The Howick Hornets are a

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...

club based in

Howick, New Zealand Howick is a suburb of East Auckland, New Zealand. The area was traditionally settled by Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki, and in 1847 Howick was established as a defensive settlement for Auckland, by veteran fencible soldiers of the British Army. Howick ...

. The premier team competes in

Auckland Rugby League The Auckland Rugby League (ARL) is the governing body for the sport of rugby league in the Auckland Region of New Zealand. Founded in 1909, the ARL has played a pivotal role in the development and promotion of rugby league in Auckland and beyond. ...

's senior competitions. The club currently competes in the top division, the Fox Memorial Trophy. The club has a historic rivalry with neighbours, the Pakuranga Jaguars, yet both clubs support each other and join forces annually, to ensure local juniors always have a team to play in. The Howick Hornets are former Fox Memorial champions, winning the historic shield twice so far (2011 and 2019) since they announced themselves in 1st division in 2010.

History

The Howick Rugby League Football Club was founded in 1961 with the team playing at the Howick Domain. Former New Zealand representative Cliff Johnson was the club's first chairman. The club first entered a senior team into

competitions in 1964 under coach Tommy Baxter. In 1965 Paparoa Park, the club's current home ground, was created with the help of the Howick Borough Council. Between 1978 and 1985 the club competed in senior competitions as Eastern United, a combined team with the Pakuranga club. The team was coached by former Kiwi Murray Eade. The club won the Sharman Cup, the second division title, in 2005 and 2009. In 2005 they defeated the Bay Roskill Vikings 20–16. In 2009 the team won the Sharman Cup by defeating the

Glenora Bears The Glenora Bears are a rugby league football club based in Glen Eden, Glen Eden, New Zealand who compete in Auckland Rugby League's Fox Memorial competition. History The club was established in 1931 Auckland Rugby League season, 1931 when t ...

19–12 in extra time. They also won the

's 2009 Club of the Year award for the first time ever. In

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

the club won promotion to the Fox Memorial Trophy and finished third before losing to the

Te Atatu Roosters The Te Atatu Roosters is a rugby league club based in Te Atatū Peninsula, Te Atatū, New Zealand. They participate in the Auckland Rugby League competition. They currently have 25 teams across schoolboy, junior and senior grades. The Roosters ...

in a semi final. This was the first time in the club's 49-year history that they had competed in the top division of the Auckland Rugby League. During the season the Hornets defeated the

Mt Albert Lions The Mount Albert Lions are a rugby league club based in Mount Albert, New Zealand. The Lions home ground is at Fowlds Park. Their patron is the former Prime Minister of New Zealand, Helen Clark. In 2008 and 2009 Auckland Rugby League season, 2009 ...

for the first time in three decades and defeated the

Otahuhu Leopards The Otahuhu Leopards are a rugby league club based in Ōtāhuhu, Auckland. Founded in 1911 Auckland Rugby League season, 1911, the club has produced 49 New Zealand national rugby league team players. The club competes in the Fox Memorial compet ...

for the first time in the club's history. They also hosted a

Māori Television Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

broadcast from Paparoa Park for the first time. Six players from the Hornets were named in the Counties Manukau representative team to compete in the Albert Baskerville Trophy. In 2011 the Hornets won the Fox Memorial, defeating the

24–14 in the Grand Final.

Notable players

Players who have played for the club include Paul Atkins, Zeb Luisi, Anthony Gelling, Samuel Brunton, Luke LabanLuke Laban
''warriors.co.nz'' and Isaac John.

Howick Senior Team Records (2022)

The season record for the most senior men's team in the club.

References

External links

Official Club siteOfficial ARL Site
{{Rugby League in Auckland Rugby clubs established in 1961 Sport in East Auckland