In Pāpāmoa, you don’t have to be young, fit or even particularly fast to pull on a rugby jersey. You just need a sense of humour, a willingness to stagger around a field for 40-60 minutes with a bunch of your best mates, and an appreciation for post-match crockpots.

That’s the philosophy behind the Pāpāmoa Potbellez Golden Oldies – a team of self-proclaimed “old buggers” who are putting the call out for new members to keep their grassroots game alive.

Golden Oldies rugby has been part of New Zealand’s sporting landscape since 1979, when the first world festival was organised in Auckland. Since then, it’s grown into a global biennial festival celebrating fun, friendship and family.

Members of the Pāpāmoa Potbellez committee and their nicknames (from left): Graham Whyte ("Kevin"), Russell Condor ("Working Dog"), Brendon Boyte ("Beagle"), Glenn Ward ("Tito"), Tony Broadhead, Andrew Boyte ("Peas and Carrots"), Dave Hunt ("Ladle") and Bill Lee ("Billy"). Photo / Brydie Thompson

The Potbellez played their first matches in 2008, born from founder Bill Lee’s realisation that he wasn’t quite ready to retire from the game.

“Back in my early 30s, my brother-in-law dragged me along to a Golden Oldies match,” he said. “I got a taste, went back to club rugby for a while, then started the Potbellez. And here we are, 18 years on.”

The first Pāpāmoa Potbellez Golden Oldies team photo in 2009.

The Pāpāmoa Potbellez, ablaze in their orange and blue, typically play 12 or 13 games a year, sometimes more, usually against other Golden Oldies teams like the Te Puke Mutineers, the Tauranga Old Stars, the Hamilton Yellowbellies, the Rotorua Kahukura Kūmaras, the Te Puna Homeguard and the Whangamatā Toe Kickers.

Dwindling buggers

But numbers are dwindling. Some teams have folded altogether, making it harder to get games.

“It’s a bit of a struggle to get commitment, especially nowadays with everything being like it is,” Lee said. “That’s why we’re putting the call out – we want more players and [to] keep this thing alive.”

The Pāpāmoa Potbellez Golden Oldies rugby team is renowned for their banter off and on the field. And for being old buggers. And for their post-match crockpots.

The Pāpāmoa Potbellez Golden Oldies committee enjoying some fun on the field. Photo / Brydie Thompson

Somewhere in the middle of this they reportedly stagger around the field and play what they call “low-key rugby”. It’s community amateur rugby at its very ... what can we say – finest? Expect a lot of entertaining grudge, mud and feisty tackles. Followed by tall stories, reminiscing about the past and boasting about the future.

Somewhere, someone probably does take score, but rugby is the winner on the day.

“It’s still competitive, but officially every match is a draw,” Lee said with a grin, admitting they still kept an unofficial tally.

Pāpāmoa Potbellez player and founder Bill Lee. Photo / Brydie Thompson

Families are encouraged to come along and kids sometimes join in – three generations have even played in the same match. After home games at Gordon Spratt Reserve, players and supporters head back to the tennis clubrooms or local sponsor, the Flying Mullet, to swap stories and stir the crockpots. Other sponsors include 2buyPly and Capers Medical.

Veteran player Rod “Lucko” Luxton keeps the team entertained with his legendary match reports – irreverent, cheeky and definitely not for the politically correct.

Pāpāmoa Potbellez player Graham Whyte (nickname Kevin). Photo / Brydie Thompson

Connection point

But behind the jokes and jibes lies something more serious: Golden Oldies rugby has become a connection point for men’s mental health.

Since Covid-19, Lee said the team had been more deliberate about checking in with one another.

“We talk about it reasonably often,” he said. “One of our good mates lost his son to cancer – that was traumatic, but the team rallied around him. That’s what we do. We say: ‘We eat our own,’ which means we look after each other.

“If a mate comes to you, you give him grief. But if he’s got a problem, you’re there to hear him.”

Pāpāmoa Potbellez player Glenn "Tito" Ward. Photo / Brydie Thompson

Even those who can’t play due to injuries show up, running water bottles, supporting from the sideline, or just being part of the big, happy family.

Big milestones

This season, the Potbellez are celebrating some big milestones – players reaching 50, 100 and even 150 games. Lee himself recently had a proud moment when his son, who first joined the team as a 14-year-old referee, played alongside him at Murray Salt Stadium against the Te Puke Mutineers.

“And my wife came along and watched.”

Glenn Ward (left) and Bill Lee with their Pāpāmoa Potbellez Golden Oldies logo tattoo. Photo / Brydie Thompson

The Potbellez have a busy schedule ahead: a clash with the Whangamatā Toe Kickers on August 31; a home game at Gordon Spratt Reserve on September 14; a curtain-raiser at the Tauranga Domain on the No 2 field playing the Yellowbellies on September 28; and the Bob Scott Toe Kickers Tournament on October 11. And they usually have an annual trip away to watch the mighty All Blacks.

They’ll also take part in a fundraising dinner with other local Golden Oldie teams, hosted by Te Puna Home Guard, with proceeds going back to support the clubs.

The Pāpāmoa Potbellez Golden Oldies logo. Photo / Brydie Thompson

Looking further ahead, the world Golden Oldies festival in Vancouver in 2027 is on the horizon – a reminder that the movement is still global, even if local numbers are a challenge.

Golden Oldies rugby is open to anyone aged 35-plus, although Lee’s son was 14 when he first started, “to help us with numbers”.

“It’s the friendships and the fun we have,” Lee said. “And supporting each other. We give each other a bit of grief, but we’re there for each other. It’s belonging and being a brotherhood of guys who have a mutual interest.”

To contact Pāpāmoa Potbellez, email Bill Lee on basher63@icloud.com