Mangonui Rugby Sub-Union turns 100 with big weekend of celebrations

Legendary All Black Peter Jones and Māori All Black Ted "EJ" Thompson both started their rugby careers in the Far North in the 1950s and 60s. Photo / Supplied

Far North rugby union's event of the centenary will kick off tomorrow night, celebrating 100 years of one of its top rugby clubs.

Mangonui Rugby Sub-Union's centennial celebration is set to be held over an action-packed Friday and Saturday, starting at the Awanui Hotel with a Mix and Mingle event on Friday.

The free event will mark the official launch of the Mangonui Rugby Sub-Union Centennial Book- a carefully crafted piece of literature dedicated to the impressive milestone.

More than 1000 people are expected to attend the centennial games at Kaitaia's Arnold Rae Park on Saturday to watch the triple-header of matches.

Pirates Wahine vs Mangonui Wahine (a combination of Te Rarawa and Hokianga players) will play in the women's games, followed by the Mangonui vs Bay of Islands Centennial Game and the centennial celebrations highlight match, the Mitre 10 Cup pre-season game between Northland and North Harbour.

An official after-match buffet dinner will conclude the weekend's festivities, to be held at Kaitaia's Te Ahu Centre at 4.30pm.

Mangonui Rugby Sub-Union chairman Marty Yuretich said he was excited for the community to get in on the celebrations and wanted to thank them for their ongoing support.

"Our club is really excited about celebrating our 100-year birthday and want to say thank you to all the players and supporters who make the games happen," he said.

"We're looking forward to growing rugby union long into the future and getting the community together to celebrate what has been a major part of the Far North and its history.

"On Saturday people can look forward to some great games and seeing the contributions from the little kids being ball boys or the Mangonui refs, as well as some young talent who are coming back from Auckland and Whangārei to play on the day."

Tickets for both Friday and Saturday nights events, as well as game day, can be registered or purchased on the following links or at the door:

To register for Friday night's Mix & Mingle Book Launch event at the Awanui Hotel, visit:
https://forms.gle/MHzi72oPspsAt4dz9

For the after-match dinner at Kaitaia's Te Ahu Centre visit: https://forms.gle/8nD3g2F4o2jtDKYY9