Darfield Rugby Football Club

END OF SEASON SURVEY – HAVE YOUR SAY!

👉 Complete our end of season survey here:
https://forms.gle/f7trqJJbf3riuFZ18

As we wrap up the 2026 season, we’d love to hear from our players, parents, coaches, managers, volunteers and supporters.

Your feedback helps us understand what went well, what we can improve, and how we can make next season even better for everyone at Darfield Rugby Club.

🏉 Junior Prize Giving 2026 🏉

What a great afternoon we had celebrating our junior players last weekend! 🔴🔵

A huge congratulations to all of our award winners, and to every player who took the field this season. We’re so proud of the effort, improvement and commitment shown across all our teams. 👏

A massive thank you to our coaches, managers, parents, supporters and volunteers for everything you do to make junior rugby happen at Darfield Rugby Club. ❤️💙

🏆 2026 Award Winners

DRFC Year 1 Blue
🏆 Angus Sommers – Most Improved
🏆 Wyatt Fennell – Most Dedicated

DRFC Year 1 Red
🏆 Asher Bayes-Mortimer – Most Improved
🏆 Iewan Klienhans – Most Dedicated

DRFC Year 1 Yellow
🏆 Evie Galletly – Most Improved
🏆 Cooper Trafford-Adams – Most Dedicated

DRFC Year 2 Blue
🏆 Oshea Amohau – Most Improved
🏆 Elsie Lockhart – Most Dedicated

DRFC Year 2 Red
🏆 Georgia Thom – Most Improved
🏆 Hannah Peddie – Most Dedicated

DRFC Year 3 Blue
🏆 Anika Muller – Most Improved
🏆 Benji Sundstrum – Most Dedicated
🏆 Sophie McIlroy – Tackler of the Year

DRFC Year 3 Red
🏆 Lucy McIndoe – Most Improved
🏆 Arran Deuchrass – Most Dedicated

DRFC Year 4
🏆 Blake Van Camp – Most Improved
🏆 Luke Gough – Most Dedicated
🏆 Archie Smith – Tackler of the Year

DRFC Year 5
🏆 Fletcher Howard – Most Improved
🏆 Henry Dalley – Most Dedicated
🏆 Angus Scollay – Tackler of the Year

DRFC Year 6
🏆 Lorenzo Bavin – Most Improved
🏆 Andrew Mulholland – Most Dedicated
🏆 Isaac Bell – Tackler of the Year

DRFC Year 7
🏆 Charlie Barwood – Most Improved
🏆 Harry Leech – Most Dedicated
🏆 Ethan Pietzner – Player of the Year
🏆 Connor Weir – Tackler of the Year

DRFC Year 8
🏆 Lucas Hayes – Most Improved
🏆 Keegan Blacklock – Most Dedicated
🏆 Zak Grant – Player of the Year
🏆 Ayden Taljaard – Tackler of the Year

Malvern Year 9
🏆 Spencer Van den Berg – Most Improved
🏆 Blair Cleugh – Most Dedicated
🏆 Alex Friend – Player of the Year
🏆 Corrin Smith – Tackler of the Year

⭐ Club Awards

🏆 Alyce Dering – DRFC Female Player of the Year

SG Gillanders Trophy
🏆 Amanda Fallow-Pender – Team Manager of the Year

Tony Paterson Memorial
🏆 Year 6 – Most Improved Team

Darfield High School Trophy
🏆 Adam Sweetman – Best Off-field Contribution

Senior Clubmans Cup
🏆 Grace Allan – Outstanding Contribution to the Club

Congratulations to all of our award winners! 👏🏉

And a big thank you to everyone who helped make another great junior season possible. ❤️💙

🔴🔵 Go Darfield! 🔵🔴

Junior Prize Giving is today! 🎉🔴🔵

We can’t wait to celebrate a fantastic season with our Junior players, coaches, managers and families!

See you all there! 🏉❤️💙

Junior Prize Giving is this Sunday! 🎉

We are so excited to celebrate a great season with our Junior players, their coaches and managers, and their biggest sideline supporters! ❤️💙

Make sure you check your prizegiving time on the flyer so you know when to arrive and don’t miss the fun! 🏉

This weekend the Ellesmere Teenage Rep teams have their first games being played at Darfield Rugby Club, come down and check it out!

Darfield Under 85kg Campaign Ends in Quarter-Final Battle

Darfield’s Under 85kg side faced Wellington club side Pōneke Wanderers on Saturday for a place in the national Under 85kg competition semi-finals. The visitors travelled south to Darfield, where a fantastic crowd packed out Number 1 Field to support the home side.

The match began as a tightly contested affair, with Pōneke opening the scoring early. Darfield responded strongly, creating several promising attacking opportunities throughout the first half that unfortunately went begging. Their persistence was finally rewarded just before halftime when first five Shaun Carston crossed for a well-earned try and converted it himself, cutting the deficit to 10–7 at the break.

Darfield showed plenty of character in the second half, playing into a strengthening headwind that made conditions increasingly difficult. Pōneke applied sustained pressure, but Darfield’s gritty defence—the hallmark of their run to the quarter-finals—kept them in the contest for as long as possible.

Eventually, Pōneke found a way through for another score, and as the wind intensified, Darfield struggled to escape their own half in the closing stages. Despite never giving in, the home side was unable to mount a late comeback, with Pōneke claiming a 22–7 victory to book their place in the semi-finals.

A Campaign to Be Proud Of

While the result wasn’t the one Darfield wanted, the team can look back on an outstanding campaign. In the club’s first-ever season entering the national Under 85kg competition, reaching the quarter-finals exceeded expectations and showcased the strength of rugby within the district.

The squad was a true club effort, bringing together players from Division 1, Division 2, and Colts, alongside a handful of players from neighbouring Kirwee who embraced the red and blue jersey and made a significant contribution throughout the campaign.

The team would like to thank everyone who supported them during the competition.

This may be the end of this year’s journey, but the group is already looking forward to coming back next season for another shot at the title.

Last weekends Quarter Final game.

U85 National Club Cup | Darfield vs Pōneke | Quarter Final U85 National Club Cup | Darfield vs Pōneke | Quarter Final