Rugby legend Sir Graham Henry shares tips with Whangaruru players

Young players Murphy Hepi-Haika, 8, and Tu Taamoe Watene, 7, have a kōrero with legendary All Blacks coach Sir Graham Henry as Clive Stone looks on. Photo / Tania Whyte

The transformation of a once-struggling Northland club has attracted the attention of one of the biggest names in New Zealand rugby.

Sir Graham Henry, the coach who famously led the All Blacks to victory at the 2011 World Cup, spent Saturday with the Whangaruru Rugby Football Club, where he was formally welcomed at Mokau Marae, giving the senior team a pep talk ahead of a crucial game, then hanging out with local kids and potential future sporting stars.

Henry was accompanied by a bevy of New Zealand and Northland rugby officials and representatives from the charity Rugby for Life.

Saturday’s high-powered visit was also a chance to celebrate the near-completion of a new sports complex after decades of making do with substandard facilities.

Simon Mitchell, the treasurer for the Whangaruru Rugby Football Club and chairman of Te Whare Hakinakina o Whangaruru (Whangaruru Sports Complex), said Henry wanted to see the club’s progress for himself.

Rugby for Life also wanted to see how its funding for a co-ordinator’s role, held by Waipu Stone, had mobilised the club and boosted player numbers.

“Our club has grown exponentially and it’s going to keep growing — it’s not only rugby, we’ve also had huge growth in netball and basketball and we’re starting waka ama — so they wanted to come to the marae and then see the club,” Mitchell said.

Whangaruru only started junior rugby this year but already had three teams and were looking to expand to six next year.

“Getting our kids into sport, giving them something to do and giving them a sense of belonging is not only helping the kids, it’s really affected the parents as well. It’s making a better community really,” Mitchell said.

“One of the Rugby For Life sayings is, ‘One kid in sport is one less in court’.”

Image 1 of 12: A big crowd turned out to welcome Sir Graham Henry, New Zealand Rugby Union, Northland Rugby Union and Rugby For Life officials to Mokau Marae. Photo / Tania Whyte

After a big turnout at the marae in the morning, Henry hung out with the kids at the club and gave the senior team a pep talk ahead of their 2pm home game against Mangakahia.

“The boys loved it,” Mitchell said.

“He was right into it. He talked to everyone, he was quite comfortable with people coming up to him and shaking his hand or being in photos. He was a really good sport.”

Whatever Henry said in the changing room seemed to have worked because Whangaruru won 24-10. The team will next meet Onerahi in the final of the Northland senior men’s south zone competition.

The new Te Whare Hakinakina o Whangaruru (Whangaruru Sports Complex) at Ōākura is a huge step up from the club’s “old-as” portacom. Photo / Tania Whyte

Saturday’s visit was also a chance to celebrate the new complex on Wharua Rd, just inland from Ōākura.

Years ago the club played opposite the marae and washed in the creek, Mitchell said.

Eventually the Whangārei District Council bought the land at Ōākura and leased it at a peppercorn rate to the sports complex committee, which started planning new facilities.

It had been a slow process, Mitchell said, with players using an “old-as” portacom for more than a decade, and after-match functions held down the road at the community hall.

With just one set of showers, the home team always had to go without a wash.

Now, however, the players had the use of a brand-new facility, which included clubrooms, changing rooms, showers, a kitchen and “everything you need for a club”, Mitchell said.

The council had provided seed funding with the Department of Internal Affairs covering much of the remaining cost. The whole project cost about $1 million.

The next stage will involve building hard courts for netball and basketball as well as developing a wetland and a children’s playground.