This was the Wellington versus Auckland match, curtain-raiser to the Stu Wilson International Festival Match.

Old Boys helped pioneer under 21 or colts rugby in Wellington and, with the help of Christchurch High School Old Boys, New Zealand.

Until recently, sponsorship in rugby was frowned upon, although some under the counter deals often occurred. Old Boys was the first Wellington, and possibly New Zealand, club to enter into an official sponsorship deal, without upsetting the authorities. Old Boys was sponsored by Dominion Breweries.

An Old Boys team was the first Wellington Senior team to win all three Championship trophies for which it was eligible in the same year.