Rugby clubs recruiting players in New Zealand
7 clubs in New Zealand are recruiting through Rugby Unlocked. None has an open vacancy right now, but clubs post new ones through the season. 3 offer housing, 2 help with visas and 5 help players find work. Every club below has a public profile you can read before you apply. Applying is free for players.
Playing club rugby in New Zealand
- Season
- Club premier competitions run from early April into July or August and are organised by each provincial union. Wellington's Swindale Shield opened on 4 April 2026 over 13 rounds; Auckland's Gallaher Shield final was played at Eden Park on 11 July 2026.
- Leagues
- There is no national club league. Each provincial union runs a premier competition with grades beneath it: the Gallaher Shield in Auckland, the Swindale Shield and Jubilee Cup in Wellington, Metro Premier in Canterbury. The NPC above them is semi-professional and provincial, not club.
- Visa
- United Kingdom Working Holiday Visa: aged 18 to 35, from NZD 770, a stay of 12, 23 or 36 months with temporary work allowed for up to 36 months. You cannot take a permanent job on it, must show NZD 350 a month in funds, and 15,000 are issued a year.
- Clearance
- New Zealand Rugby: a player is not eligible to play rugby in another country at any level until they have a valid international clearance, and the requirement applies to every player, amateur and professional. Your home club and union sign the form; NZR records it and tells the provincial union.
Because the club game is run province by province, the place to look is the provincial union for the city you want, not a national fixture list. The standard in the premier grades is high and the seasons are short, so most arrivals from Europe fit a New Zealand winter between two northern seasons.
NZR is unusually explicit that clearance applies to amateurs. Have the form signed by your current club and union before you leave, and send it to the clearances address on the NZR page when you arrive.
Read on from Club Rugby NZ, 2026 Swindale Shield draw, Auckland Rugby, 2026 Gallaher Shield final, Immigration New Zealand, United Kingdom Working Holiday Visa, New Zealand Rugby, international clearances, World Rugby, Regulation 4 (player movement and clearances).