The history of the original Porirua Rugby Club is a massive chapter in the sporting identity of the Porirua basin. Founded over a century ago, it was a club deeply woven into the local Māori and Pacific communities before eventually evolving into one of Wellington’s modern rugby powerhouses.
The story of the original club spans several distinct eras:
1. Foundation and Early Growth (1910)
The Porirua Rugby Football Club was officially founded in 1910. In its earliest days, the club served a small, tight-knit rural and coastal community. The team originally wore a distinctive playing jersey that would become a proud symbol for generations of local players.
As the Porirua area grew and rapidly urbanized mid-century—particularly with the development of Porirua East—the club transformed from a small local side into a massive community anchor for working-class families moving into the region.
2. The Titahi Bay Rivalry
For decades, Porirua RFC shared the local landscape with its fierce, cross-town neighbor: the Titahi Bay Rugby Club. Matches between Porirua and “The Bay” were highly anticipated, physical encounters that divided local households. Porirua RFC drew heavily from the central and eastern suburbs, establishing deep roots with local marae and community groups, while Titahi Bay drew from the coastal peninsula.
By the late 1980s, both clubs recognized that while their individual histories were proud, resource splits were holding them back from dominating the wider Wellington premier competition.
3. The 1990 “Power Merger”: Northern United
At the end of the 1989 rugby season, Porirua RFC and Titahi Bay RFC made the historic decision to amalgamate. In 1990, they officially took the field as Northern United Rugby Football Club (affectionately known across New Zealand as Norths).
The merger initially showcased a true compromise of club identities:
• The Kit: In their very first games in 1990, players literally wore the old Porirua RFC traditional jersey paired with the Titahi Bay RFC shorts and socks before their iconic blue-and-white strip was introduced later that year.
• The Grassroots: To keep the history of both founding clubs alive, the junior club (Norths Bulldogs) purposely split its mid-week trainings between both original sites: Onepoto (the old Titahi Bay ground) and Porirua Park (the Porirua ground).
4. A Modern Juggernaut
The legacy of the Porirua Rugby Club lives on through Norths’ incredible success. Operating under the club motto Tātou Tātou (“All of us together”), Northern United went on to become an absolute powerhouse, winning the prestigious Wellington Jubilee Cup multiple times (including 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2019, and 2022).
The original Porirua ground was developed into Porirua Park, and its main ground was officially named the Jerry Collins Stadium in honor of the club’s most legendary son—the bruising All Blacks captain who grew up playing on those very fields. Other world-class talents like TJ Perenara, Tamati Ellison, and the Umaga brothers (Tana and Mike) all trace their rugby roots directly back to this proud Porirua lineage.
