Bay faithful ready for big trek south

Jack Houston of Hastings and his travelling band of 'mature' supporters have been following the Magpies all over the country for more than two decades. Photo / Glenn Taylor

What's a bit of travel when it comes to supporting the Magpies?

Like... about 1050km... which is the journey a group of devoted Hawke's Bay rugby supporters are embarking on this weekend to catch their boys taking on Otago in Dunedin for the Ranfurly Shield.

"But we were going to go anyway - had it all planned for a while, but now it's a bit more special with the shield on the line," one of the lads who started the supporters group 23 years ago, Stephen Smith from Waipukurau, said.

"There's 27 of us going on this one," he said, adding that was the average number which usually flew or bused their way to support the boys in black and white over the years.

"Through thick and thin," he said.

Through the seasons when the Bay were mired in the Second Division through to the new era of Premiership and Championship.

"It never mattered - what mattered was they were always our team and always will be."

The group started getting together in 1988 - sparked by Mr Smith and "four or five" other referees in the Bay who decided to embark on social weekends based around supporting the Magpies.

They began bumping into more and more people who wanted to help fill the bus and "it just grew from there".

"There are still a few of the originals left - we're all a bit older of course and we've had some leave us but others have come aboard."

Another of the originals, also a former referee, is Jack 'Jock' Houston of Hastings who is a dyed-in-the-wool Magpies fan...to the point where a lot of his outfits are dyed black and white.

"I've got the Magpies jersey and the singlet - even the underpants," he laughed.

As for the result of Sunday's big challenge Mr Houston, like any devoted fan, said the result would also be black and white.

"I'm going with the Bay. They made a few mistakes last weekend (against Bay of Plenty) but if they cut them out then they'll do it. I'm very confident."

Mr Smith was a little more circumspect.

"It's hard to say - although we've as much chance as anyone and we've got a pretty exciting young team there. It's a shield challenge - it's all on the day and the first challenge for a new holder is always a toughie."

It will be the group's sixth trip to the South Island to cheer their boys on, and for many of them the first taste of Dunedin's indoor stadium.

"Although I was there a couple of years ago to see Elton John... there were about 15,000 of us out on the pitch."

He said the average age of the group meant they didn't make as much noise as they did 20 years ago.

"We used to cause a bit of trouble but we're a lot quieter now," he laughed.

"It's all about the camaraderie - about supporting the Magpies."

They had sometimes caught up with the players through the years, often staying in the same hotel, and had drawn acclaim for their enduring and well-travelled support from the Hawke's Bay Rugby Union.

And whatever happens this weekend that devotion will just simply continue.