The Feilding Old Boys Rugby Club (commonly known today as FOBO or Feilding Old Boys Oroua) is a vital piece of the rugby landscape in the Manawatū region of New Zealand. Its history tracks a fascinating evolution of merging town and country communities.
Here is the story of how the club came to be and its journey through the decades.
The Early Origins (1920s–1950s)
The roots of the “Old Boys” name in Feilding date back to the post-World War I era.
1925: Former pupils of the Feilding Agricultural High School (FAHS) formed the Old Boys Rugby Football Club to keep high school teammates playing together.
The Wartime Merger (1941): With so many young men deploying overseas during World War II, the Old Boys club temporarily joined forces with their cross-town rivals, Feilding RFC (the “Yellows”), playing as “Feilding and Old Boys” just to field a team.
The Split & Independence (1955): While the clubs fully merged for a time after the war, the desire for a distinct identity led to the formal creation of Feilding Old Boys RFC as a completely independent, separate club in 1955. Adopting a classic black and white playing strip, they set up their base on the opposite side of Johnston Park from the Feilding Yellows.
The Country Connection: Oroua RFC
To understand modern FOBO, you have to look at its country counterpart, Oroua.
The Oroua sub-union originally dates back to 1896, but the Oroua Rugby Football Club was formally established in 1957, drawing players from the rural areas surrounding Feilding (including Kimbolton, Āpiti, and Cheltenham). Playing as “The Stags,” Oroua provided a rugged, tightly-knit country rugby experience for decades.
The Modern Era: The 2009 Amalgamation
By the late 2000s, like many grassroots sports clubs in New Zealand, both clubs faced declining player numbers due to shifting rural demographics.
In 2009, Feilding Old Boys RFC and Oroua RFC made the historic decision to merge, creating the Feilding Old Boys Oroua Rugby and Netball Club (FOBO).
This merger beautifully united town and country:
They retained the Oroua nickname (The Stags).
They integrated their club colors into a striking Black, Red, and White strip.
They maintain two distinct clubrooms: the Feilding clubrooms on Nelson Street (Johnston Park) and the rural clubrooms on Kimbolton Road in Kimbolton.
Notable Successes & All Blacks
FOBO competes at the highest level of Manawatū club rugby for the prestigious Hankins Shield (the oldest club rugby trophy still contested in New Zealand).
2018 Champions: FOBO won its most famous modern victory by capturing the Hankins Shield in 2018, dramatically defeating their historic local rivals, the Feilding Yellows, 24–22 in the final.
The Women’s Game: The club boasts a powerful women’s rugby legacy, with their team winning the Prue Christie Cup regional championship in 2015, 2016, and 2018.
Famous Representatives
The club has produced and been home to iconic rugby figures, including:
Jack Finlay (All Black #455): A legendary figure who played all his club rugby for Feilding Old Boys. After serving as a Major in WWII and winning a Military Cross, he played for the famous 1945–46 “Kiwis” Army team and earned a Test cap for the All Blacks in 1946.
Sam Strahan (All Black #660): A towering 6’4″ lock out of the Oroua country club. Strahan played 45 matches (17 Tests) for the All Blacks between 1967 and 1973, frequently pairing up in the second row with the legendary Sir Colin Meads.
