The string of names Hororata-Black Diamonds-Selwyn rugby club tracks the evolution, deep-seated rivalries, and ultimate survival of country rugby in the South Malvern area of Canterbury.
What began as separate clubs formed by coal miners and farmers in the late 19th century eventually merged into what is known today as the Selwyn Rugby Football Club, based out of the Glentunnel Domain.
1. The Black Diamond Football Club (1880s–1891)
In the 1880s, the Glentunnel and South Malvern districts boomed with a surprisingly large population. This wasn’t just farming country—it was fueled by intensive coal mining and pottery manufacturing.
Local men formed a football club in 1891. Because the players came from scattered settlements like Whitecliffs, Coalgate, and Glentunnel, a local named Sam Smith suggested a neutral name. Since a massive portion of the team spent their weeks digging coal, they proudly named themselves the Black Diamonds.
• The Kit: They started out in black jerseys with a blue sash. Later, they wore a black jersey featuring a bold white diamond across the chest.
• The “Underground Savages”: Because of their mining roots, neighboring teams affectionately (and fiercely) referred to the Black Diamonds as the “Underground Savages.”
• The Deans Legacy: The club is famous for its connection to the legendary Deans rugby family. Bob Deans—the 1905 All Black famous for the “disputed try” against Wales at Cardiff Arms Park—originally played for the Black Diamonds. On at least one occasion, seven Deans boys took the field in the exact same Black Diamonds team line-up.
2. Hororata RFC and the “River Rats”
Just five kilometers south, nestled on the banks of the Hororata River, sat the Hororata Football Club. If the Black Diamonds were the “Underground Savages,” Hororata’s players were proudly dubbed the “River Rats” by their neighbors up the road.
Matches between the River Rats and the Savages were tough, physical affairs that divided the local community every winter Saturday.
3. Wartime Unity: “Glenata”
Despite their fierce local code war, the two clubs proved that blood was thicker than water when crisis hit. During both World War I and World War II, a massive percentage of young men from the district shipped overseas to serve.
Neither club had enough men left to field a roster, so the rivals swallowed their pride and combined forces. During WWII, the merged team played under the temporary portmanteau “Glenata” (Glentunnel + Hororata). When the servicemen returned home after the war, the clubs amicably split back into their original separate entities.
4. The Amalgamation: Selwyn Rugby Club
As the mid-to-late 20th century brought shifting rural demographics, maintaining separate team rosters became unsustainable for small country clubs.
The historical threads of the Black Diamonds, Hororata, and players from the high-country Windwhistle district officially braided together to form the Selwyn Rugby Football Club.
With the formal amalgamation, the iconic black diamond emblem was retired, and the club adopted a new uniform of green jerseys and white shorts. The club celebrated its official centenary in 1987 and later marked its 125th anniversary in 2012, publishing a comprehensive historical booklet to preserve the rugged stories of the miners, farmers, and “River Rats” who built rugby in the Selwyn district.
