Broken Ranfurly Shield ‘still being fixed’, will be repaired for Hawke’s Bay’s first defence

Hawke's Bay's Ranfurly Shield celebrations after beating Wellington in 2023 - the Shield was broken within a day of this photo being taken. Photo / Photosport

A still-to-be-repaired Ranfurly Shield will be on the sidelines for Hawke’s Bay’s first defence of the famed Log o’ Wood, Hawke’s Bay Rugby Union says.

Hawke’s Bay will play King Country at an as-yet-undecided venue in the region on Wednesday June 26, with Meads Cup champions South Canterbury then rolling into McLean Park on Saturday, July 27, provided the Magpies retain the Shield.

The Ranfurly Shield was snapped in half during an afterparty involving Magpies players in Napier on October 1 after Hawke’s Bay won it from Wellington in a challenge at Sky Stadium the day before.

An image of white powder on the broken trophy then circulated on social media, and it was quickly sent to New Zealand Rugby in Wellington for repairs and testing.

An independently led NZR investigation found insufficient evidence to conclude drugs were used during post-match celebrations.

NZR has since kept tight-lipped about progress on the Shield’s repairing, including if a new piece of wood would be needed.

A Hawke’s Bay Rugby Union spokesman said they were not shying away from questions about it.

“All we can say at this stage is that the Shield is still away being fixed and we will have it back prior to our first challenge,” the spokesman told Hawke’s Bay Today.

White powder photographed on the broken Ranfurly Shield.

The Magpies who defend the Shield for the two games will be a mixture of local club players and players who have returned from MLR (United States) and Super Rugby commitments.

Coach Brock James said there would be real competition for spots during the early rounds of club football.

“Challenging for the Shield is not something every player in NZ has the opportunity to do throughout their career.

“Both King Country and South Canterbury performed well in their respective competitions last season, and we expect very enthusiastic, tough games against both of these proud unions.

“The players who earn the right to represent the Magpies in these games will be aware we will need to be at our best to ensure we earn the right to defend the Shield again.”

King Country chief executive Kurt McQuilkin said he wanted to thank the Hawke’s Bay Rugby Union and CEO Jay Campbell for the opportunity.

“Ranfurly Shield matches are few and far between, particularly for Heartland provinces. This will be a great occasion.”

South Canterbury CEO Tim Hyde-Smith said they were in the unique position of being able to challenge for the Shield three years in a row and he expected the game, like in 2022, would be competitive.

“We are fully aware that the ‘Hawke’s Bay Maggie Pies’ will be waiting for us in full force.”

Should the Magpies successfully defend the Shield in both games as expected, their next defence will be against NPC opposition, which will be confirmed when the Bunnings NPC draw is released later next week.

James said being Shield-holders and competing for a historic NPC title - the side reached its first Division 1 final in 2023 - would be a real balancing act.

Hawke’s Bay Rugby Union’s annual general meeting on Tuesday revealed the union had reported a $184,858 surplus for the year ended November 30, 2023 - its 24th successive year of profit.

The surplus was well down on 2022’s $1m surplus, which had been bolstered by a one-off injection of money from Silver Lake’s investment in NZR.

Hawke’s Bay Rugby chairman Brendan Mahony said in his report to the AGM that another surplus - and a healthy balance sheet - made Hawke’s Bay “the envy of other provinces”.

He said the number of sponsors, season members and supporters that contributed to club, school and representative rugby was what made their position so strong.

Hawke’s Bay had 5600 registered male players and 836 female players in 2023, with 4700 of them juniors.

In total 27,000 people attended a home Magpies match in 2023, an average home attendance of 5400, while 1.6 million people watched at least one Magpies game on TV.

The campaign of the Tui saw their TV audience numbers spike to 191,000.

Mahony said the national headlines caused by some players’ Ranfurly Shield winning celebrations made for “one of the hardest weeks” for the union.

“While the damage that was done will forever be in the history books, and the cause of some banter wherever we go, the team, staff and board are determined to move on this season and defend the Shield with the energy and respect that has been done in previous Shield tenures.”

Chris Hyde is editor of Hawke’s Bay Today and has 10 years’ experience in regional news reporting.