Tamaki Herenga Waka: Stories of Auckland, the new exhibition at Auckland War Memorial Museum, is a new permanent gallery that chronicles Auckland's past, captures its present, and looks to the future.

Over the last few weeks, we’ve been taking a closer look at some of the stories that make up Tamaki Herenga Waka: Stories of Auckland exhibition. 

Today, we look at the Ponsonby Rugby Club. 

“People have come to Tāmaki from everywhere to form communities. Explore their experiences of living in this city.”

Ponsonby Rugby Club was founded in 1874 & is the longest standing grassroots Club in Auckland. 

For much of the 20th century, Ponsonby was a working-class suburb and the makeup of the teams reflected this. Grassroots club.

The club was supportive of “outsiders” – Samoan players looking for a home ground for their all-Samoan team were denied by other clubs before Ponsonby welcomed them. 

Strong Pacific links with the club (many older Pacific Aucklanders will still support Ponsonby wherever they live).

Also welcomed the Ponsonby Heroes gay rugby team, and continues to support the NZ Falcons (NZ gay rugby team 2013-now)

There are many famous faces and names that have donned the Blue & Black jersey including 48 All Blacks, from Dave Gallaher to Caleb Clarke; 22 Black Ferns, from Tangaloa Edwards to Cristo Tofa; and more than 250 men and 50 women who have represented Auckland A.

One of those is legendary All Black Tuifa’asisina Sir Bryan Williams. 

Knighted for his services to rugby in 2018, the 10th New Zealander to be so bestowed, Tuifa’asisina Bryan Williams is widely considered to be one of his country’s greatest-ever players. 

Tuifa’asisina was the first Polynesian player to represent the All Blacks. 

By the time he retired after New Zealand’s 1978 Grand Slam tour of the UK and Ireland, Williams had 66 tries to his name from 113 matches, 38 of them tests.

A lawyer by trade, Williams won further honours with Ponsonby and Auckland as a coach and masterminded Samoa’s famous triumph over Wales at Rugby World Cup 1999 before teaming up with Graham Mourie at the Hurricanes.

Williams was appointed President of the New Zealand Rugby Union in 2011.