Wairoa ready for its Ross Shield week

The green machine of Wairoa at the Ross Shield tournament in 2023. Now Wairoa, the town, turns green as it welcomes 132 players for this year's tournament. Photo / NZME

One of the biggest weeks in Wairoa in years is about to start with 132 of Hawke’s Bay’s young rugby players arriving for the historic Ross Shield Primary Schools’ Tournament.

The six-team tournament was last in town in 2019.

With the first of the 15 matches in 2025 at Te Ari a Tapuwae (Lambton Square) starting on Tuesday, there is an excited atmosphere around town.

There were flags strung from street poles, and shop-fronts decorated, mainly prominent with the green of the local sub-union.

Schoolteacher Anahera-Pono Whakatope, who does not have a rugby background but stepped in to chair the organising committee, said: “It’s been quite the journey but I’m excited that it’s almost here”.

While there had been a late start, the community got together, with unified support from throughout Hawke’s Bay, for a week she hopes achieves a goal of unifying Wairoa itself.

“I can feel the excitement,” agreeing it’s a local version of what communities feel like in a Ranfurly Shield win.

“We like to really put it on, we are known for manaakitanga.”

It hasn’t been easy, with work needing to bring facilities up to scratch, including the changing rooms, one of which was still in the throes of a new lick of paint.

Hawke’s Bay Rugby Referees Association Mark Johnson, a school principal in Napier, was embedded with the same enthusiasm.

He’s impressed already by what he knows of the way Wairoa has come together to stage the tournament.

The nationwide decline in refereeing numbers means that qualified referees will travel from Napier-Hastings, but there will be a shortage of assistant referees (touch judges).

“We did not have enough to cover the games that we would have covered, say, 10 years ago,” Johnson said, reflecting on the season in Hawke’s Bay.

“If we had a 40% increase it would be a big help.

“We’re always under pressure, but we do it because we love it,” he said.

“It will be a great week, I’m sure.”

On the field, the major thrust will be to end Napier’s recent domination.

Off it, excitement is building around a celebration of Wairoa’s more recent but rare wins, in 1975, with one player returning from Australia for the occasion.

Each team plays a game a day from Tuesday to Saturday, with the winner decided on points for wins and draws, without semifinals or a final.

Draw

Tuesday: 12.30pm, Wairoa v Dannevirke; 1.30pm, Hastings East v Napier; 2.30pm, Central Hawke’s Bay (CHB) v Hastings West.

Wednesday: 12.30pm, Dannevirke v Hastings East; 1.30pm, Hastings West v Wairoa; 2.30pm, CHB v Napier.

Thursday: 12.30pm, Napier v Dannevirke; 1.30pm, Wairoa v CHB; 2.30pm, Hastings East v Hastings West.

Friday: 12.30pm, Dannevirke v Hastings West; 1.30pm, Napier v Wairoa; 2.30pm, CHB v Hastings East.

Saturday: 11am, CHB v Dannevirke; Midday, Hastings East v Wairoa; 1pm, Hastings West v Napier.

Doug Laing has been a reporter in Hawke’s Bay for more than 40 years, covering most aspects of news, including rugby.