Poverty Bay and East Coast players shining in Hawke’s Bay club rugby

Former Poverty Bay, YMP and GBHS First XV forward Seth Lundon, in a match preview photo posted on the Napier Pirate Rugby and Sport Club Facebook page, and former Poverty Bay, East Coast and Gisborne Pirates flanker Will Bolingford are teammates with the Napier Pirate club in the strong Hawke's Bay championship.

Ngāti Porou East Coast’s Will Bolingford and former Poverty Bay player Seth Lundon are making their mark in Hawke’s Bay club rugby with the powerful Napier Pirate side.

Bolingford previously played for Gisborne Pirates and for Tokorarangi Sports and Waiapū in the East Coast union’s club championship, was in the Poverty Bay squad in 2019 and 2020 and has been in the Ngāti Porou East Coast Heartland squad for the past four years.

Lundon played for YMP in Gisborne and appeared 10 times for Poverty Bay in the 2022 and 2023 seasons.

The two flankers had a high-profile teammate last Saturday when Hawke’s Bay-raised Auckland and Blues fullback Zarn Sullivan turned out for his boyhood club against Māori Agricultural College (MAC).

It was Sullivan’s first appearance for the Pirate senior side, and his first match of any type since being injured in the Blues-Crusaders match on March 23 when the visitors enjoyed a 42-19 victory on Eden Park.

Sullivan has since been named to start for the Blues against the Crusaders in Christchurch on Friday.

Pirate beat MAC 95-7, with Bolingford among the tryscorers.

The week before, Napier Pirate lost to unbeaten and defending Hawke’s Bay champions Taradale 25-19.

Will Bolingford in action for Ngāti Porou East Coast against Poverty Bay in last year's King's BirthdayWeekend derby game. Bolingford is playing for Napier Pirate in Hawke's Bay club rugby this season. Photo / Paul Rickard

Bolingford was described in match reports as being “gutsy” and showing a huge defensive work rate.

In the previous match, a 55-36 victory over Central, Bolingford and Lundon scored tries.

Lundon told the Gisborne Herald the standard of rugby was much higher in Hawke’s Bay.

There was so much more to learn around training and organisation, he said.

“Even the culture around the team and club is amazing.”

The Napier Pirate Rugby and Sports Club was formed in 1886 and will shortly move to brand new clubrooms at Island Park.

The club has three senior teams, 12 junior teams, five netball teams, one cricket team and two league teams.

Napier Pirate has produced two All Blacks, including prop and lock Harry Fraser, who was mentioned in a Gisborne Herald article last month for playing for (Poverty Bay) Olympians against Poverty Bay in 1950 when All Black great George Nepia played against his son.

The club’s other All Black is 2011 Rugby World Cup-winning fullback Israel Dagg.