Feilding Old Boys RFC
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| Club information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Feilding Old Boys Oroua Rugby Football Club |
| Colours | Black, Red and White |
| Founded | - |
| Website | https://www.sporty.co.nz/foborouarnc/Home-of-The-Stags |
| Current details | |
| Ground(s) |
|
| Competition | Hankins Shield |
Feilding Old Boys Oroua is a rugby club based at Nelson Street in Feilding and Kimbolton Road in Kimbolton, Manawatū District, New Zealand. It is a constituent club of the Manawatu Rugby Union and play under the name "The Stags", although the club is often referred to as "FOBO".
In 2009 the Feilding Old Boys club merged with the Oroua club, based in Kimbolton. The club also combined rugby and netball clubs.
The main rival club is Feilding commonly referred to as Feilding Yellows. The respective club-rooms are based on either side of the rugby field at Johnston Park.
Oroua union[edit]
An Oroua union was formed in 1896 comprising teams from Cheltenham, Colyton, Ruahine, Birmingham (now Kimbolton) and Āpiti. The union was disbanded in 1898 and in 1909 Oroua became a sub-union of the Manawatu union.
Honours[edit]
The Stags made the 2010 Hankins Shield final but lost 11–10 to Varsity, the Massey University team.[1] In 2018 the Stags went one better to win the Hankins Shield beating the Feilding Yellows 24–22 in the final.[2] The club's women's team have won the Prue Christie Cup in 2015, 2016 and 2018.[3]
Jack Finlay, All Black[edit]
Jack Finlay, All Black number 455, was born 31 January 1916 in Normanby. He played all his club rugby for Feilding Old Boys and made the Manawatu team as an 18 year old in 1934. He played club rugby as a forward and was selected for three All Black trials in 1937, twice as a prop and once as a hooker. However he mostly played in the five eighths for Manawatu in his 59 appearances.
Finlay's rugby career went on hold while he served in the Army in World War II reaching the rank of Major and winning a Military Cross. After the war he represented and was vice captain of the 1945/6 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force rugby team known as the "Kiwis". He played in 23 of the 38 games, including the three "internationals" in Britain against England, Scotland and Wales.
Showing his versatility, his one test match was at No 8 for the All Blacks in their 31-8 victory at Dunedin during the 1946 Australia rugby union tour of New Zealand.
Finlay later served as a selector for Manawatu (1949), the North Island (1949-63) and New Zealand (1961-63). In 1964 he coached the New Zealand Colts side on a tour of Australia.[4]
He died on 30 June 2001 in Feilding.[5]
References[edit]
- ^ "Varsity in narrow win to take Hankins Shield". 9 August 2010.
- ^ "Feilding Old Boys-Oroua claim Hankins Shield in thriller".
- ^ "Kia Toa win women's title as club rugby finals brought forward". 14 August 2020.
- ^ http://stats.allblacks.com/asp/Profile.asp?ABID=271
- ^ https://www.stuff.co.nz/manawatu-standard/sport/5466257/Jack-Finlay-to-feature-in-display-of-wartime-rugby
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