Rāhui Rugby Star Passes Milestone

November 2021

By Frank Neill

Rāhui rugby captain Joel Winterburn chalked up a major milestone when he took to the field

for Horowhenua Kāpiti in the Heartland Championship on 25 September.

That was his 25 th appearance for his province, earning him a special blazer.

And he helped Horowhenua Kāpiti to a 25-17 victory over North Otago in the match, played

at Levin Domain.

Joel earned his first cap during the opening match of the 2011 season, and would have earned his blazer much sooner had he not moved to Australia later that year.

He stayed in Australia for seven years before returning to New Zealand, to the Rāhui Rugby

Club and to the Horowhenua Kāpiti team at the beginning of 2018. He has been one of the

province’s outstanding players since then.

His performances have been so impressive that he was named Heartland Player of the Year

last season. He was also named Horowhenua Kāpiti’s Māori Player of the Year in both 2018

and 2020.

Joel is one of four Rāhui players in the Horowhenua Kāpiti team, which has won four of its

first five matches this season.

Hamish Buick, who scored a try in the team’s 38-31 victory over East Coast on 2 October, is

another member of the team.

Jack Tatu-Robertsson has been kicking outstandingly this season to keep the points coming

for his team.

Another of Rāhui’s outstanding players, Leon Ellison, is also a member of the Horowhenua

Kāpiti team.

The team’s two other victories came with a 28-21 win over West Coast on 18 September and

a 27-12 win over Buller on 9 October. However they lost their 16 October encounter with

Whanganui 15-40.

A young Rāhui player looks set to make a name for himself in the years to come.

Vince Tahiwi-Macmillan was selected to attend the Hurricanes Under 18 Camp, which ran

from 11 to 16 October in Palmerston North