The HFW Wailers (formerly known as the KooGa Wailers) are an international invitation side that are a big name on the Rugby Union Sevens circuit. The Wailers have close links with the Newcastle Falcons and other Premiership teams. The players that are selected to play for the Wailers are sourced from the English and Welsh premiership sides. The team also includes players from New Zealand, Australia and South African IRB 7s teams, super 14 and NPC sides.

The Amsterdam sevens is where the ‘Wailers’ part of the name originates from. In partnership with the Castricum RFC in Holland a sevens team from around England and Wales were invited to represent them at the famous sevens tournament played each year in May.

Kooga M.D Bill Newton and Andy Howells became involved in the team and provided the kit. Andy Howells is now the director of rugby for the team and is a very well respected Kooga Made for Rugby team wear specialist and introduced the idea of having a Kooga Sponsored Sevens team on the international invitational circuit to the company.

The rest is history and the team was formed in 2005 where it played in the Cwmtawe Sevens as its first tournament.

The team won its 1st Tournament in 2006 when they won the Kinsale International Sevens, nr Cork, Ireland. They were also finalists in the Amsterdam and Cwmtawe (S. Wales) Sevens tournaments and semi finalists and finalists in Dubai. The Wailers have since retained the Kinsale Sevens crown and added the Roma Sevens by winning their 2007 tournament. The Wailers were also the winners of the 2009 Carrick sevens and finalists in Amsterdam in 2009.

We are please to announce that hfw and KooGa made for Rugby are our main sponsors for the 2010 - 2012 seasons.

We are also pleased to have Mark Laycock, Director of the Newcastle Falcons Academy, on board as our coach for 2010 through to 2012.

TEAM PLAYERS

Media