Caleb Delany: started both of Wellington's NPC final wins this century, then won Super Rugby

Caleb Delany came to Wellington in 2018 to study architecture, ending a softball career that had taken him into the Junior Black Sox wider squad. Since then he has started both of Wellington's NPC final wins this century, in 2022 and 2024, played for the Māori All Blacks and the All Blacks XV, scored the first try of the Hurricanes' 2026 Super Rugby Pacific play-off run and, in August 2026, captained Wellington for the first time. This is the story of the lock from Nelson.

Nelson, softball and Waimea College

Delany was born on 4 February 2000 in Stoke, Nelson, and is of Ngāti Tūwharetoa descent. NZ Rugby's profile says he came through the Tasman and Wellington pathways.

At Waimea College he was an all-rounder. The Hurricanes noted in January 2022 that he played in the school's senior A basketball team, and that softball might have been his sport: he won New Zealand age-group selection and a place in the Junior Black Sox under-19 wider squad for the 2018 world championships in Canada. His school rugby was played for the Waimea Combined side, which draws players from as far as Takaka and Murchison, and RugbyPass reported that he was named its best player around 2017.

Architecture and the Billy Goats

The move to Wellington came through the Jack Jeffs Rugby Scholarship, run by Victoria University and the Old Boys University club. "I came to Wellington to pursue my two passions," he said in 2022, meaning architecture and rugby. He started in colts and went on to play 34 games and score 12 tries for OBU, the Billy Goats, including the club's Jubilee Cup wins in 2018 and 2020, ClubRugby.nz recorded. He was also in the OBU side that won the Swindale Shield in 2021, scoring against Tawa that day.

He kept studying while his rugby rose. By September 2022 he had two papers left, and RugbyPass reported in May 2023 that he had completed his Bachelor of Architecture. Victoria University named him its Māori Sportsperson of the Year at the 2022 Blues Awards.

Wellington debut

Delany's first game for Wellington came on 20 September 2020 against Auckland at Eden Park, a 39-21 win. He played both lock and blindside flanker that season, and the Hurricanes took him on as an injury replacement in 2021, extending his contract for the rest of that season, though he did not get on the field.

Jason Holland, then the Hurricanes head coach, offered him a first full-time contract for 2022. "There was a good group of the young boys coming through," Holland said, adding that Delany "was a standout". He also made the point that the club had not rushed: "We didn't commit to him too early."

A Hurricane

He became Hurricane No 286 on 5 March 2022, when the Hurricanes beat the Highlanders 21-14 at Sky Stadium in Wellington. He made 12 Super Rugby appearances in that first season, RugbyPass recorded.

That July he joined the Māori All Blacks. On 12 July 2022 against Ireland at Sky Stadium he was one of three debutants named by coach Clayton McMillan, along with Josh Moorby and Max Hicks, and he came off the bench. Ireland won 30-24 to square the two-match series.

2022: the Shield and the title

The 2022 NPC brought Wellington their first title since 2000, and Delany played it at blindside flanker. On 17 September 2022 Wellington took the Ranfurly Shield from Hawke's Bay with a 19-12 win at McLean Park in Napier, and a week later, on 24 September 2022, they defended it 34-6 against Waikato at Sky Stadium. ClubRugby.nz noted it was the first time since 1999 that Wellington had held opponents try-less in back-to-back games. "It's a crazy stat," Delany said. He described his own game as "working hard, hitting breakdowns, making tackles and winning and stealing lineouts".

The final was on 22 October 2022 against Canterbury at Rugby League Park in Christchurch. In the 15th minute, with Wellington defending their own 22, Delany stole a Canterbury lineout, and the move that followed ended with Ruben Love scoring. Wellington won 26-18 and finished the season holding both the NPC title and the Shield. NZ Rugby's match report said his effort over 60 minutes "could have boosted the national grid". He started 12 of Wellington's 13 matches that year.

Tries, and a second title

His first Super Rugby try came on 13 May 2023 against Moana Pasifika at Sky Stadium, a 71-22 win, in a season interrupted by a ruptured elbow ligament suffered against the Blues in March 2023. His first NPC try followed on 19 August 2023, in a Ranfurly Shield defence against Southland at Hutt Recreation Ground in Lower Hutt, which Wellington won 39-17.

He scored in the Hurricanes' 2024 opener, a 44-14 win over the Force at HBF Park in Perth on 23 February 2024, and on 18 April 2024 he re-signed with the club until the end of 2027, with close to 30 games already played. "I love this team, love the club, love where it's going, and the culture," he said. Head coach Clark Laidlaw said of him and fellow lock Isaia Walker-Leawere that "their best rugby is still ahead of them".

The 2024 NPC brought another title. Delany scored against Canterbury at Rangiora Showground Oval in Rangiora on 1 September 2024, a 46-21 win, and started at blindside in the final against Bay of Plenty at Sky Stadium on 26 October 2024. It went to extra time, Callum Harkin kicked the winning penalty for a 23-20 win, and ClubRugby.nz counted Delany as Wellington's top tackler with 25. That November he was called into the All Blacks XV for their northern tour and started at flanker against Georgia at GGL Stadium in Montpellier, France, on 10 November 2024, a 31-13 win.

The black jersey again

Delany was named in the 2025 Māori All Blacks squad. "I take a lot of pride in representing my iwi and this team," he told Wellington Rugby. He came off the bench against Scotland at Okara Park in Whangārei on 5 July 2025, a game Scotland won 29-26.

Back with Wellington he scored in a 75-19 win over Southland at Jerry Collins Stadium in Porirua on 20 September 2025. Then came a second All Blacks XV tour. Coach Jamie Joseph started him at lock alongside Josh Beehre against the Barbarians at Brentford Community Stadium in London on 1 November 2025, a 33-19 win, and he started again against Uruguay at Stade Raoul-Barrière in Béziers, France, on 16 November 2025, which the All Blacks XV won 45-21.

Champions

The Hurricanes topped the 2026 Super Rugby Pacific table, and in the qualifying final against the Brumbies at Hnry Stadium in Wellington on 5 June 2026, Delany scored the first try, in the seventh minute. The Hurricanes won 66-12. He played in the 57-21 semi-final win over the Blues at the same ground on 13 June 2026, but a concussion from that match ruled him out of the final, and Walker-Leawere took his place in the side that beat the Chiefs 60-5 on 20 June 2026.

A week later he was back in the Māori All Blacks, named on the bench for the match against the Japan XV at Paloma Mizuho Stadium in Nagoya on 27 June 2026. The Māori All Blacks came back from 31-14 down to win 38-31, and NZ Rugby's report singled out "Hurricanes DHL Super Rugby Pacific champion Caleb Delany" as an impactful reserve.

Captain of Wellington

When the 2026 NPC began, Wellington handed him the captaincy. He led the side for the first time against Hawke's Bay at Hnry Stadium on 2 August 2026, his 58th game for the province, on a day when ten players made their Wellington debuts. ClubRugby.nz noted that he was the first lock to captain Wellington since James Blackwell in 2022. On 23 August 2026 against Otago at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin he scored his fourth NPC try, in his 61st match.

Style and standing

NZ Rugby's profile calls him "an increasingly influential figure for Wellington, the Hurricanes and the Māori All Blacks", and notes that he can cover lock and loose forward with equal effect. Holland, who signed him, put it simply in 2022: "He knows what he wants, and he works hard for it." Laidlaw has described the locks he re-signed in 2024 as the mainstays of the forward pack.

Where he is now

On 28 October 2026 the Hurricanes named Delany in their 2027 squad as one of five locks, with Alefosio Aho, Dylan Eti, Hunter Morrison and Hugo Plummer. His contract runs to the end of the 2027 season. He has not played a Test.

Career at a glance

Wellington games are ClubRugby.nz's count; Hurricanes games to August 2025 are from Wikipedia. Try counts are RUGBE's tally from Wikipedia's match records and agree with Wikipedia's career points to August 2025 and with ClubRugby.nz's NPC count.