Eight Wellington players have been selected across three national school and Under-18 rugby squads for a series of matches in Hamilton, with four earning places in the 2026 New Zealand Schools team.
The selections provide a major boost for Wellington school rugby, particularly after the region went without a player taking the field for the main New Zealand Secondary Schools team during the previous three years.
The four Wellington players selected for the New Zealand Schools squad are Donncha McNamara-Taele of St Patrick’s College Wellington, Fletcher Cooper of St Patrick’s College Silverstream, and Wellington College students Julius Toimata and Laifone Kamoto.
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The other four Wellington representatives have been selected across the New Zealand Barbarians Under 18 and New Zealand Māori Under 18 Ngā Whatukura squads.
Together, the eight selections highlight the depth of young rugby talent emerging from Wellington schools and clubs.
Four Wellington Players in the NZ Schools Squad
The four Wellington players selected for the top New Zealand Schools team are:
- Donncha McNamara-Taele – St Patrick’s College Wellington
- Fletcher Cooper – St Patrick’s College Silverstream
- Julius Toimata – Wellington College
- Laifone Kamoto – Wellington College
The players cover several important positions.
McNamara-Taele has been selected as a specialist tighthead prop, while Toimata is a loosehead prop.
Kamoto has been selected as a blindside flanker and lineout specialist, while Cooper is a Year 12 first-five who has also helped his school reach the national Top 4 tournament.
The selection gives Wellington representation across both the forward pack and backline and brings together talent from three of the region’s secondary schools.
Eight Wellington Players Across Three National Squads
While four Wellington players have made the NZ Schools squad, the region’s overall representation is twice that number.
A total of eight Wellington players have been selected across the three national squads involved in the 2026 National U18 Pathway Programme.
These are:
New Zealand Schools
- Donncha McNamara-Taele – St Patrick’s College Wellington
- Fletcher Cooper – St Patrick’s College Silverstream
- Julius Toimata – Wellington College
- Laifone Kamoto – Wellington College
New Zealand Barbarians Under 18
- Harry Baddington – Wellington College
- Kitiona Talaepa – Petone Rugby Football Club
- Axel Daken – Petone Rugby Football Club
New Zealand Māori Under 18 Ngā Whatukura
- Ryder Thompson – St Patrick’s College Silverstream
The wider group means Wellington has eight players involved across the three national pathways rather than only four representatives in the main NZ Schools team.
Wellington Returns to the NZ Schools Spotlight
The four selections for the New Zealand Schools team are particularly significant because of Wellington’s recent absence from the national side.
According to the reported history, the last College Sport Wellington First XV Premiership player to be capped for the NZ Schools team was Stanley Solomon in 2022. Before Solomon, All Black Siale Lauaki was the previous Wellington school representative to earn a cap in 2021.
The 2026 selections therefore represent a notable return for Wellington at the highest level of New Zealand secondary-school rugby.
Having four players selected is also the region’s strongest representation in the NZ Schools team in more than a decade.
A Look Back at Wellington's Previous NZ Schools Success
Wellington has a long history of producing players who progress through school rugby into provincial and professional rugby.
The region last had four players selected for the NZ Schools team in 2014.
A year later, Wellington reached an even bigger milestone, with a record eight players selected in 2015.
That group included several players who would later become prominent figures in New Zealand rugby, including Asafo Aumua, Losi Filipo, Alex Fidow, Thomas Umaga-Jensen, Peter Umaga-Jensen, Ben Power, Kemara Hauiti-Parapara and Xavier Numia.
Wellington also recorded six selections in 2009 and five in 2010.
The 2026 return to four players therefore places this year’s group among the region’s strongest NZ Schools representations of the past decade.
Meet the Four Wellington NZ Schools Representatives
Donncha McNamara-Taele
Representing St Patrick’s College Wellington, McNamara-Taele has been selected as a tighthead prop.
His selection gives the national squad a Wellington front-row option and recognises his development through school rugby.
Fletcher Cooper
Fletcher Cooper, from St Patrick’s College Silverstream, is a Year 12 first-five.
The first-five position is central to a team’s attack and game management, making his selection an important opportunity to develop at national level.
Cooper has also been part of Silverstream’s successful season, with the school reaching the national Top 4 tournament.
Julius Toimata
Wellington College’s Julius Toimata has been selected as a loosehead prop.
His selection gives Wellington College two representatives in the NZ Schools squad and adds another young forward to the national group.
Laifone Kamoto
Wellington College’s Laifone Kamoto has been selected as a blindside flanker and lineout specialist.
His role gives the NZ Schools side another option in the forward pack, particularly in the lineout and defensive phases.
The Other Four Wellington Selections
The wider national pathway selections further strengthen Wellington’s presence.
Harry Baddington, a Wellington College tighthead prop, has been selected for the New Zealand Barbarians Under 18 team.
Petone Rugby Football Club players Kitiona Talaepa and Axel Daken have also been named in the Barbarians squad. Talaepa is a lock, while Daken is a halfback who is one year out of St Patrick’s College Silverstream.
The fourth additional Wellington representative is Ryder Thompson, captain and flanker of St Patrick’s College Silverstream, who has been selected for the New Zealand Māori Under 18 Ngā Whatukura team.
This gives Wellington representation across all three national squads.
Hamilton to Host the Upcoming Matches
The eight Wellington selections come ahead of an expanded national Under-18 programme in Hamilton.
The programme brings together the New Zealand Schools, New Zealand Barbarians Under 18 and New Zealand Māori Under 18 teams for a series of matches involving domestic and international opposition.
The first round of matches is scheduled for 26 September, followed by games on 30 September and 4 October.
The NZ Schools team will begin its campaign against Waikato Under 19 before facing Australia Schools and Australia Under 18.
The NZ Barbarians Under 18 side will meet Tonga Under 18, Australia Under 18 and Samoa Under 18, while the NZ Māori Under 18 team is scheduled to face Samoa Under 18, Waikato Under 19 and Australia Schools.
The programme provides the young players with an opportunity to experience representative rugby against different styles of opposition.
Three Matches for NZ Schools
For the four Wellington players in the NZ Schools squad, the programme includes three scheduled matches.
The team will face Waikato Under 19 on 26 September, followed by Australia Schools on 30 September.
The final scheduled match is against Australia Under 18 on 4 October.
These matches will give the players an opportunity to test themselves against some of the strongest young rugby talent from New Zealand and Australia.
For players still in secondary school, the experience of being part of a national squad can also provide valuable exposure to a higher-performance environment.
National Coaching Team
The New Zealand Schools squad will be coached by Kane Jury, New Zealand Rugby’s National Pathways Head Coach.
He will be supported by assistant coaches Scott Manson of Otago Boys’ High School and Tui Raeli of Marlborough Boys’ College.
The coaching group will bring together players from schools across New Zealand and prepare them for the demanding series in Hamilton.
For the four Wellington players, working within this environment will be another important stage in their rugby development.
More Than Just Four Selections
The headline figure of four Wellington players in the NZ Schools squad is significant, but the wider number of eight national selections tells an even bigger story.
Wellington has players represented in the country’s three national school and Under-18 pathways.
This means the region’s young rugby talent is being recognised at several levels of the national development system.
The selections also come from a combination of secondary schools and club rugby, showing that Wellington’s pathway extends beyond one individual school or programme.
A Positive Sign for Wellington School Rugby
For Wellington school rugby, the 2026 selections provide plenty of reason for optimism.
The region has gone through a period without a player taking the field for the main NZ Schools side, but this year’s four selections represent a strong return.
At the same time, the additional four players selected for the Barbarians Under 18 and Māori Under 18 squads show that the wider talent pool is also producing results.
The eight selections give Wellington supporters several young players to follow during the upcoming Hamilton series.
Wellington's Next Generation Takes the National Stage
The selection of eight Wellington players across the three national school and U18 squads is a significant moment for the region.
Four players have earned places in the NZ Schools team, giving Wellington its strongest representation in the country’s top secondary-school side in more than a decade.
The other four selections ensure Wellington is represented across the wider national U18 pathway.
With the Hamilton series approaching, attention will now turn to how this group performs against domestic and international opposition.
For Wellington rugby, the return of four players to the NZ Schools squad alongside eight total national selections provides a positive indication of the talent developing across the region.
The next few weeks could offer an important platform for this group of young players as they take their first steps on the national representative stage.
Source: Club Rugby.
Disclaimer: This article has been independently prepared for NZ Indian Insights based on publicly reported information.
