The history of the Taita Rugby Club is a story deeply tied to the Hutt Valley community, spanning over five decades before it evolved into part of the modern club rugby landscape we know today.

The Beginnings (1923)

The Taita Rugby Football Club was formed in 1923 to serve the expanding, tight-knit rural and working-class communities of the northern Hutt Valley. In its early decades, Taita established itself as a gritty, passionate local club competing in the Wellington Rugby Football Union (WRFU) structure.

Their traditional home ground eventually became Fraser Park, and the club proudly donned maroon and white as their team colors.

The Watering Hole & The Joe Aspell Cup

One of the most famous pieces of Taita’s heritage surrounds their local “watering hole,” the Taita Hotel.

• The Background: In the mid-20th century, the licensee of the Taita Hotel was Joe Aspell, a prominent Wellington City Councilor and a massive supporter of local rugby (and a life member of rival club Marist Old Boys).

Marist St Pats Rugby

• The Trophy: To foster friendly but fierce rivalry, the Aspell family donated the Joe Aspell Cup to be competed for annually between the Premier grades of Taita and Marist St Pats. Today, that rich tradition survives, contested by Taita’s modern successor club.

The Fateful 1979 Merger

By the late 1970s, both Taita and their neighboring rivals, Naenae Old Boys (formed in 1951), were struggling to maintain numbers and premier status independently.

The turning point came on the final day of the 1979 Hardham Cup season:

• Taita and Naenae Old Boys played out an uninspiring 0-0 draw.
• The result officially relegated Taita to the second division.
• At the after-match function that afternoon, Taita Chairman Bill Tregaskis approached Naenae club officials and formally suggested a merger.

The idea quickly gained momentum since many of the players had grown up together attending Taita College and Naenae College. On November 28, 1979, the clubs officially amalgamated to create the Avalon Rugby Club (now known as the Avalon Wolves).

The Taita Legacy Today

Though Taita RFC ceased to exist under its own name in 1979, its DNA remains completely foundational to rugby in the Hutt Valley:

• The Identity: The successor club, Avalon, chose Fraser Park (Taita’s home) as its permanent base.
• The Colors: Avalon’s jersey blended Naenae’s Cambridge blue, black, and gold with Taita’s traditional maroon and white.
• Success: The combined club instantly paid dividends, winning the Hardham Cup just two years later in 1981, and eventually capturing the prestigious Swindale Shield in 1991, 1993, and 2001.