Rangitīkei College is set to form a First XV rugby team after a six-year hiatus.
Boys First XV rugby is set to return to Rangitīkei College in 2026 after a six-year absence.
The college has only offered junior rugby for year 9 and 10s since 2022.
It had no rugby programme to offer from 2019 to 2021 due to insufficient numbers, acting deputy principal Mike Maher said.
“I think, with all sport, it came down to people leaving it. People come and go,” Maher said.
“It probably fell over because we didn’t have the right personnel to lead and drive it but we are not alone, other schools struggle to make a rugby team.
“You need the people in the right places to sort trainings and rally the support.”
The Rangitīkei College First XV team are set to play in the Whanganui Tranzit Coachlines Boys competition alongside Whanganui High School, Cullinane College, Ruapehu College and Whanganui City College.
Maher will coach the team with Marton Rugby Club stalwart Bob Fittler.
Maher and the school were excited to make the idea, formed a year ago, into a reality in 2026.
“Two or three years ago we were just happy to have a team, now to say we have a First XV, we are pretty excited about that,” he said.
“Judging by our Facebook post, the community is pretty excited about it as well.”
This year, eight boys who were too old for the junior competition played for the Whanganui City College First XV instead.
Maher said it was important to offer First XV at the school to attract more students.
“It’s our national sport, you see the talent out there, it just doesn’t sit well with me that we didn’t have a team,” he said.
“It doesn’t sit right that we’ve got a school with a fairly proud rugby history that has been lost in the last few years - we can’t not have it.”
Maher also wants to create a pathway into the Marton Rugby Club which has struggled for numbers in recent seasons, only fielding a women’s team in 2025.
Fittler and Maher agreed that the growth of Marton rugby must come from school players.
“If we are going to grow rugby it has to be strong at the school level because then these kids can come through and go off to the club,” Maher said.
“We always felt that we were, not letting the side down, but in a way we kind of were because we weren’t providing boys with rugby experience from our school to step into club rugby.”
Maher is working with Whanganui Rugby to see if they can offer rugby to boys at First XV-age that are not enrolled at school.
“Being a rural area, a lot of boys are destined for the farm as soon as they turn 16,” Maher said.
“Sometimes they go off and play club rugby but other times they are not quite ready so we want to offer rugby to them because we are going to be a bit tight for numbers but we are optimistic.”
Whanganui Rugby chairwoman Bridget Belsham said the secondary school rugby scene had been a focus for the union.
“We have been working hard with our schools to get our own First XV competition and it comes with its challenges but it’s good that the schools are working hard to get more teams,” Belsham said.
She said it had been beneficial for Ruapehu College to not have to travel to play in the Palmerston North competition and she hoped the same will be said for Rangitīkei College.
Maher said the goal was to be competitive and build foundations for a sustainable future.
“It is all well and good to get out there for one year but we want them to enjoy it and have fun so that they come back and the younger ones see that there is something to aspire to.”
Fin Ocheduszko Brown is a multimedia journalist based in Whanganui.