St Bernards College, a Catholic boys’ school located in Lower Hutt, Wellington, was founded in 1946. Rugby was adopted as a core sport from the outset, heavily nurtured and coached by the Marist Brothers who played an influential role in the school’s early leadership.
• First XV Debut (1957): The college fielded its first official 1st XV in 1957.
• Colors: The school originally competed in maroon, black, and white before adopting Royal Blue jerseys for the 1st XV in 1959.
Wellington College Premiership Success
St Bernard’s established a reputation as a competitive force in the Wellington Secondary Schools Rugby Union (WSSRU) Premier 1 competition, capturing the regional championship title three times:
• 1988 & 1989 Titles: The late 1980s marked a golden era for the college. The 1st XV won back-to-back Wellington Premier 1 titles, accumulating a dominant 33 wins out of 38 matches across the two seasons.
• 2001 Title: In 2001, St Bernard’s claimed their third Wellington Premier 1 championship with a memorable 17–10 final victory over Wellington College.
Traditional Matches & Cup Fixtures
The college maintains long-standing rivalries across the North Island with key annual fixtures:
• Jonathan Collins Memorial Cup: Contested against St Patrick’s College, Wellington (St Pat’s Town). The trophy honors Jonathan Collins, a former student and promising player at both schools who passed away in 1999.
• Traditional Exchanges: Regular fixtures against Hato Pāora College, Francis Douglas Memorial College, and local cross-town rivals Hutt Valley High School.
Feeder Connection & Old Boys
St Bernard’s College has historically served as a major talent pipeline for local senior club side Hutt Old Boys Marist (HOBM). The school has produced internationally capped players across both Rugby Union and Rugby League:
All Black John Dougan (Test halfback/first five-eight; famous for scoring the first-ever 4-point try for the All Blacks in 1972)
International Union Inoke Afeaki (Former Tonga Captain), Earl Va’a (Samoa), Genesis Mamea Lemalu (Samoa)
Rugby League Stars Issac Luke (Kiwis international), Ben Matulino (Kiwis international), Jacob Laban (NZ Warriors)
