Wellington
Official WRU emblem
UnionWellington Rugby Football Union
Nickname(s)Lions
Founded1879 (1879)
LocationThorndon, Wellington, New Zealand
Ground(s)Sky Stadium (Capacity: 34,500)
CEOMatthew Evans[1]
Coach(es)Tamati Ellison
Captain(s)Du'Plessis Kirifi
Most appearancesBernie Fraser (121)
Top scorerAllan Hewson (893)
Most triesBernie Fraser (105)
League(s)Bunnings NPC
20231st
Semifinalist
Team kit
Official website
www.wellingtonlions.co.nz

Wellington (often known as the Wellington Lions) are a New Zealand professional rugby union team based in Wellington, New Zealand. The union was originally established in 1879, with the National Provincial Championship established in 1976. They now play in the reformed National Provincial Championship competition. They play their home games at Sky Stadium in Wellington. The team is affiliated with the Hurricanes Super Rugby franchise. Their home playing colours are black and gold.

Current squad

The Wellington Lions squad for the 2023 Bunnings NPC is:[2]

Wellington Lions squad

Props

Hookers

Locks

Loose forwards

Halfbacks (scrum-halves)

First five-eighths (fly-halves)

Midfielders (centres)

Outside backs

(c) Denotes team captain, Bold denotes player is internationally capped, REP denotes a replacement squad player.
  1. ↑ Mitchell wasn't named in the original Wellington squad, but was announced in the side for the semi-final.[3]
  2. 1 2 Poasa & Southall weren't named in the original Wellington squad, but were announced in the side for Round 1.[4]
  3. ↑ Paulo wasn't named in the original Wellington squad, but was announced in the side for Round 3.[5]

Honours

Wellington have been overall Champions on 5 occasions. Their first title was in 1978 and their most recent title was in 2022. Their full list of honours include:[6][7]

National Provincial Championship First Division
  • Winners: 1978, 1981, 1986, 2000
Mitre 10 Cup Championship Division
  • Winners: 2017
Bunnings NPC
  • Winners: 2022

Current Super Rugby players

Players named in the 2023 Wellington Lions squad, who also earned contracts or were named in a squad for any side participating in the 2023 Super Rugby Pacific season.[8][9][10][11][12][13][14]

Player Team
Asafo Aumua Hurricanes
Dominic Bird Hurricanes
Dane Coles Hurricanes
Caleb Delany Hurricanes
Connor Garden-Bachop Highlanders
Kemara Hauiti-Parapara Highlanders
Riley Higgins Hurricanes
Du'Plessis Kirifi Hurricanes
Peter Lakai Hurricanes
Ruben Love Hurricanes
Aidan Morgan Hurricanes
Xavier Numia Hurricanes
Cameron Orr Rebels
Pepesana Patafilo Crusaders
TJ Perenara Hurricanes
Hugo Plummer Hurricanes
Billy Proctor Hurricanes
Ardie Savea Hurricanes
Julian Savea Hurricanes
PJ Sheck Highlanders
Peter Umaga-Jensen Hurricanes

References

  1. ↑ "Staff Members". Wellington Rugby. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  2. ↑ "Wellington Lions name 2023 squad to defend Bunnings NPC title". Wellington Rugby (Press release). 31 July 2023. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  3. ↑ "Bunnings NPC Semifinals: Team Lists". Bunnings NPC. 12 October 2023. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  4. ↑ "Bunnings NPC Round 1: Team Lists". Bunnings NPC. 4 August 2023. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  5. ↑ "Bunnings NPC Round 3: Team Lists". Bunnings NPC. 17 August 2023. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  6. ↑ "National Provincial Championship winners, 1976–2014". Te Ara. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  7. ↑ "Mitre 10 Cup". Rugby Heartland. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  8. ↑ "Hurricanes 2023 squad announced" (Press release). Hurricanes. 26 October 2022. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
  9. ↑ "Highlanders 2023 Squad Announcement" (Press release). Highlanders. 26 October 2022. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
  10. ↑ "Highlanders named to face Blues in season opener" (Press release). Highlanders. 23 February 2023. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  11. ↑ "Melbourne Rebels Announce 2023 Super Rugby Pacific Squad" (Press release). Melbourne Rebels. 17 November 2022. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
  12. ↑ "2023 Squad announced" (Press release). Crusaders. 26 October 2022. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
  13. ↑ "Match Centre - Super Rugby - Hurricanes vs. Force". SANZAAR. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  14. ↑ "Highlanders Named to Play Force in Invercargill" (Press release). Highlanders. 17 March 2023. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
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