Hurricanes Schools Sevens: Feilding hosts on 14 November, and this year a Condor place rides on it

The Hurricanes Schools Sevens, the central region's biggest schools' sevens day, returns to Feilding High School on Saturday 14 November. The Hurricanes Youth Rugby Council's draft programme had it down for 7 November, but Club Rugby reported this week that the later date has been confirmed, with eight boys' teams and four girls' teams entered at the start of the week and more expected.

What it is

The tournament is run by the Hurricanes Youth Rugby Council, the body that organises the age-grade representative programme across the Hurricanes region, with Nick Reid as tournament manager. Boys' and girls' divisions play for the Hurricanes Secondary Schools Sevens Cup. It began in 2014, when Wairarapa-Bush hosted the inaugural event, and 2026 is the twelfth edition. The format in recent years has been a round robin, with the winner the team with the most tournament points at the end of the day; in 2025 the boys' division had six teams and the girls' five.

This year the tournament carries extra weight. In the Wellington region's Condor Sevens qualifier at Naenae College on Labour Day, College Sport Wellington explained that NZ Rugby has taken a bigger role in the pathway, the Open Boys still send two teams to the nationals, but the Open Girls now send one, with the second girls' place reserved for the best team at the Hurricanes Schools Sevens that has not already qualified. For a girls' side that missed out in its own region, Feilding is a second chance.

Last year

The boys' tournament on 1 November 2025 was won by Palmerston North Boys' High School, unbeaten in five games. Napier Boys' High School pushed them hardest, losing 24-19 to the eventual winners and finishing second. St Patrick's College Silverstream were third, defending champions Feilding High School fourth, Horowhenua College fifth after beating Waiopehu College 24-14, and Waiopehu sixth. It was PNBHS's second title after 2019.

The girls' tournament a week later was won by Manukura, unbeaten in four games, their third title after 2019 and 2020. St Mary's College Wellington were second, Feilding High School fourth, Napier Girls' High School fifth and Whanganui Metro Schools sixth. Manukura went on to win the national Condor Sevens title in December, beating Howick College 27-17 in the final.

The honours board

Boys: Scots College (2014), Hastings Boys' High School (2015, 2016, 2017), St Patrick's College Silverstream (2018), Palmerston North Boys' High School (2019, 2025), Feilding High School (2020, 2022, 2023, 2024). The 2021 tournament was cancelled.

Girls: New Plymouth Girls' High School (2014, 2016), Feilding High School (2015), Manukura (2017, 2019, 2020, 2025), Nga Wahine Toa (2018), St Mary's College (2022, 2023). The girls' division was not played in 2024 for want of entries, which makes this year's four entries, with more to come, a good sign.

Form guide

Palmerston North Boys' High and Feilding High School arrive as the two Manawatū qualifiers for the Condor Sevens after their tri-series on 23 October, in which PNBHS beat Feilding to the title and Whanganui Collegiate finished third. Feilding also won the Napier Boys' High School tournament on 17 October, beating the hosts 12-5 in the Cup final. From Wellington, Silverstream beat Wellington College 22-21 to keep the Christian Cullen Cup at Naenae on Labour Day, and St Mary's College beat the NZ Performance Academy 31-19 in the girls' final. Manukura, the national champions, played Feilding High School in the Manawatū girls' qualifier on 21 October.

Whether all of those schools make the trip to Feilding is not yet known; the Council had not published the entry list or draw when this was written. We will update this story when it does, and report the results on the day.

Sources: Club Rugby (clubrugby.nz), 25, 26 and 28 October 2026; Hurricanes Youth Rugby Council (hyrc.org.nz), 2025 tournament reports and draft 2026 programme; Wairarapa-Bush Rugby Union, 2014.