NZ Provincial Rugby Jerseys

YMP (Young Māori Party) Rugby Football Club, Est: 1910 (Poverty Bay Rugby Union)

Te Rau Kahikatea Theological College was established in 1883 to train Māori for the Anglican ministry and became the birthplace of the longest surviving rugby club in the Poverty Bay Rugby Union, the YMP Rugby Football Club. The Club itself has its origins when the Young Māori Party, a political group headed by Sir Apirana Ngata, Dr Maui Pomare, Dr Peter Buck and Frederick Bennett, was promoting the philosophies of Māori social advancement. They did this by encouraging the revival of Māori culture and promoting the benefits of good health and housing and good education through the formation of sports and cultural groups to partake in inter-tribal competitions.

The Young Māori Party Football Club was formed after a meeting at Te Rau College in April 1910.

At the first meeting, it was decided the club colour should be red and black. From the formation until approximately 1922 the club based itself in Gisborne during which time its membership encompassed all tribal groups from the East Coast through Gisborne city to the outlying rural areas.

However in 1923 the club was officially adopted by Manutuke and to mark the occasion, club colours were changed from black and red to the present-day colours of black and white.

MacKenzie Rugby Football Club Est: 1953 (South Canterbury Rugby Union)

MacKenzie Rugby Club was formed in 1953, after the sub-union had been operating in the area since 1875. As there were only 4 teams left, Albury, Fairlie, Aorangi and Tekapo the playing numbers were way down. From a meeting of the clubs it was decided that in 1953 on March 25th after a Public meeting that the Mackenzie Rugby Football Club was formed.

In those days changing sheds were very limited with no showers and players washed in the creek that ran through the grounds at Strathconan Park.

👕Jersey sourced from

Te Rapa Rugby Football Club, Est: 1899 (1961)
(Waikato Rugby Union)

The first mention of a Te Rapa Rugby Club was in 1899 when Flax Cutters working in the area decided to start a rugby club which they named Te Rapa.
In 1900 they had moved on to harvest flax in other areas so there was no club in 1900, but they returned in 1901 and played under the Te Rapa banner for that year.
There was no further mention of Te Rapa Rugby until 1960 when a group of local parents whose children were members of the Te Rapa Athletic Club decided it would be a good idea to also form a local rugby club for the children. Led by Russ Moroney, Ron Patterson, Joe Mitchell and Duncan Murray the club was formed and the Te Rapa Combined Club started rugby in 1961.

https://www.sporty.co.nz/teraparugby/History-1/Tab-1

👕Jersey sourced from .rugby.kid