One hundred and fifty years of school rugby rivalry culminated at Wellington College on Saturday, as Nelson College’s 1st XV took on their oldest foes in a one-off commemorative clash.
Played in atrocious wet and windy conditions at Mount Victoria, Wellington College were dominant throughout in a convincing 43-5 win.
Nelson’s only points came 10 minutes from fulltime, when Lochie Bates crossed for a consolation try.
Despite the result, Nelson College captain Rei Pouri-Lane was magnanimous in defeat.
“Wellington College were a better side from the start. They got on top of us early and never let up,” Rei says.
He refused to use the conditions as an excuse.
“It was bad, but both teams had it. We need to learn to not let the weather dictate the state of the game.”
Saturday’s match marked a significant milestone, with Wellington hosting Nelson in a special fixture celebrating the 150th anniversary of the first interprovincial secondary school rugby match in New Zealand.
The build-up included a luncheon on Friday, where Wellington College Old Boys and All Blacks Marc Ellis and Dane Coles spoke alongside 2011 Rugby World Cup-winning coach Sir Graham Henry. The match itself was broadcast live on Sky Sport.
The original encounter between the schools was played on July 20, 1876, at 2.30pm at the Basin Reserve in Wellington, despite a typhoid outbreak at Wellington College.
That historic match was played in calm conditions, divided into four half-hour spells, and was called off five minutes early due to fading light.
Wellington won 2–0, with matches at the time decided by the number of goals kicked rather than tries.
Since then, the two schools have forged one of New Zealand’s fiercest schoolboy rivalries, largely through the annual Quadrangular tournament, which also features Whanganui Collegiate and Christ’s College. The Quad will celebrate its centenary when it is played in Whanganui this June.
Wellington and Nelson have met 87 times, with Wellington holding a 46–38 advantage. Nine matches have been drawn.
Between them, the schools have won the Quad outright 59 times and produced 58 All Blacks.
In last year’s Quad final, Nelson beat Wellington 31–24 to claim the title for the sixth time in the past seven seasons.
