The Hastings High School Old Boys Rugby Club was a prominent and historic fixture of the Hawke’s Bay rugby landscape for over 70 years before anchoring a major local merger in the 1990s.
Foundation and Golden Era (1924–1995)
• Origins: The club was officially formed in 1924 as a sporting outlet for former pupils of Hastings High School (which later split into Hastings Boys’ and Hastings Girls’ High Schools). The school traditionally adopted the huia bird as its emblem and “Akina” as its motto, which deeply influenced the identity of the Old Boys club.
• Feeder Links: It maintained incredibly powerful, tight-knit bonds with local secondary schools, primarily serving as the major senior destination for young players graduating from Hastings Boys’ High School.
• Local Stature: For 71 years, HHSOB operated independently as one of Hastings’ proudest clubs, consistently fielding highly competitive teams across the regional grades and celebrating its Golden Jubilee in 1974.
The Big Amalgamation (1995)
By the mid-1990s, changing economic landscapes and player numbers pushed local clubs toward consolidation.
In 1995, Hastings High School Old Boys agreed to a monumental merger with Hastings Celtic (established in 1910). A few years prior, the historic Hastings Rugby Football Club (founded way back in 1884 as a foundational member of the Hawke’s Bay Rugby Union) had already merged into Celtic.
The joining of HHSOB and Celtic officially created Hastings Rugby & Sports Club, which began competing under the new banner in 1996.
The Legacy Today
Though the “High School Old Boys” name is no longer on the scoreboard, its DNA forms a foundational pillar of modern Hawke’s Bay rugby:
• The Logo & Identity: The modern Hastings Rugby & Sports Club logo purposefully honors its roots by representing the four primary secondary schools in the area—Hastings Boys’ High School (HHSOB’s traditional feeder), St John’s College (Celtic’s traditional feeder), Karamu High School, and Lindisfarne College.
• Club Success: The merged entity went on to find immediate glory, famously winning “the Double” in 1999—taking home both the Spillane Trophy and the prestigious Maddison Trophy, while being named Hawke’s Bay Sports Club of the Year.
• Grounds: The clubrooms eventually shifted from Alexandra Crescent to their current shared modern facility at Elwood Road, which they own alongside the Hawke’s Bay Polo Club.
