Night rugby to kick off club rugby season

Will Johnston 

Evening rugby will feature in the early stages of this year’s Taranaki premier club rugby competition.  

For the first three weeks, most premier matches will start at 7:35pm on Friday nights at selected venues, with the opening round scheduled for Friday, April 8. Other senior grades will kick-off at 6pm. 

Adding to the first week, the cross-town rivalry between New Plymouth Old Boys and Tukapa will be played at Vogeltown Park. 

Seven of the eight clubs will host matches under lights, except for Stratford/Eltham. Instead, their first home game of the year at Victoria Park on Easter weekend will be the only day game of the round at 2:45pm. 

From the end of April, matches will go back to the traditional afternoon kick-offs.  

The odd club match has been played under lights, but its new for consistent rounds to be played in these conditions. 

Taranaki Rugby community and operations manager Cole Brown said the changes stemmed from a stakeholder survey conducted by Sport Taranaki's insights and evaluation advisor Doctor Alastair John.

The aim was to deliver quality experiences to rugby’s participants and having competitions reflect their needs, he said. 

“We have implemented some changes focused on diversifying our offerings and freeing up weekends for participants.  

“This year will be a pilot with many clubs having lighting upgrades completed its sure to be an outstanding showcase of rugby in Taranaki and hopefully something we see more of in following years.” 

Premier, Division One and Colts grades will be mirrored and include eight teams each, which Brown said is a rarity nationwide. 

“It’s a reflection of the strength of our clubs.” 

He said a highlight in 2021 was having eight clubs in the Colts grade and is pleased to see that remain.  

The three divisions will feature two rounds, while the Division Two competitions typically include more clubs. Later in the year, the bottom teams form Division Three. 

A one-round competition was touted at the end of last season, but Brown said the union is continually assessing and working with stakeholders to ensure their needs are being met.  

Semi-final weekend will be on Saturday, July 16, with the popular finals day back at Yarrow Stadium for the first time in two seasons on Saturday, July 23. 

“It signals a return home,” Brown said after finals were held at Inglewood’s TET Stadium. He did credit the volunteers at Inglewood for making those events possible.  

With the traffic light system in place, Brown said together with the community they will find solutions but is looking forward to continuing the momentum.  

Taranaki premier club rugby competition opening round, Friday, April 8: 

NPOB v Tukapa, Vogeltown Park, 7:35pm 

Inglewood v Clifton, TET Stadium, 7:35pm 

Southern v Stratford/Eltham, 7:35pm 

Spotswood United v Coastal, Yarrow Stadium #4, 7:35pm 

Click here to view the full draw.