The strength of a centuries-old iwi relationship between Ngati Porou of the East Coast and Ngati Kahungunu of Hawke's Bay will be shown with one of the bigger meetings of their people in Napier on Saturday – at a rugby match.
That's the promise of Ngati Kahungunu Iwi Inc chairman and unwavering rugby follower Ngahiwi Tomoana, who is confident more than 5000 people will be at McLean Park in Napier for the Coast's challenge for the Ranfurly Shield, held since last October by iwi home team the Hawke's Bay Magpies.
In the context of modern rugby history it's David v Goliath stuff, the Magpies a recognised contender for a top-four position in the professional world of the Bunnings NPC,
and the Coast hopeful of honours in amateur rugby's Heartland division.
But for many, the match-up has its own strength - of whānau and nostalgia, -dating back to a National Provincial Championship Division 2 final between the two unions in October 2001.
It was then that a sea of blue-clad supporters of the Coast outnumbered Magpies supporters packing-out the park, possibly the last time Napier took on the air of a rugby city in the nature of the days when the Magpies held the Shield from 1966-1969.
Tomoana says the 2001 game would have been the biggest-ever gathering of Ngati Porou and Ngati Kahungunu in one place - and while the numbers this time won't match that crowd, which topped 12,00 - the Saturday afternoon of 2021 might not be far from the next biggest.
"It will be at least 5000," he said, more confident than Hawke's Bay Rugby Union commercial manager Dan Somerville, who said: "Four and a half to 5000? Most games I can give a good indication … This one …?"
Tomoana says at least "one in three" of Ngati Kahungunu also whakapapa to Ngati Porou, with strong links to both areas, and the iwi itself has a philosophy of "mata waka", where Ngati Porou in the Kahungunu rohe can register for benefits of his iwi – a type of relationship possibly unique nationwide.
The iwi bought 400 tickets to distribute to members, as the iwi sees the game as a significant "touchpoint" for both the inter-iwi relationship and also the upper-iwi relationship with the members.
As it happens, Tomoana has a little-known history of crystal-ball success in relation to the meeting of the black and white stripes of Hawke's Bay and the sky blue of East Coast.
With about 10 minutes to go in the 2001 match, he was leaning on the fence at the foot of the packed Morris St embankment and highlighting the one-foot-in-each-camp dilemma of many of the crowd.
The Magpies had 27 points up when Tomoana turned to one of those with him and plotted almost to the point how the Coast were still going to win – with three tries in a match in which the Coast scored five tries to two.
Trouble was, Magpies wing Tim Manawatu kicked a fifth penalty goal, and the Coast didn't get the one more Tomoana had put in the equation - or was that a dropped goal? Hawke's Bay won the final 30-27.
"I still think East Coast should have won," he said today
.
The iwi relationships were strong that day, not only on the embankment and the old McKenzie Stand (since replaced by the Graeme Lowe Stand) but also on the field, where there were at least seven Coast players who had played for or were still to play for Hawke's Bay.
One was Māori All Black, Blues and Hurricanes prop Orcades Crawford, who played 111 matches for Hawke's Bay from 1988 to 1990 (along with 26 for Hawke's Bay-Manawatū joint venture the Central Vikings), before notching 36 times games for East Coast.
His is career is not yet over - turning 53 next month, he was back on McLean Park last week helping Clive win the Hawke's Bay Senior Division 3 club title.
He was once quoted as saying: "When you put on a sky blue jersey it's totally different to anything else – it's probably better than the All Blacks."
Hawke's Bay and East Coast have met just once in a Ranfurly Shield match, at McLean Park in 1968, when the Bay won 31-0. They weren't among the 12 unions that challenged during the Bay's 2013-2015 reign.
A Magpies team comprised largely of players trying to break into the regular 23 later in the season beat North Otago in the first defence this year, and defeated neighbours Poverty Bay 28-21 during Coast centennial celebrations in Ruatoria in June.
The team were welcomed to the Bay on Friday afternoon at a pōwhiri at Kohupatiki Marae, near Clive. The gathering had been transferred from Waipatu, where final farewells were being held for artist and sculptor Para Matchitt, who died this week - Matchitt being from Ngati Porou but having lived in Hawke's Bay for close to 50 years.
Saturday's match starts about 3.05pm, allowing some time for haka before kick-off, and the match will be preceded by a women's national championship match between Hawke's Bay Tui and Northland, starting at 1pm.
The forecast is for partly cloudy weather, with light winds and temperatures up to 14C.
However, the TAB forecast is for a mixture of good and bad, effectively writing-off Ngati Porou East Coast's chance of winning, and making it only even money as to whether the Magpies' winning margin would be less than 100 points.
The Magpies were paying $1.001 to win, with NPEC the $151 outsider. It was $1.85 either way for a Hawke's Bay win by 100 or more, or for the Coast to lose by 99 points or fewer.
There is also a pool on the curtain raiser, with Hawke's Bay and Northland each paying $1.85 to win.