Whanganui High School Sports - WHS to CHIEFS

FROM WHS TO THE CHIEFS – CONGRATULATIONS KEIGHTLEY WATSON! 🏉

A huge congratulations to past Whanganui High School student Keightley Watson (2015–2019), who has recently been named in the Waikato Chiefs Wider Training Squad for 2027!

Keightley's sporting journey is a fantastic example of talent, dedication and versatility, with success across both individual and team sports.

While at WHS, Keightley's main sporting focus was Judo, where he achieved some outstanding results on the international stage, including bronze medals at the World Cups in Perth (2018) and Taipei (2019), as well as claiming four National titles in 2017.

His achievements were recognised at the 2018 Whanganui Secondary School Sports Awards, where he was named International Senior Sportsman of the Year, and he received the WHS Principals Cup for Outstanding Sporting Performance in both 2017 and 2019.

Alongside Judo, Keightley also represented WHS in both rugby and cricket before continuing his rugby journey beyond school. He went on to represent the Whanganui Heartland team from 2022–2024 and has spent the past two seasons playing for the Taranaki Bulls, further building his experience at the representative level.

Now, with selection in the Chiefs Wider Training Squad for 2027, Keightley takes another exciting step in his rugby career.

From international Judo success to representative rugby and now the Chiefs environment, Keightley has certainly made his mark since leaving WHS.

Congratulations Keightley! We look forward to following your journey and wish you all the best for the next chapter.

11/11/26