Southbridge Rugby Club will mark an incredible milestone this weekend, celebrating 150 years of rugby, community and grassroots pride.

A full weekend of events has been lined up with the help of countless volunteers and local support, it’s safe to say – Southbridge are not letting this occasion pass by quietly.

The year was 1876. Canterbury Rugby was not yet formed, New Zealand gained their very first trans-tasman telegraph connection, and four Willis brothers were organising weekly games of rugby in their hometown, kick starting what would soon become one of the countries longest-standing grassroots clubs.

Chris McMillian, Southbridge RDO and Manager of their Div 1 side for 24 years, has been one of the many driving forces behind this spectacular celebration of Southbridge history. “It’s just a great club and a great group of players here that love the club. It’s a great community,” said McMillan.

After a tough period in the early 2000’s, McMillan said the club put in a huge effort to rebuild the culture both on and off the field which inevitably paid off and saw them raise the Luisetti Seeds Cup in 2012. “It came about by getting good culture involved” said McMillan, “that was the defining moment and then backing it up in 2013”.

Continuing their building blocks of culture and strength on the field, Southbridge broke a 30 year drought to win the Coleman Shield in 2016 and have gone on to claim it six times since, it was the thought of their upcoming Jubilee which played a big role in last season’s success.

“Our goal and theme last year was the 150^th and to have the Coleman Shield on the wall” said McMillan, “it was about making it special for our members who have gone before us. All the young fellas in the team really bought into that, they could see the history”.

That history includes a dominant era in the 1960s, where Southbridge lifted the Coleman Shield nine times, what McMillan refers to as Southbridges ‘Golden Era’, which the players of today seem to be doing a great job of replicating with their multiple Luisetti Seed and Coleman Shield victories – a far cry from the club at the start of the century.

As well as being a strong name in Canterbury rugby, Southbridge have appeared multiple times in the Bangkok International Rugby 10’s tournament including winning the title in 2014 and 2015.

It would be impossible to fit all 150 years of history within one article, but ticket holders to this weekends events can see a historical display set up, showcasing Southbridges history thanks to community contributions, “Our Life Members and patrons are so important to us” said McMillan, “they’ve been really involved in helping us and reminding us of the past”.

Michael Sheat, Canterbury Rugby Community Rugby Manager who played 250 Div 1 games for Southbridge, believes the clubs milestone means a great deal to the Union. "Southbridge isn’t just any club, it was one of the founding clubs of the Canterbury Rugby Union back in 1879" said Sheat, "Being part of celebrations like this is a chance to honour that history, recognise the people who built the game, and reaffirm Canterbury Rugby’s connection to its clubs and communities".
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Festivities
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Kicking off tonight with a Q&A evening featuring a star-studded line up of Sir Wayne Smith, Andy Ellis and Waisale Serevi, the club is setting the tone for a weekend deeply rooted in rugby.  

On Saturday the focus returns to the field, with JAB kicking off in the morning then both senior teams to take the field in the afternoon, all sides playing Darfield - a club that shares a similar identity and a mutual respect. “Southbridge and Darfield have quite a good relationship” said Jimmy Coull, Southbridge Div 1 Captain, “It’s really nice to have them come out and be a part of it”.

Sunday the celebrations will continue with a women’s friendly game featuring two Southbridge sides, then Golden Oldies in the afternoon. It’s this game which will see the highest point scorer in the history of test rugby returning to his home ground on their extraordinary weekend. Alongside his dad and several other members of his whānau, the Carter name will dominate the blue and white jersey line up by taking up the entire backline.

It’s not the first time Dan Carter has returned to play for Southbridge, five years after he retired from playing for the All Blacks, he competed in the 2020 Luisetti Seeds Coleman Shield Ellesmere competition, including winning the final 40-32 over Waihora.

Andy Ellis will also make an appearance for Carter’s return to the field, but instead of sharing the ball with his former teammate – he’ll be holding the whistle, it really is never too late to start refereeing.

While the off-field events are sold out, there’s still plenty to look forward to. Get down to Southbridge this weekend, soak up the history and atmosphere – don’t miss DC on the paddock!

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Words by Hannah Yates

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