Wellington (National Provincial Championship)
 Official WRU emblem | ||
| Union | Wellington Rugby Football Union | |
|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Lions | |
| Founded | 1879 | |
| Location | Thorndon, Wellington, New Zealand | |
| Ground(s) | Sky Stadium (Capacity: 34,500) | |
| CEO | Tony Giles[1] | |
| Coach(es) | Trent Renata | |
| Captain(s) | Brad Shields | |
| Most appearances | Bernie Fraser (121) | |
| Top scorer | Allan Hewson (893) | |
| Most tries | Bernie Fraser (105) | |
| League(s) | Bunnings NPC | |
| 2024 | 1st Champions | |
| ||
| Official website | ||
| www | ||
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 2025 Bunnings NPC is:[2]
| Wellington Lions squad | ||
|---|---|---|
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Props
Hookers
Locks
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Loose forwards
Halfbacks (scrum-halves)
First five-eighths (fly-halves) |
Midfielders (centres) Outside backs
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Honours
Wellington have been overall Champions on six occasions. Their first title was in 1978 and their most recent title was in 2024. Their full list of honours include:[4][5]
- National Provincial Championship First Division
- Mitre 10 Cup Championship Division
- Winners: 2017.
Current Super Rugby players
Players named in the 2025 Wellington Lions squad, who also earned contracts or were named in a squad for any side participating in the 2025 Super Rugby Pacific season.[6][7][8][9][10][11]
References
- ^ "Tony Giles to lead Wellington Rugby". Wellington Rugby (Press release). 21 September 2023. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
- ^ @wgtnrugby; (20 July 2025). "Introducing the Wellington Lions for 2025". Retrieved 20 July 2025 – via Instagram.
- ^ @wgtnrugby; (30 July 2025). "First team naming of the season". Retrieved 3 August 2025 – via Instagram.
- ^ "National Provincial Championship winners, 1976–2014". Te Ara. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
- ^ "Mitre 10 Cup". Rugby Heartland. Archived from the original on 27 September 2020. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
- ^ "Game Readiness and Maturity Key in 2025 Hurricanes Squad". Hurricanes (Press release). 12 November 2024. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
- ^ "Moana Pasifika name squad for 2025". Moana Pasifika (Press release). 11 November 2024. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
- ^ "Hurricanes team named to play the Crusaders in opening round". Hurricanes (Press release). 12 February 2025. Retrieved 12 February 2025.
- ^ "2025 Crusaders squad announced". crusaders.co.nz (Press release). 11 November 2024. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
- ^ "Four more round out 2025 Western Force Super Rugby squad" (Press release). Western Force. 11 November 2024. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
- ^ "We're ready to take the handbrake off". Blues (Press release). 11 November 2024. Retrieved 11 November 2024.