History and grief culminate in title for 'soldier' Jackson Garden-Bachop

Jackson Garden-Bachop turned 100 yesterday, the first Wellington player since Tana Umaga in 2007 to reach that milestone. Garden-Bachop attended the 37-7 win against Manawatu on September 11 in front of 14,081 at Sky Stadium, marking Tana’s centenary. He is proud to join a family friend, and 21 others, in triple figures.

“I knew Tana through family. Mum grew up in Wainuiomata, and I attended school with his son Kade. I remember watching his 100^th game here. It hasn’t happened for a while. It’s pretty special,” Garden-Bachop said.

Garden-Bachop recalled his debut in 2013, ironically against NPC final opponents Bay of Plenty, when Charlie Ngatai then Shaun Treeby were injured and he was summoned to slot in at second-five outside Lima Sopoaga.

“I had no idea what the calls were. I hadn’t been paying attention. I remember stuffing up the first thing that I did and getting yelled at by Lima. Matt Proctor and I laughed about that (this week), he was standing right there.”

Wellington won the game 33-11 on September 12 with Sopoaga outscoring the Steamers himself with 18 points. Garden-Bachop has since featured in 65 wins, never losing in seven games against Bay of Plenty.

“My favourite season was 2022, winning the Ranfurly Shield and doing the double, and doing it alongside Connor is something I’m always going to cherish."

Jackson’s brother Connor Garden-Bachop passed tragically on June 17 aged 25. The shooting star, and former Maori All Black, was foremost in the Lions' thoughts ahead of the NPC final against Bay of Plenty at Sky Stadium.

“There’s obviously 100 games there, there’s everything I am playing for in terms of Connor and my family and a final on top of all that. That’s providing the energy, I’m not worried about being motivated, it’s just how quickly we can bring it back to what’s important and that’s the performance,” Garden-Bachop said.

Captaining Wellington for the 52^nd time this afternoon, Du'Plessis Kirifi was moved when reflecting on Connor Garden-Bachop.

“Rugby aside, Jackson as a friend and as a brother… those situations are always hard, especially for someone so young. It’s something that the family felt really heavily… to see them going through that hurt and pain was really hard at the time,” Kirifi said.

“They live in a way that tries to honour him, and Jackson is an absolute soldier. He did what he needed to do but since coming back he just turns up to work, big smile on his face… but that doesn’t mean him and his family and everyone around aren’t still carrying that.

“To bring it back to rugby, it has galvanised us and for us to have an opportunity to pay tribute to Connor is something we are really looking forward to, and I know it will provide a bit of extra juice in the engine to go out and get the job done.”

The job was tough, against a chipper Bay of Plenty side that had won nine out of 12 matches this season. Coach Richard Watt, a lock and loose forward who played 41 first-class games including 18 appearances for Wellington between 1989 and 1999 is best known as a Poneke legend.

He played 209 games for the ‘Street Kids’ winning a Jubilee Cup in 1996 (Poneke’s first since 1975) and the Billy Wallace Best and Fairest Award in 1997. From 2005 to 2010 he coached Poneke with success winning 73 out of 115 games and making Jubilee Cup finals in 2006 and 2010.

He was Wellington forwards coach from 2010 to 2016, guiding the Lions to the 2013 NPC final and 45 wins in 80 matches. In the same role with the Hurricanes from 2011 to 2019 he won a Super title in 2016 and 96 out of 152 games.

“Watty’s awesome. He was an assistant coach with Chris Boyd when I came into the Lions. Watty is a hard man, a proud man. They play tough and expansive,” Garden-Bachop said.

Wellington had won all seven of their matches played at home in 2024 ahead of the final. This equalled their record of seven in a row in 2008 (they won their first seven matches before losing the Final against Canterbury) and all seven matches played in 2017 including the Final (59-45) against Bay of Plenty which gained the hosts promotion from the Championship Division back to the Premiership Division for 2018.

The Lions scored four or more tries ten times in their 12 matches played this season. That figure is only exceeded by the 12 times they scored four or more tries in 2017, the season in which they scored a total of 74 tries, an NPC record that still stands. Wellington has won 208 of the 237 NPC matches in which they have scored four or more tries.

Carrying on this form, Garden-Bachop once again led the team song ‘Welly Who-Ra” which has caught fire on social media.

“It was written in 2016. Brad Shields and Jeff Toomaga-Allen. Why has it caught fire? We’ve always done it the same. Brad did it and then I stumbled into the role. A couple of the boys did it while I was gone and then it came back to me,” Garden-Bachop said.

“You can see the boys love it.”

Garden-Bachop has been hampered by a pesky hamstring. Is the vigorous chanting in any way responsible?

“Not at all,” Garden-Bachop laughed.

“I properly put more energy into the chat than the games.”

In 99 games for Wellington, Garden-Bachop scored 778 points (14 tries, 213 conversions, 92 penalties and two drop goals).

He scored 776 points in 76 games for the Scots College First XV, his last scoring act, a staggering 45m drop goal in an 18-15 win over Lindisfarne College. He has represented the New Zealand Secondary Schools, Under 20s and Maori All Blacks.

Garden-Bachop was born in Dunedin and raised in Wellington. He is of Maori, Samoan, French Polynesian and Cook Island descent. The 29-year-old hails from the Ngati Awa Iwi. His nana was born in Moerai Village in Rurutu, French Polynesia. He also has ties to Turangi, Titikaveka and Ngatangiia in Rarotonga. As well as the village of Lalomanu in Samoa.

Garden-Bachop has played 98 games (60 wins) for his beloved club Northern United and scored 973 points.

With the weather for the final predicted to be atrocious, Garden-Bachop was confident his side would know what to do.

“We’ll figure out as we do. It’s the wind, it’s the rain. It's Wellington.”

100 Games for Wellington

Graham Williams, 174, 1964-1974

Al Keown, 149, 1970-1979

Andy Leslie, 144, 1967-1977

Nev MacEwan, 129, 1954-1967

Ken Gray, 125, 1959-1969

Bernie Fraser, 121, 1973-1986

Don McIntosh, 118, 1951-1960

Ian Stevens, 112, 1967-1976

Butch Phelan, 111, 1972-1982

Murray Mexted, 111, 1976-1985

Mick Williment, 108, 1958-1968

Alan Hewson, 108, 1977-1986

Mick Sayers, 107, 1968-1976

Scott Crichton, 106, 1981-1987

Gerard Wilkinson, 106, 1980-1987

Neil Sorensen, 106, 1982-1989

Paul Quinn, 103, 1976-1983

Brain McGrattan, 103, 1981-1989

Brian Cederwall, 102, 1973-1893

Murray Pierce, 102, 1982-1990

Tana Umaga, 100, 1994-2007