Harrogate Rugby Club announces New Zealand exchange programme

Harrogate Rugby Club has launched an exchange programme with a club in New Zealand.

Harrogate RUFC has established the partnership with Tukapa Rugby Club, in the Taranaki region, for the 2025 season.

It came after Harrogate RUFC reached out to Brendan Back, a former Harrogate captain between 2005 and 2007, who is now director of Taranaki Steelformers – the main sponsor of Taranaki Provincial Rugby.

Roger Shackleton, rugby chair at Harrogate RUFC, told the Stray Ferret the club’s under-18s colts players will be selected by coaches to take part in the exchange. They must have finished school and must have played representational rugby to be eligible, he said.

The players will spend around nine months at Tukapa, including for pre-season training, and will dedicate five days a week to their training. This could range from playing rugby to gym sessions, Mr Shackleton added.

He likened the exchange programme to a gap year, during which people often go travelling before starting university or work. 

Mr Shackleton said: 

Once selected, the programme is self-funded, but Mr Shackleton said Tukapa Rugby Club will take on the responsibility of the boys when they arrive. The club will help find the players somewhere to live and assist with looking for a job out there.

Harrogate player Ted Morley will be the first to take part in the exchange and will begin playing for Tukapa next March.

A Kiwi player will not play at Harrogate next season, Mr Shackleton said, however he hopes the programme will become an annual and mutual exchange – with one or two players swapping clubs – the following year. 

Scott Siffleet, Tukapa’s general manager, added:

If you enjoyed reading this article then please subscribe to read all our content. Subscription costs £4.99 a month or £49.99 if you pay annually. That works out at less than a pound a week. You will also enjoy exclusive subscriber discounts. Click here to get started.