Poneke Pies in rugby boots and all for RWC

A New Zealand rugby club is calling for international rugby fans to ‘bring their boots’ to Wellington next year. 

 

The Poneke Pies, a men’s social rugby group affiliated with Wellington’s Poneke Football Club - one of the oldest rugby clubs in New Zealand - will host a Masters Rugby Festival as part of the Real New Zealand Festival, a nationwide series of events surrounding the 2011 Rugby World Cup. 

 

At the heart of the Masters festival will be a series of friendly rugby matches. Entry will be limited to 20 teams made up of rugby visitors from around the globe. Poneke Pies members will match players with teams. 

 

Friendships and rugby 

The Poneke Pies are hosting the Masters Rugby Festival as part of the Real New Zealand Festival, and see the occasion as an opportunity to show off real grassroots Kiwi hospitality to international fans. 

 

They are offering a chance for visitors to interact with local rugby fans over a few beers - with the aim of creating lasting memories, friendships and benefits to all involved. 

 

The Pies are also hoping to raise funds to help the Poneke Football Club repair the aging bus that transports players to and from matches. 

 

Golden oldies 

The Poneke Pies is a social rugby club with more than 50 Kiwi ex-rugby players and fans as members - all aged between 33-55. The members play fortnightly in winter against other like-minded teams, under ‘golden oldies’ rules.

 

The name Poneke Pies is a tribute to New Zealand’s favourite meat pie - a traditional after-match snack, usually partnered with a glass of local brew. 

 

Apart from weekly training sessions, the Pies also publish a regular newsletter called Half-Baked, are governed by a board of trustees named the Upper Crust, support a WAGs netball team known as the Tarts and a junior rugby team called the Pastries. 

 

Members are nicknamed ‘pie-eaters’, and field positions are divided into pie backs, pie forwards and stale pies.

The club’s theme song is called Bart’s Pie Anthem and composed by utility back Bart Kropelnicki. The team’s ‘hall of pain’, dedicated to players injured on the field, is light-heartedly dubbed the Purple Pie Awards. 

 

Background: Poneke Football Club

One of New Zealand’s oldest rugby clubs, the Poneke Football Club has produced many famous players. 

 

The club was founded in 1883 by Mark Nicholls, who went on to found the Petone club two years later. The original members were composed mainly of Wellington College ‘old boys’, and Poneke became affiliated with the Wellington Rugby Union as a junior club. 

 

One of its high-profile ‘graduates’ is Tom Ellison, who led the first New Zealand national rugby team during their 1893 tour of Australia. Ellison was also the creator of the All Black’s black jersey and silver fern emblem. 

 

Another famous player from the club was Billy ‘Carbine’ Wallace, who joined the first All Black side in 1905, which toured the British Isles, France and North America. The side only lost one match against Wales during the tour. 

 

Other legendary ex-All Blacks include Jack Griffiths, Ralph Caulton and more recently Ofisa Junior Tonu’u. 

 

Background: Real NZ Festival 

 

The Real New Zealand Festival is a nationwide series of events showcasing the best of Kiwi food, wine, culture, heritage, sports and nature. The festival was officially launched during ‘One Year to Go’ celebrations in Auckland’s Eden Park in September. 

 

As part of the festival, New Zealand communities will showcase regional highlights - ranging from art and rugby exhibitions to food and wine tastings and craft fairs, concerts and Māori culture.