Poverty Bay players stand as one near All Black and Poverty Bay great Ian Kirkpatrick before last year's end-of-season Heartland Championship game against Mid Canterbury at Rugby Park. The sides, who finished fifth and sixth on the table, were playing in the inaugural Bill Osborne Taonga challenge — the Heartland
version of the Ranfurly Shield. The Bay won 33-26. They will defend it for the first time in their first home game of the 2022 season against Wairarapa Bush on August 27. The Bay start the 2022 championship against King Country in Te Kuiti on August 20 while Ngati Porou East Coast host Horowhenua Kapiti at Ruatoria. The 2022 season will also feature the inaugural presentation of the Ian Kirkpatrick Medal for the Heartland Player of the Year. More on the Heartland draw on page 27.
