1939 - The Beginning

In the early part of the1939 Wellington rugby season two well known rugby personalities discussed the formation of a club along the lines of the Auckland Barbarians. The two men were James Prendeville and Gerald 'Sandy" Hill Weir.

The initial meeting was held at the office of the NZ Rugby Union on 5 July 1939 and the original members were elected at a meeting held later in July. It was agreed that affiliation be sought with the union when colours and a suitable name had been established.

On 17 August 1939 it was resolved that the club be known as the Centurions Rugby Football Club. Subscriptions were 10/- (10 shillings) per year!

During  this period cost factor had to be addressed. A raffle was organised and  it was decided that subscriptions for the years that the club was in recess during the war would be waivered.  And still with  no club jersey the late Tom Morrison was able to supply jerseys at wholesale rates of around £18 ($40) per set with socks thrown in and a grant from the Wellington Union would cover the cost of a set of shorts.

On 5 October 1946, Centurions played a Wellington A rep team at Athletic Park - with the reps winning by 10 points. The team picture below featured in that game. Centurions received share of the gate from the Union amounting to £66.

In the early 1950's despite administrative difficulties, the club played many first class games including a narrow loss to Wellington B in 1951. In this match playing for the Centurions was WW11 hero Keith Elliot VC - almost certainly the only first class appearance of a VC winner!

In 1952 another memorable trip to Nelson was had and although Centurions lost, an excellent coaching clinic was held at Nelson College with contemporary super star Ron Jarden absolutely surrounded by schoolboys throughout the session.

The latter part of the 1950s saw the club thrive, with the first Colts side selected to play against the WRFU 3rd grade reps. In 1958 it was a coup for the club when at the end of the season  they fielded a side containing the NZ U23 tourists to Japan and Hong Kong in a match at Athletic Park - beating the reps 14-13. All but two of the Centurions side were or were to become All Blacks, and of the Wellington side current Centurions Mick Williment, Bill Fleming, Ron Horsley, John Sage, Ivan Vodanovich and Peter Lally lined up to play against the Centurions. Colin Meads appeared in the club's colours for the second year in a row.

1960's

The Lions toured New Zealand in 1971 and our colts team played in the curtain raiser for the Lions v Wellington match and were lucky to come out with a 12 all draw against a 3rd grade Wellington rep team.  The colts also played the touring Fiji secondary schools side, and prominent in the squad that year were Allan Hewson and Murray Mexted. The team actually trained against the Lions prior to the Wellington match and for their efforts were given various souvenirs including a treasured Lions touring pin.

In 1974, the Goldfields club - Centurions equivalent in Thames Valley - played a Centurions side in a floodlit match at Hutt Recreation Ground. The Dominion rugby writer of the day suggested that with modifications night rugby could bring a new dimension to the game in the capital and even suggested that club competition matches may be possible! Rather surprisingly this bought an unexpected spate of unfavourable criticism, especially from club coaches and the wives of players. In 1989 night rugby did become a big part of the first round club competition.

At the 1976 AGM a sub committee was set up to look at the club's monogram design (golden eagle surrounded by red laurel leaves)and blazer colour (dark blue). Over the years neither the blazer or tie contained any wording that would have given any indication of what body the motif represented. True enough "real" rugby people knew the significance of the prestigious monogram - but there was a feeling that it may be a time for a change. Much thought and effort went into what became an ongoing saga for many months before the issue was settled. At the 1977 AGM the meeting approved the oval striped ball and 100 as the official club logo. At the same AGM Mick Williment raised the question of our own clubrooms. Local MP and fellow Centurion Ken Comber undertook to see what superfluous government properties might be available. It would be over a decade later that "Mick's Mansion" would become a reality.

The 1979 AGM featured two relatively new Centurions as joint guest speakers. John Fleming and Stu Wilson spoke on their experiences touring with the All Blacks to England.  The prospects of our own clubrooms was still high on the agenda and the help of property developer and form club president Rin Evans was enlisted. An overhaul of membership was paying dividends and a constitutional memorandum was sent to all unfinancial members to ascertain their willingness to remain paid up members or not.  In a pleasing development the Wellington Union for the first time invited the club to send delegates (non-voting) to the union's AGM. 

1980's

In September 1988 the Centurions finally had a base to call home. A house for removal was purchased and relocated onto the site behind the Millward Stand at Atheltic Park and after many fundraising ventures, the completion of clubhouse was achieved with with the expertise of the many tradesmen inloved in the club and the generous labour of those not so deft together with the help of those "who knoew people in the rightline of business" or who knew of products that hasd "fallen of the back of a truck". In late September the premises were officially opened by the grand old man of NZ rugby Cez Blazey - who carried out the unveiling of a bronze plaque above the bar inscribed "Micks Mansion". Those gathered saluting the tremendous effort made by Mick Williment in zealously pursuing the project of the clubrooms over manyyears.

Information and quotes were sourced from Bill Brien's book - Halfway The First 50 Years of Centurions Rugby and it is still available to purchase: Click here 

1990's

2000's