TeamTalk 33
Friday, 24 July 2009 00:11
TeamTalk 33 is now online.
For the Trivia Fan
Rodney So'oialo became the sixth current All Black to take part in WRFU club rugby this season when he played for Wests Roosters against Poneke on Saturday 11 July.
Who were the other four?
2009 Representative Season
Keep an eye out for the Wellington representative squads - they will be named shortly.
Final Registration Reminder
This is a final reminder to get all your registrations completed. Registration cut-off date is 3 August, so we would like to make certain all your administrators and volunteers (as well as players and coaches) have registered this year. Are all your committee registered?
Rugby New Zealand 2011 (RNZ 2011) has indicated that it will be developing specific offers for the New Zealand rugby community and that it expects that any such offer will be made to players, referees, coaches, volunteers and administrators registered for the 2009 season. Please note that as RNZ 2011 is still developing the ticketing strategy, this indication of the availability of specific offers is not a binding commitment by RNZ 2011 to make an offer of Rugby World Cup tickets, and any offer that is made in no way guarantees access to tickets.
If you would like to receive any information from RNZ 2011 about the Rugby World Cup 2011, you must make sure you tick the box on the registration form. Please contact
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if you have any questions. The registration form is available online.
U16 Williment Week
The 2009 U16 Williment Week has just been completed with 91 players from all over Wellington attending this four day development programme to help identify our future talent.
The players were welcomed on Monday morning by Duncan Garvie (Williment Travel) who spoke about the great former All Black and Wellington player, Mick Williment. Greg Peters (WRFU CEO) talked about the tradition of this tournament & the current All Blacks, Hurricanes, & Vodafone Wellington Lions players who have attended in the past.
Games were played on Tuesday & Thursday and used to help select the Wellington U16A & Development teams which will take part in the Hurricanes U16 tournament to be held in Masterton this year.
As well as the coaching received from WRFU CCO's, the Vodafone Wellington Lions squad attended on the Wednesday and showed the players through position specific skills, and spoke on different aspects of being a professional player. This was a highlight for most players.
WRFU academy trainers, Dave Wildash & Paul Downes, presented core strength exercises, & the requirement for good eating before & after games. Players took notes and now have a better understanding of future needs.
After the final games on Thursday a luncheon was held in the Poneke Club rooms for both players and coaches. The following awards were presented:
· Centurions Player of the Week Award - Liam Scully (Tawa College)
· Hutt Valley Player of the Week Award - Lorenzo Pili (St Bernards)
· Wellington City Player of the Week Award - Hugh Graham (St Pats Town)
· Western Bays Player of the Week- Patrick Palepua (Rongotai College)
Vodafone Wellington Lions player Faifili Levave was our guest speaker and he made an impact on these boys. He spoke about the setbacks & challenges that he has faced in his career, and what strategies he used to overcome these. His speech was very well received by the players.
Thanks go to Poneke FC, MSP RFC, Oriental-Rongotai FC, & Wellington FC for the use of their indoor training facilities due to the bad weather.
Thanks also to Wellington City Council for providing grounds for playing on.
A final thanks to Williment Travel for their support of this great week.
Golf Tournament (Ambrose - in teams of 4) - Upper Hutt RFC
WHEN: Friday 21 August, 2009 (12:00pm Shotgun Start)
WHERE: Trentham Golf Club
WHY: Fundraising Event for 2009 Senior Club, Junior Club and Academy
COST: Playing- $40 per player ($160 per team)
Carts $40 - caddies $15 (these need to be booked in advance)
HOLE SPONSORSHIP: $250-$750 (includes One Playing Team)
ENTRIES: Please contact: Hannes Venter 021 837 939
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, or send entry/hole sponsorship details to:
Upper Hutt Rugby Club Inc, PO Box 40-149, Upper Hutt
Junior Inter-Zone Competition
The Western Bays Zone, led by Adrian Middleton, ran a very successful Interzone Competition for JRZE over Friday to Sunday, 10 to 12 July. The weather for the most part held up, although there was rain & cold winds on Sunday. Mark Fairmaid arranged the referees (including two from Japan) and linesmen, all of whom did a very fine job. The representative coaches and managers were present in preparation for their program.
The talent on show thrilled all those present. The hall was packed with parents ands relatives for the presentation of cups. The following are the scores and Cup winners:
Cup Winner
Girls U13
Saturday Hutt Valley beat Wellington 25 - 20
Sunday Wellington beat Hutt Valley 37 - 30 Wellington on count-back.
Premier 1
Friday Hutt Valley beat Wellington 41 - 7
Saturday Western Bays beat Hutt Valley 10 - 5 Western Bays
Sunday Western Bays beat Wellington 19 - 14
Premier 2
Friday Hutt Valley beat Western Bays 31 - 0
Saturday Hutt Valley beat Wellington 42 - 17 Hutt Valley
Sunday Western Bays beat Wellington 17 - 5
Under 12
Friday Hutt Valley beat Western Bays 25 - 24
Saturday Hutt Valley beat Wellington 22 - 10 Hutt Valley
Sunday Western Bays beat Wellington 19 - 7
Congratulation to all players for the spirit of the tournament as not even a single yellow card was given out over the intense three days of rugby.
Primary School Tackle Tournaments
WRFU and GWPSRU will be running the Primary School Tackle Tournaments in August, after missing last year because of bad weather. The grades will be for Year 5/6, Year 7/8, and Year 7/8 Girl Blacks.
· Wellington City Schools Tuesday 11 August (pp 13 August)
· Hutt Valley Schools Tuesday 18 August (pp 20 August)
· Western Bays Schools Tuesday 25 August (pp 27 August)
For any information contact Rick Whatarau on 389 0020 x718 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
U14 and U15 Nominations
Nomination forms for WRFU U14 & U15 players will be sent to colleges on Monday 27 July. Trials will be held in September, and players selected to attend the U14 & U15 development week to be held from Monday 5 to Thursday 8 October. Contact Rick Whatarau on 389 0020 x718 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it if any more information is required.
Disciplinary Committee
The last month has seen a dramatic increase in the number of issues being bought to the attention of the Disciplinary Committee. Please ask your club if you have not seen a copy of the WRFU Code of Conduct! A dim view is taken of foul play and all players should be reminded that, coming to the business end of the season, it would be disastrous if a player is suspended and thus miss semi's and finals.
Hurricane Schools
The Hurricane Schools Camp was held at Feilding High School from 6 to 8 July.
There were an excellent three days with coaching and trials, and all Wellington players present performed well. In the final squad selected 11 of the 23 are from Wellington. These are:
Matthew Proctor and Eric Sione - from St Pats Town
Tomasi Alosio, Christian Lloyd and Ope Peleseuma - from St Pats Silverstream
Lima Sapoaga, Tupou Sapoaga, Norman Goodes, Solomona Sakalia, and Caleb William Stewart - from Wellington College
T J Perenara - from Mana College.
Also on the standby list were Terence Hepetema (Mana College) and Henni Tui (Rongotai College).
The resultant Hurricanes Schools team went on to win its third consecutive national title, winning 13-6 in the final in Auckland
Wellington Referees
The following referees have been promoted within the grades of WRRA for 2009:
Junior to Intermediate - Paul Mitchell, Ian Carson, Bradley Hudson, Nick Hogan,
Intermediate to Senior - Geoff Willmott, Matthew Goodger, Chris Graham, Matt Smith,
Senior to Premier - Daniel Kershaw, Aaron Parker.
The annual WRRA Quiz is on again:
· starting 7pm on Monday 27th July,
· at the So Bar (formerly Jays Bar), Disraeli St, Johnsonville,
· Team numbers - max 5 people per team
· Cost - $30 per team
From the south (Wellington): drive into Johnsonville, past the BP Station and turn right. From the north: drive into Johnsonville, along Johnsonville Road (the main street), through the traffic lights at Broderick Rd, turn left.
Participation is welcome, especially from any Wellington rugby clubs.
Anyone who may be able to offer goods or merchandise as prizes, please contact Mark Fairmaid ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) or Steve Goodwin ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ).
IRB interactive Laws website.
The International Rugby Board has unveiled a new website which allows you to enhance and test your knowledge of the Laws of the Game (www.irblaws.com)
The IRB see this as a way to revolutionise Rugby Law education. The key features are:
· Seven additional language options: English, French, Spanish, Italian, Chinese, Japanese and Russian (useful if you plan to ref while on holiday)
· All compliant with 2009 Laws as approved by IRB Council on 13 May.
· Hundreds of video clips to illustrate the laws
· Animations to support learning
· Videos to illustrate all Referee and Assistant Referee signals
· Self-test capability which covers:
o All 22 laws
o 7's and Under 19 variations
o Referee signals
o Video tests
o The test can be taken over multiple visits to the site
o On completion users can download an awareness certificate
Access to the site is free to everyone. Registration is only required when users want to undertake the tests.
Looking For Funding $$$$ - Good Planning Can Help
The "Funding" page on the Sport Wellington website (http://www.sportwellington.org.nz/funding-4/)
has been updated with direct links to various websites, and with advice added on the filling in of gaming trust applications. The pool of money available from Gaming Trusts has dropped 5.3% in the last year to the lowest figure since 2002. This is why it is so important your application includes reference to how the funds you apply for fit in with your club's operational plan.
Does your club have a three year plan? Is it on your website?
It is recommended you attend the Sport Wellington Planning Workshop in November and this will help you to look beyond the next season.
Club Finals
The Rugby Board has agreed that the 2009 Jubilee and Hardham Cup Finals will be played at Westpac Stadium on Sunday 9 August. The Hardham Cup will start at 12.30pm, and the Jubilee Cup at 2.45pm, to allow for the new extra time ruling in the finals.
The Answer - for the Trivia Fan
Piri Weepu, Neemia Tialata, Ma'a Nonu, Hosea Gear.