WRUre-enacts first international game
Union’s centenary celebrations held after Covid delay
Waikato Rugby Union were finally able to host their centenary celebration matches at Claudelands Park, Hamilton on Saturday as part of the Grassroots Trust Festival of Rugby.
Originally set to take place in 2021, Covid-19 delayed the celebration of 100 years of the Waikato Rugby Football Union, but it was worth the wait.
An old-fashioned Mooloo Parade brought the sponsors, floats and supporters down Victoria St, across the Claudelands Bridge and out the front of Globox Arena before the first match kicked off.
The Hamilton Old Boys Huskies took on Hamilton Rugby Sub-Union, with the sub-union women coming away with the win 56-7.
The Huskies side boasted the likes of Waikato Farah Palmer Cup reps Vici-Rose Green and Leomie Kloppers, as well asKihikihi’s Charlize Waters.
The sub-union side contained dual-code legend Honey HiremeSmiler, Black Ferns Natalie Delamere and Grace Houpapa-Barrett, while the side also had a Kihikihi flavour to it with Sarah Payne and Rina Paraone in the starting XV.
The following match saw a Waikato Legends side take on the South African Buffalos, a re-enactment of Waikato’s first international game, at the same venue that game was played 101 years ago.
The Waikato side contained only authentically capped players, while the South African team was based around ex-pats that live in New Zealand, plus Kevin Putt and Ian Calder, who both played rugby for Waikato and in South Africa.
Former Te Awamutu Sports players Jono Armstrong, Deon Muir and Rhys Duggan took the field for the legends side alongside Te Awamutu Sports assistant coach Jackson Willison and former Te Awamutu Rugby Sub-Union winger Solo Korovata.
Old school jerseys were worn with the back of the jerseys carrying the name of the player who wore that playing number 101 years ago.
The Waikato side held a dominant 32-0 lead at the break and came away with the victory, but rugby was the winner on the day.
You can find replays of both matches on Waikato Rugby’s Facebook page. Also keep an eye on the Facebook page for the release of the three-part videos taking viewers on Journey Through 100 Years.
A