# Wellington (National Provincial Championship)

Wellington (often known as the Wellington Lions) are a New Zealand professional rugby union team based in Wellington, New Zealand. The union was originally established in 1879, with the National Provincial Championship established in 1976. They now play in the reformed National Provincial Championship competition. They play their home games at Sky Stadium in Wellington. The team is affiliated with the Hurricanes Super Rugby franchise. Their home playing colours are black and gold.

## Current squad

The Wellington Lions squad for the 2024 Bunnings NPC is:
| Wellington Lions squad |
| Props Bradley Crichton Yota Kamimori Kazuki Kato Siale Lauaki Xavier Numia Senio Sanele PJ Sheck Hookers Leni Apisai Asafo Aumua Hika Elliot $^{REP}$ James O'Reilly Harry Press Penieli Poasa Leon Tuiloma $^{REP}$ Locks Caleb Delany Akira Ieremia Filo Paulo Hugo Plummer | Loose forwards Jeremiah Avei-Collins $^{REP}$ Sione Halalilo Du'Plessis Kirifi (c) Peter Lakai Matolu Petaia $^{REP}$ Dominic Ropeti Ardie Savea Brad Shields Ben Tuiomanufili $^{REP}$ Halfbacks (scrum-halves) Mitch McLeod Nui Muriwai $^{REP}$ TJ Perenara Kyle Preston First five-eighths (fly-halves) Sam Clarke $^{REP}$ Jackson Garden-Bachop Callum Harkin | Midfielders (centres) Riley Higgins Billy Proctor Matt Proctor Julian Savea Peter Umaga-Jensen Outside backs Tjay Clarke Losi Filipo Ruben Love Tom Maiava $^{REP}$ Pepesana Patafilo Stanley Solomon |
| (c) denotes team captain. Bold denotes internationally capped. $^{REP}$ denotes a replacement squad player. ↑ Elliot wasn't named in the original Wellington squad, but was announced in the side for the Final. ↑ Tuiloma wasn't named in the original Wellington squad, but was announced in the side for Round 8. 1 2 3 4 Sam Clarke, Avei-Collins, Petaia and Tuiomanufili weren't named in the original Wellington squad, but were announced in the side for the Round 5 mid-week game. ↑ Muriwai wasn't named in the original Wellington squad, but was announced in the side for Round 3. ↑ Maiava wasn't named in the original Wellington squad, but was announced in the side for Round 5. |

## Honours

Wellington have been overall Champions on six occasions. Their first title was in 1978 and their most recent title was in 2024. Their full list of honours include:

### National Provincial Championship First Division

* Winners: 1978, 1981, 1986, 2000

### Mitre 10 Cup Championship Division

* Winners: 2017

### Bunnings NPC

* Winners: 2022, 2024

## Current Super Rugby players

Players named in the 2023 Wellington Lions squad, who also earned contracts or were named in a squad for any side participating in the 2024 Super Rugby Pacific season.
| Player | Team |
| Asafo Aumua | Hurricanes |
| Caleb Delany | Hurricanes |
| Riley Higgins | Hurricanes |
| Du'Plessis Kirifi | Hurricanes |
| Peter Lakai | Hurricanes |
| Siale Lauaki | Hurricanes |
| Ruben Love | Hurricanes |
| Xavier Numia | Hurricanes |
| James O'Reilly | Hurricanes |
| Pepesana Patafilo | Moana Pasifika |
| TJ Perenara | Hurricanes |
| Hugo Plummer | Highlanders |
| Billy Proctor | Hurricanes |
| Matt Proctor | Rebels |
| Ardie Savea | Hurricanes |
| Julian Savea | Moana Pasifika |
| PJ Sheck | Blues |
| Brad Shields | Hurricanes |
| Peter Umaga-Jensen | Hurricanes |