The story of the Matamata Rugby Club is a classic tale of rugged, small-town determination evolving into a modern, multi-sport powerhouse. Today, the original club’s legacy lives on through United Matamata Sports (UMS), based at Bedford Park.
The Frontier Days (Pre-1908)
Long before a formal club structure existed, rugby in the Matamata district was a brutal, logistically challenging affair. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, local teams were largely made up of shepherds, ploughmen, and laborers from the massive rural estates like Patetere (Tīrau) and Lockerbie (Morrinsville).
To play a single match, these players routinely traveled up to 40 miles on horseback over rough dirt tracks just to find a flat paddock to set up makeshift posts.
Foundation and the “Black and Whites” (1908)
The Matamata Rugby Club was officially established in 1908, when 69 local players registered to wear the club’s iconic original colors: the Black and White jersey.
A year later, in 1909, the Matamata Rugby Sub-Union was formed under the Auckland Rugby Union, with Matamata competing locally alongside neighboring pioneer clubs like Hinuera, Patetere, and Waharoa-Walton United.
The Nomadic Era & The “Old Tin Shed”
For its first few decades, the club was entirely nomadic. Games were played on various private farmlands behind the local railway station, at Calder’s paddock, and across the Cotter estate.
The club’s post-WWII history is fondly remembered for its rustic, DIY infrastructure:
• 1946: The club finally secured its first permanent headquarters—not a purpose-built stadium, but an old commercial workshop behind a local business.
• 1952: The club bought a building situated on railway land directly opposite the Braeburn Hotel. Affectionately dubbed “The Old Tin Shed,” it became legendary in Waikato rugby folklore for hosting rowdy, high-spirited post-match celebrations.
• 1962: Forced to move by the Railway Department, the club purchased the historic Germann homestead on Comber Street for £1,800, converting it into a highly modern, $25,000 facility
Famous Sons & Higher Honors
Over the course of its standalone history, dozens of Matamata players went on to represent the Waikato provincial side. The club’s absolute peak came when loose forward Hugh McLaren earned rugby’s ultimate domestic achievement, debuting as All Black #684 in 1969 against Wales.
The wider Matamata pipeline (including local schools like Matamata College) has long punched above its weight, later producing or developing notable top-tier talent like:
• Warwick Taylor (1987 Rugby World Cup-winning All Black)
• Craig Innes (All Black midfielder / Dual-code international)
• Brendon Leonard (All Blacks halfback)
Modern Era: The United Amalgamation
As amateur rugby transformed in the late 20th century, Matamata’s local clubs recognized that pooling resources was the only way to stay competitive against massive city-center teams.
This culminated in a major merger that formed the modern United Matamata Sports (UMS) club. Today, UMS operates out of Bedford Park on Firth/Tainui Street, fielding highly competitive Senior Premier, Development, and Colts teams within the Waikato Rugby Union, while keeping the century-old rugby traditions of the Matamata plains very much alive
