Rugby: Shield showdown a thriller

Whangarei's Ethan Crutcher will be hoping his Whangarei team can get over the line at Toll Stadium and win back the Harding Shield in its centenary year.

The stage is set for a riveting finish to the Harding Shield at Toll Stadium tomorrow, with three teams in with a chance of picking up the trophy in the annual sub-union competition's 100th year.

While Whangarei are undefeated, Mangonui and Northern Wairoa/Rodney are also in contention.

The two Far North teams, Mangonui and Bay of Islands, head into the final round with different objectives but sharing a common goal.

Mangonui are outside prospects to take the title for the first time in living memory while Bay of Islands - holders for the past three years - have no chance of retaining the shield, but have committed to doing their best to help their Far North stablemates secure the championship.

All Mangonui can do is win over a formidable Northern Wairoa/Rodney by a good margin in the curtain-raiser, then hope their Bay cousins can overcome a Whangarei outfit with one hand already on the shield in the main match.

Having three out of four teams poised for victory in the challenge is, say advocates, proof the Harding Shield was starting to be taken seriously again following a decade of apathy.

Aware the previous two results have put his side out of contention, Bay coach Shaun Haynes said his boys will be doing their utmost to ensure the shield remains in the Far North in the centenary challenge by beating Whangarei.

"Oath, we are up for it. Mangonui have to win too," Haynes said. "The Bay team can't come anywhere. [But we] don't want to go through the comp in its 100th year winless.

"If Mangonui can do Rodney, that'll give us more drive to beat those city boys."

Haynes was wondering about Mangonui's selection policy after management called on upper-tier connections to secure a bevy of outsiders like former Blues player, and newly signed Taniwha, Winston Stanley and the Taniwha's star flanker Dan Pryor.

While such selections were probably unavoidable - with several players refusing to answer the call - the outsiders have certainly helped the side improve and Haynes wondered if this risked defeating the purpose of the tournament.

"We are supposed to be looking at club players. Having Auckland players coming up to play for Mangonui means your local second-five misses out.

"This should have been guys from state of origin. We have used State of O players through and through," said Haynes, recalling how the Bay had turned down the services of Orene Ai'i in the past in favour of selecting homegrown talent like Quin Butler.

Entry to the event at Toll Stadium is $5 for adults and $2 for children under-14.