Rugby: Far North product claims top award

Jon Dampney, shown here being presented with the Meads Cup by Colin Meads, was awarded the Heartland Player of the Year at the Steinlager Rugby Awards. Photo / Ashburton Guradian

A Northland-born man who learned his trade playing JMB rugby was named as the Heartland Player of the Year at the Steinlager Rugby Awards in Auckland.

Jon Dampney received the award mostly it appears for captaining his provincial team, Mid Canterbury, to victory in the Meads Cup, the "second division" national provincial championship aka Heartland Championship, despite playing the latter half of the season with two broken fingers.

The son of Richard and Beverly Dampney - formerly of Kaitaia, now farming in Otaua - grew up playing JMB rugby for the Pirates before being sent to Okaihau College as a youngster, from where he also played Bay J&T rugby for Ohaeawai.

The family left for the South Island in 1997 and, now 30, Dampney plays his club rugby for Southern, former winners of the Walters Cup, the Mid Canterbury domestic championship, in the No8 role.

Having also earned selection for the Crusaders under-18 and the Otago Colts squads, he reportedly rejected an offer from the Highlanders to play Super 15 rugby for personal reasons, and also one to play professionally in Japan.

Of the two rejections, Dampney told his father he wanted to focus on a career after rugby; these days, he manages 1200 cows on his Ashburton dairy farm.

Dampney was one of two Far North-bred players recognised at the Steinlager Rugby Awards last week, with the other being national women's rugby's newest star Portia Woodman - who picked up the title of New Zealand Women's Sevens Player of the Year award.

In just her first year in rugby, Woodman - who harks back to the Ohaeawai/Kaikohe region - made a huge impact, having also picked up the IRB Player of the Tournament award at the World Cup of Sevens in Moscow.