The history of the Titahi Bay Rugby Club is a proud story of coastal community identity, grit, and local rivalry. Located on the rocky, wind-swept peninsula of the Porirua basin, the club carved out a fierce reputation for producing incredibly tough, physically uncompromising players before becoming a foundational pillar of one of Wellington’s modern rugby powerhouses.
The legacy of “The Bay” spans several distinct decades:
1. Post-War Foundations (1954)
While neighboring Porirua RFC had been playing since 1910, the Titahi Bay Rugby Club was officially established later, in 1954. It emerged during a massive post-World War II housing boom when Titahi Bay rapidly expanded with new families, working-class residents, and a vibrant multicultural community.
The club established its spiritual home ground at Onepoto Domain, right near the water. The club’s identity quickly became tied to the rugged coastal geography of the Bay, and they adopted a distinct community-first ethos. The club celebrated its Silver Jubilee in 1979, marking 25 years as a proud independent hub.
2. The Great Inter-Island Under-Weight Exchange (1965)
One of the most unique and enduring traditions in New Zealand grassroots rugby started at a local bar in Lyttelton in 1965. Titahi Bay coach Bill “Pincha” Martin and Lyttelton Rugby Club coach Norman “Skeeta” Bachop got into a passionate debate over which club had the better under-weight junior team.
To settle the argument, they organized a match between the two junior sides. This grew into a legendary, 50-plus-year annual exchange where the Under-12 teams would travel between the North and South Islands, billeting with local families and forging lifelong rugby connections.
3. The Fierce Cross-Town Derby
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Titahi Bay’s ultimate proving ground was its intense local rivalry with the Porirua Rugby Club.
The two clubs represented two different sides of the Porirua basin: Titahi Bay drew heavily from the coastal peninsula and the western suburbs, while Porirua RFC drew from the central and eastern valleys. The local derbies between the two were legendary—highly physical, fast-paced, and deeply competitive encounters that completely divided the city on Saturdays.
4. The 1990 “Porirua Power Merger”: Northern United
By the end of the 1989 season, administrators from both Titahi Bay and Porirua recognized a shifting landscape in Wellington club rugby. While both clubs had immense natural talent and proud histories, splitting the local player pool and commercial sponsorships meant neither could consistently dominate the heavy-hitter metropolitan clubs in Wellington’s Premier tier.
Led by key visionaries like Titahi Bay life member Terry Farrow, the two rivals made the historic decision to join forces. In 1990, they officially merged to form Northern United Rugby Football Club (popularly known today as Norths).
The initial transition beautifully honored the Bay’s identity: in their very first matches in 1990, the unified team literally wore the traditional Porirua RFC jersey paired with Titahi Bay’s shorts and socks before their iconic blue-and-white strip was introduced later that year.
The Legacy Today
Though the standalone blue-and-white banner of Titahi Bay hasn’t been flown independently since 1989, its DNA is entirely woven into the success of Northern United (who went on to win the Wellington Jubilee Cup in 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2019, and 2022).
To this day, Norths intentionally splits its junior Norths Bulldogs mid-week training sessions between Porirua Park and Onepoto Domain in Titahi Bay to ensure the kids stay connected to the historic coastal home of the club. Global rugby icons who grew up in the area—such as All Blacks halfback TJ Perenara and Tamati Ellison—trace their proud sporting lineage directly back to the fierce, community-driven spirit nurtured on the fields of the Bay.
