Backing for Northland's dumped rugby team is pouring in from all corners of New Zealand. Former Whangarei woman Sam Flower now lives in Christchurch but still has Cambridge-blue blood coursing through her veins - and is desperate to save the Taniwha. An online petition she started had attracted 954 signatures by 6amtoday. Many of those signing slammed the New Zealand Rugby Union's decision to drop Northland and Tasman from the top domestic competition. Now a mum in Christchurch, Mrs Flower was born and raised in Whangarei but headed south eight years ago for work. Her husband, also Whangarei-born and raised, joined her there four years ago. But so passionate is she for the place she still calls home, she started the petition after news of Northland's demotion broke on Monday. "I've never stopped supporting Northland," she said. "I just thought it was a bad decision. New Zealand doesn't stop at the Harbour Bridge, after all. Northland is like its own little part of the country." Like many other Taniwha fans, she's still stumped about why Northland was dropped. "I guess our past performance hasn't been great, but we're really stepping up now and have definitely improved." Mrs Flower is amazed at the response her petition has generated. "It shows how much support there is up in Northland for rugby. I've still got brothers up there who are playing club rugby - what is there to aim for now if there's no team in the top competition?" She's planning to wait a few more days before sending the responses to NZRU boss Steve Tew. Another impassioned Taniwha supporter, 21-year-old Chris Lambly, has fired off a distressed 1200-word email to current affairs show Campbell Live. Mr Lambly, now studying in Wellington, said one of his main grievances was that the Taniwha had earned its spot on playing merit, unlike some other teams in the Air New Zealand Cup. And Northland's rival politicians have met to hammer out ways of keeping the region's rugby team in the competition. Northland's National MP John Carter, Labour list MP Shane Jones and Tai Tokerau Maori Party MP Hone Harawira banded together in a rare show of election-year unity when they met Northland Rugby Union boss Wayne Peters in Whangarei yesterday. • Sam Flower's petition is at www.ipetitions.com/petition/Northlandtaniwha/
