The history of Athletic Rugby Club Hāwera is one of the most unique and colorful stories in New Zealand grassroots rugby. Known famously by their fiery nickname—”The Bolshies”—the club carved out a distinct identity for nearly 70 years before helping form a modern Taranaki rugby powerhouse.
1. The Breakaway and “The Bolshies” (1925)
The club was born out of a dramatic split in 1925.
The Split: Members of the existing Hāwera Athletic Club—originally an amateur track and field club (which included legendary New Zealand Olympic javelin thrower Stan Lay)—decided to break away from the established, traditional Hāwera Rugby Club to form their own rugby team.
The Nickname: Because of this rebellious breakaway nature, which happened right on the heels of the global political upheavals of the era, the new club was quickly branded “The Bolshies” (after the Russian Bolsheviks). Instead of taking offense, the club wore the nickname as a badge of honor, representing a fierce, anti-establishment, and hardworking team spirit.
2. Decades of South Taranaki Rivalry
For the next seven decades, Athletic established themselves as a pillar of Taranaki club rugby.
The Battle of Hāwera: Athletic’s existence set up an intense, passionate cross-town rivalry with the original Hāwera Rugby Club. Match days between the two clubs divided the town and drew massive crowds to Hicks Park.
Nurturing Talent: Operating out of Hāwera, Athletic built a reputation for gritty forward packs and sharp backlines. They steadily contributed top players to the Taranaki provincial team, competing hard in the local senior grades and building a rich community hub with passionate multi-generational family ties.
3. The 1994 Amalgamation: Forming the Southern Sharks
By the early 1990s, changing economic landscapes and shifting populations in South Taranaki made it difficult for multiple independent clubs in close proximity to survive at the premier level.
In 1994, a historic decision was made to unite the region’s rugby forces:
The Three-Way Merger: The Athletic Rugby Club joined forces with its old cross-town rival Hāwera RFC (founded in 1876) and the nearby Waimate RFC (founded in 1886).
The Southern Rugby Club: This massive amalgamation created the Southern Rugby Football Club (the Southern Sharks), which played its first official season in 1995.
The Legacy Today
The standalone “Bolshies” no longer take the field in their old colors, but their DNA is a cornerstone of the modern Southern Rugby Club based at the TSB Hub in Hāwera.
When Southern won the Taranaki Premier Club Championship in a legendary 15-14 final against Clifton in 2013, or when players like All Black Jarrod Hoeata and Chiefs captain Craig Clarke rose out of the club, they did so on a foundation built partly by the rebellious spirit of the 1925 Athletic breakaway. Furthermore, the Athletics Hāwera track and field club still operates strongly today, keeping the physical roots of the original association alive in the community.
