NZ domestic competitions 2018

[waiopehu oldboy]

Draws for the Mitre 10 Cup & Heartland Championship have been released:

http://mitre10cup.co.nz/News/32159/2018-mitre-10-cup-and-heartland-championship-draw-announced

Once again I feel they've missed a trick, opening M10 match is North Harbour v Northland, second match is Canterbury v Tasman. No offence but one's a repeat of the 2017 Premiership Final, the other's between two teams from the Bloos region.....

M10 Premiership: Canterbury (defending champions), Tasman, Taranaki, North Harbour, Auckland, Counties-Manukau, Wellington (promoted from Championship).

Championship: Waikato (relegated from Premiership), Bay of Plenty, Otago, Southland, Northland, Manawatu, Hawkes Bay.

Haven't seen who Taranaki's pre-season Shield games are yet, presumably one will be neighbours Wanganui & the other a SI Heartland team.

Heartland draw a little disappointing from my POV, mighty 'nua have KC at home not up my way so if I wanna see them it's gotta be a road trip....

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

Big news from the North:

https://i.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/p...ing-from-france-to-play-for-northland-in-2018

Dismal will be pleased........

 

[Brumby Runner]

Didn't he return at the beginning of this year and after a few mediocre performances disappeared again?

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

^^^^^ last year.

 

[Dan54]

Yep he is a real good ITM/NPC level player , but he not really suited to playing higher. Actually not even sure he would fit in too many teams apart from the Taniwha!

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

Pre-season Ranfurly Shield challengers confirmed as Poverty Bay on 28 July & Wanganui on 4 August. Surprised it's PB rather than someone like Mid- or South Cant'y, there's no obvious link with PBay that I can think of. Venues interesting, too, Tikorangi (I lived in the 'naki for four years & had no idea where it was) & Hawera, respectively. Back in the day they played Wanganui in Hawera pretty much every year so there's some tradition there.

 

[Dan54]

Never understood the Hawera thing WOB, always considered it as part of the Naki. I know that Graham Mourie had to have his address as has cowshed to be a Naki player back when you had to live in your province but always considered Hawera black and gold country, lived just up the road from it as a kid too.

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

^^^^^^^^ I think it's a throwback to when Hawera was almost the same size as New Plymouth & there were separate North- & South Taranaki Sub-Unions. Plus back in the day Hawera would've been much more accessible to the Wanganui boys than NP.

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

This is why I love Heartland Rugby:

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=12062779

TLDR: owner of Taumaranui Mitre 10 asks Chairman of King Country RU after 2017 Meads Cup final why no games get played in his town anymore. Answer: your facilities are shit. Goes to Domain, sees that the place is in fact derelict & proceeds to donate a heap of materials & persuade some people to help fix the place up. Result: KingnCountry v North Otago at Taumaranui Domain on 9 September. It'll be the first rep game held there in 13 years.

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

Dan54: this pic of the 1990 Wanderers U20's was in a Fletcher newsletter 'cos there's three Placemakers branch operators in it but also some other faces you'll find familiar incl Carlos's dad & bro:

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

Taranaki need a new home: one stand was ruled unsafe last year so they've had the other one assesd & it too has been declared unsafe:

https://i.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/104500051/new-plymouths-yarrow-stadium-condemned-and-vacated

Given the crowds M10 Cup draws (or more to the point doesn't draw) it's probably not a total disaster if they have to play some afternoon games in Stratford & Hawera & given neither has TV-standard lighting I doubt there's too many other options.

 

[Dan54]

Dan54: this pic of the 1990 Wanderers U20's was in a Fletcher newsletter 'cos there's three Placemakers branch operators in it but also some other faces you'll find familiar incl Carlos's dad & bro:

View attachment 9950

View attachment 9951

Geez I know the whole lot of those boys WOB! A lot of them had been in the Waiopehu 1st 15 the couple of years before, think they won the comp that year, beat Athletic in second game of season if I recall. My son played in the Athletic u20s, and they had some pretty good battles. I actually coached a fair number of those boys as juniors!! Add into that the player that I reckon Carlos learnt a lot of his tricks of as a kid, Kyle Williams one of the trickiest young 10s I saw.

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

Taranaki reckon they can jam 7K into Inglewood RFC's home ground:

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby...ewood-set-to-be-taranakis-rugby-home-for-2018

Should scrub up OK for Saturday- or Sunday arvo footy.

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

Jono Gibbes, released by Ulster in March so he could return to NZ for family reasons, has now signed with La Rochelle &'if you can believe the reporting went over in May to interview for the job:

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/rugby/news/article.cfm?c_id=80&objectid=12070951

Waikato RU understandably annoyed, esp after Gibbes strenuously denied initial reports that he was going, but what can they do? At least he's going to honour the first year of his contract but I think he's burned a few bridges & not just in Mooloo country.

Meanwhile Wanganui have offered Cooks Gardens (capacity ~20K) to Taranaki as a venue but TRU are working on a plan to still play at Yarrow but not use the stands.

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

Taranaki have successfully defended the Ranfurly Shield:

Taranaki 78 (Latu Vaeno 3, Jayson Potroz 2, Kiniviliame Naholo 2, Daniel Waite, Donald Maka, Brayton Northcott-Hill 2, Kaylum Boshier tries; Waite 8 con, Ciarahn Matoe con) Poverty Bay 0. HT: 59-0

Kiniviliame is the younger brother of Waisake, of whom you've possibly heard. Scored heaps of tries as a schoolboy, this was his First Class debut & by the sound of things he went OK.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby...o-shines-for-taranaki-in-ranfurly-shield-romp

Next Challenge is v Wanganui in Hawera next Saturday.

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

The Shield returns to Hawera today for the first time since 1920 and third time ever for Taranaki's second defence of the season v neighbours & perennial Heartland champions Wanganui. Score shouldn't blow out as much as last week but it's still pro v am & if the butcher boys can hold 'naki to under 50 I think they'll be happy with that (last time they played a Shield match, in 2012, score was 51-7).

 

[Dan54]

The Shield returns to Hawera today for the first time since 1920 and third time ever for Taranaki's second defence of the season v neighbours & perennial Heartland champions Wanganui. Score shouldn't blow out as much as last week but it's still pro v am & if the butcher boys can hold 'naki to under 50 I think they'll be happy with that (last time they played a Shield match, in 2012, score was 51-7).

I assume Hawera will embrace the whole thing WOB, I still remember when Auckland brought the Shield to the might Nua in the 90s, it was one of best rugby events that happened with parades etc!!

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

^^^^^^ yep & I can still remember leaning against the fence on the Queen St side of the ground & looking over to the Auck coaching staff scribbling away furiously after one C. Spencer made mincemeat of their midfield. "Future AB that kid" I said to my mate. "Big call, he's only 17" said he (went to Horowhenua College* so a little biased ).

* EDIT: & played for COB therefore doubly biased.

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

After much soul-searching I've decided that a bloke born in Nelson should support Tasman in the M10 Cup, not those heathen poaching Cantabs Sadly Tasman aren't due to play up here this year either.

EDIT: just to clarify, the Cantabs are heathens who poach as opposed to being poachers of heathens .

 

[Dan54]

^^^^^^ yep & I can still remember leaning against the fence on the Queen St side of the ground & looking over to the Auck coaching staff scribbling away furiously after one C. Spencer made mincemeat of their midfield. "Future AB that kid" I said to my mate. "Big call, he's only 17" said he (went to Horowhenua College* so a little biased ).

* EDIT: & played for COB therefore doubly biased.

Geez and you still talked to him WOB?
But it really it so hard to explain to people over here what it was like the Shield coming to town, having a parade through the town that morning, Iceman and them jumping of the Auckland float (truck) to mingle with the people standing along the street, ahhhh heady days and just one of the many reasons we love our game!!!