President's Update - Mar 2026

Hi Onka Family,

This is the President's update for March.

The start of the season is drawing closer to the first game. We start the season with three home games against some good teams, so it will be a massive start. First game is 28th March vs Old Collegians.

Our touch football season has finished up with some big finals and some great games. Congratulations to the winning teams, thanks to all who refereed, played and supported and a huge thanks to Bob, Terry and Matt for organising it.

Our team numbers are looking great, the women's team now has 22 registered players, with more to come - a huge increase from 14 last year. We currently have 120 registered seniors and 170 juniors, but this will increase as we get closer to the first game. If you're not registered yet, please get it done, as it covers you for insurance and lets us confirm numbers. If you're not registered we can't add you to team lists.

Last weekend we played a trial match from U12s-Premier grade with some great results and some awesome rugby played. Our premiers are looking sharp and fit after a tough pre-season.

We also welcome Ross to the the coaching group with Rhys for premiers. They have been working the boys hard, but the results are showing on the field. We also welcome Tom Davies to the team, over from the UK and filling a much needed spot in the back line.

We also now have a HUDL camera, which will record most of the games played through all grades. We are just making the final setup changes and then should be able to make the game videos available.

In off-field news, we have now placed the order for the new panel roller door for the equipment shed, which will make storage of training equipment much easier (and safer) and expect that in the next 4-6 weeks. I have been working on a business plan, which captures our club goals and the actions we need to achieve them and this is something we will be looking into - including improving player depth, recruitment and retention, adding to club finances and building the success of the club. RUSA and the presidents group have also been meeting to finalise the U12s and women's competition structure as well as locking in the setup for the year. RUSA have really been on the ball this year, looking at ways to build and improve the competition.

We have a working bee this weekend (14th) to get the club in order for the start of the season and many hands make light work, so lets get as many out to help as we can. We also have a few more trial games for juniors lined up.

Its been a great start to the season and my next update will be after our first game. As always, if you have any questions, concerns or suggestions please message me or talk to me at the club.

Onkas vs Woodville Trial Game Results

Some great rugby at Onkas today to shake off the cobwebs and get ready for the start of the season.

Thank you to all of our amazing volunteers, coaches, players and supporters who made the day a huge success.

Some great wins and some gutsy losses, made for a great day of rugby with some really positive signs moving forward and highlighting some areas where we can improve over the next few weeks before we kick off the season proper.

Thanks to Woodville for some great games.

Bring on the season!

Premier Mens:
Onka def Woodville - 28-5

Premier Women:
Woodville def Onkas - 32-12

U18s:
Woodville def Onkas 53-19

U16s:
Woodville def Onkas 42-12

U14s:
Onkas def Woodville

U12s:
Onkas def Woodville

Matt Cockbain visits Onkas

Exciting times are ahead for Onkas as we start to gear up for the World Cup.

With cooperation of Rugby SA, Onkas are getting a visit from 1999 World Cup winning Wallaby, Matt Cockbain - player of over 60 international tests for the Wallabies and now coach of GPS Rugby club in Brisbane.

Due to the tempo of these World Cup events, we have a bit of a short notice - The event is this Friday 6th Feb, starting at 6pm down the club.

We're opening the bar, canteen and hosting a BBQ as well as running some junior touch games and trainings.

Matt Cockbain will be available for photos, informal chats with kids, coaches and players and may even host a Q&A.

We hope to see as many people there as possible to celebrate the countdown to the World Cup and make Matt welcome to our club for the evening.

President's Update - Feb 2026

Hi Onka Family,

This is the President's update for February.

This month has started with a bang - we've had Rhys out running the A-grade with Haggis, the boys are looking sharp and I'm excited to see what they can do this season. We also have Tom Davies joining us from the UK later in the month who will add some extra pace to the backs. We have a few other player recruitments in the works to fill the gaps.

We also named our last couple of coaches - welcome Cam and Wazza to the B-grade.

The juniors have started training, and it's awesome to see so many kids out and keen for the start of the season. We've got good numbers across all of the grades and some strong teams. Its been a great effort from players and coaches.

The women's team has also started their training with some good numbers. We are currently working with a Canadian team to look at doing an exchange of players. We are hoping to bring in two players at the start of May and are working on the possibility of sending a few of our players over there at the end of the season.

Touch football restarted well and is looking towards the finals in the next few weeks.

World Cup Fever has hit us as well - with World Cup Wallaby, Mat Cockbain, visiting the club for an impromptu training session and meet and great and Kaeden, Jade and junior Charlotte taking part in a photoshoot with the Webb Ellis Cup at Semaphore on Saturday. With 6 games announced for Adelaide its looking to be a big boost for South Aussie rugby.

In other news, we have been working on replacing the door to the gear shed, and have gotten quotes in as well as looking into some other upgrades for around the club, including the internet and canteen.

Our season kicks off with a trial match for U12s, U14s, U16s, U18s, Women, Bs and As on the 7th of March against Woodville - keep an eye on socials for more details.

Its looking to be a great year for the red and black and I look forward to our first kick off.

President's Update - Jan 2026

Hi Onka Family,

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and New Year and are keen to get started on the 2026 Season.

This is the President's update for January.

The Committee focus over the last month has been to get the coaching team and season draw finalised. We were excited to announce Rhys Davies joining us as our new A grade coach. Rhys brings a wealth of experience and some new approaches to the game that are making us very excited for the new season. With Liam Smith assisting him and organsing our preseason, we're looking good moving into 2026.

We are still looking for our B grade coach - wanting to finalise our A grade selection first. Our C grade is in good hands with Seb, Daddles and Ollie continuing in their role and Owain and Tony Fitzy will be leading the Women's team for 2026.

All junior coaches have been assigned and we will be working with RUSA to ensure that they are registered and recieve any training they need to support our kids moving forward.

Our touch season continues to be a success, thanks to the leadership of Matt Whitton and Bob Aitken - we've had some great numbers out to games despite the hot weather.

Some of the ongoing tasks we are looking at are updating the gym equipment, replacing the gear shed doors with a roller door that will open up space in that area much more, and looking at replacing the wooden posts on the south end of the field with fencing to be more compliant with RUSA regulations of spacing around the field.

The work on the constitution updates continues, with the committee reviewing the draft. The intent is to put it out to the club for comments and feedback in February and then look at a Special General Meeting to approve or reject it once any comments have been addressed.

With the season draw now locked in, our social events team has finalised the social calendar and we should have a post on that very soon, it should be a good year for socials and we hope to see everyone down the club for some of the exciting events this year.

Overall it has been a busy end of 2025 and exciting start to 2026. We're looking forward to a great year and to welcoming Rhys and his family to the club.

As always, feel free to give me a yell or catch me at the club if there are any questions or issues.

President's Update - Dec 2025

Hi Onka Family,

One of the things I am wanting to do this year is to provide an update on what the committee is doing: the things we’re working on, what we have achieved and our focus points. It’s come to my attention that a lot of people don’t really know what the committee is up to and I thought this would be a great way to keep up communications.

As you may have seen on the Facebook page, we have started with our new committee in preparation for the 2026 Season. We’re still finding our feet, but we have been busy since the AGM, getting things in line for next year.

We have interviewed and assigned all our junior coaches, except for U18s and U7s, which we hope to announce soon with Seb working to set up a Junior Committee. With Chris stepping down as A grade coach to pursue some work opportunities we offer him a huge thanks for everything he has done for the club and are chasing up some options for a replacement coach who has some big shoes to fill.

We are also excited for the new U16s Girls comp which Rugby SA are hosting this year and are looking at getting a team organised.

We have been working with Rugby SA to finalise the draw for the year, and we have received the draw early this year, allowing us to look at our social calendar – which Grace, Troy and Daniel have been working on finalising. Heather has been chasing up lots of new sponsorship opportunities and working with our existing sponsors to see what we can do to better work with them.

Tracey and Mick have a few grant applications in process, including a big one for solar batteries which will greatly reduce our power costs. Ryan has organised upgrading our club internet, giving us a much faster connection and has set up a guest connection for member use. We're also looking into updating the club website.

Mooka has been working with the council on getting the potholes in the road fixed as well as some all the maintenance tasks around the club and grounds.

Kaedan has been set up as our treasurer, with access to all the accounts. A huge thanks to Sally for her massive effort in the role over the last few years.

Ollie has been looking into our new merchandise options for next year, including our Members Shirts, and Gemma is continuing with her awesome work in the Canteen, preparing meals for Thursday nights and passing her council check with flying colours.

I have been working on the important task of updating the Club Constitution. Because of recent changes to laws and regulations from the Department of Sports and Recreation, Rugby SA are updating their constitution and requesting all clubs to do the same. I have been working at keeping the same rules for the club, while fitting to the new template. As this develops, the new constitution as well as a list of any changes made, will come out for members to review and will be voted on in a Special Meeting to be called next year.

Currently going on at the club we have:

  • Tuesday night pre-season training – for all grades, and inclusive for U16s and U18s.

  • Sunday morning pre-season training – C grade led, but open to all

  • Thursday night Touch Football, and canteen meals.

Some of the junior grades, such as the U16s have also started training – so keep an eye on the Facebook page for details.

We have a great committee this year and I believe we are looking really good heading into the start of 2026.


If there are any questions feel free to give me a yell online or catch me when you see me down at the club.

Keir Puplett
President – Onkaparinga RUFC, 2025/2026

Onka Touch Football

2020/21 ONKA TOUCH

Season Starts Thursday 19 November 2020.

This season we have teamed up with Rugby Australia for player registration and insurance.

New Fees reduced to $50 per player. (Adults and Juniors).

Rugby Australia Touch 7s (modified) for the normal (NRL) style of rules we will be playing.

Players need to register in Rugby Xplorer as a “Touch 7s Player” to the Onkaparinga RUFC.

Registration can be paid for the Season or Weekly. We recommend Season only as Weekly will work out to be more expensive over 10 weeks. Weekly is only advised for people playing one game or on a try before you buy scenario. See the “Onkaparinga Touch 7s Manual” for more details. Team Managers please complete the “Team Nomination Form” from the “Onkaparinga Touch 7s Manual” and email to us at onkatouch@gmail.com- with approximate player numbers.

Team Nominations Close: Tuesday 17 November 2020.

Referees - We are always looking for Referees to assist with the games. We encourage all teams to nominate a referee to keep the competition going. If this is something you might be interested in, please email us at onkatouch@gmail.com or message us directly on Facebook. All Referees are supported throughout the season and are paid for their efforts.

Also, if you are looking for a team to join please get in contact with us. Teams are always looking for extra players, and we are always looking for new players to join! No experience needed!

Junior Training

Season Training will be:

7s & 8s - Thursdays 5:30pm - 6.30pm

10s - Tuesdays and Thursdays 5:30pm - 6.30pm

12s – Tuesdays and Thursdays 5:30pm - 6.30pm

14s – Tuesdays and Thursdays  5:30pm - 6.30pm

16s – Tuesdays and Thursdays 5.15pm - 6.30pm

18s - Tuesdays & Thursdays 6.30pm - 7.30pm

Commencement date TBA