An under-16 New Zealand Ambassador's team, including players from the Manawatū-Whanganui region, will play the under-16 Czech Republic national team on July 1 in Prague.
An under-16 New Zealand Ambassador's team, including players from the Manawatū-Whanganui region, will play the under-16 Czech Republic national team on July 1 in Prague.
An under-16 New Zealand Ambassador’s team, featuring players from the Manawatū-Whanganui region, is heading to Europe to celebrate 100 years of rugby in the Czech Republic.
The team will play the under-16 Czech Republic national team as a curtain-raiser for the men’s New Zealand Ambassador’s XV game against the CzechRepublic in Prague on July 1.
The Czech Republic celebrates 100 years of rugby in 2026 and has played the New Zealand Ambassador’s team annually since 2015.
The tradition was called off once during Covid-19.
Manager and coach Aaron Satchwell started the Ambassador’s team while playing rugby overseas in 2011.
He said the idea to bring an age-grade team came about in 2023.
“We always have a debrief after every game with the Czech club, RC Tatra Smíchov, and they asked us if we’d be able to bring a youth team out this year because it was 100 years of Czech rugby,” he said.
“To be honest, I wasn’t sure if we were going to do it but I told the Czechs ‘yes’, and then I hopped on the plane to come home.”
After returning to New Zealand, he organised a meeting and a team was chosen to play in 2026, to allow time for sponsorships and fundraising.
“There are a lot of school trips at the moment that some kids are missing out on because they just can’t afford it, so my mindset was that if we picked the team, everyone should have the opportunity to go and represent the embassy up there,” Satchwell said.
“We’ve managed to fundraise enough so that it is free for every kid, so we are pretty proud of that.”
Satchwell said Whanganui business owner Keryn Amon of Boss Homes was a key contributor to funding the trip.
“It just shows you, when people like him get behind rugby like he has, it’s pretty special memories for these kids,” Satchwell said.
Satchwell said excitement had been building ahead of the team’s departure on June 23.
“We had a jersey presentation the other night and I think it just hit home then, and I think there are a few nervous boys for rugby this weekend, for sure,” he said.
The under-16 team will play three games against SC 1880 Frankfurt from Germany, RC Tatra Smíchov and Latvia.
The players are likely to meet Czech Republic President Petr Pavel and Prague Mayor Bohuslav Svoboda.
Satchwell said at least four players in the men’s team this year had ties to Whanganui and South Taranaki: Tane Leatherby and Max Broughton of Southern Rugby Club Hāwera, and Cody Mitchell and Griffin Culver, current and former Steelform Whanganui players.
Fin Ocheduszko Brown is a multimedia journalist based in Whanganui.
