Ranfurly Shield rugby: Hastings turns on the rain for Magpies and Rams history-maker

A Hawke’s Bay squad selected mainly from club rugby this season has been named for Wednesday’s first defence of the Ranfurly Shield in 2024, against Heartland rugby side King Country in Hastings.

Magpies head coach Brock James waited until Monday training to see who was still available after weekend matches, and on Tuesday named 23 players, with 13 who have not yet played for the region, including MAC fullback Johnny Ika, who’s making a debut at age 32 – although he was on the bench against Waikato in 2018.

But the history and a return to Shield fever was being overtaken by the weather, with heavy rain already falling and a warning for more through the 3pm Wednesday kickoff for the first Ranfurly Shield match in Hastings in 97 years, and the first at the Mitre 10 Regional Sports Park.

The King Country Rams were travelling late Tuesday from Taupō, with a supporters bus to follow.

The Hawke’s Bay Rugby Union is enabling as many as possible to see the first game of a new era.

There is free entry on the embankment and in open spaces, while only seats in the grandstand are being charged for, at $10 for adults and $5 for children. And with no telecast available, the Hawke’s Bay Magpies Facebook page is going to livestream the action.

Just one of the team’s newcomers (prolific try-scorer and No 8 Semi Vodosese) is in a strong forward pack, one of four in the pack from Waipukurau club Central, among them regular Magpies captain Tom Parsons, just back from a short stint in Japan.

Tom Parsons (right) in action when the Magpies beat Heartland side Ngāti Porou East Coast 93-5 in Napier three years ago. Photo / Ian Cooper

King Country Rams coach Aarin Dunster also waited until Monday to see who was still available after local Premier semifinals on Saturday. Six were unavailable because of injury or work commitments, and Dunster has included two of his sons and a nephew in his side.

James is pleased to have 19 regulars from Bayleys Commercial club rugby, across eight clubs, and said: “We have had a group of players who have worked extremely hard for the opportunity to play this game throughout our wider training group programme.”

The match is the first for a Shield reminted after it was damaged in post-match revelry after the Magpies beat the Wellington Lions in a challenge in the capital nine months ago, and pits the beaten NPC finalists against the 10th-placed union in last year’s Heartland Championship.

The closest of King Country’s 19 challenges was when the Rams were beaten 19-16 by Hawke’s Bay in 1969 (when tries were worth three points), the great Sir Colin Meads memorably spearheading a dramatic fightback as the challengers scored two converted tries, after being down 19-6 early in the second half at McLean Park, Napier.

The respective captains, All Blacks forwards Meads and Hawke’s Bay’s Kel Tremain, were reputed great mates, so there was some great rivalry in a match that produced a legendary recollection from Hawke’s Bay prop Neil Thimbleby, who was patron of the Hawke’s Bay Rugby Union when he died three months ago.

Correcting some of the historical record, he told Hawke’s Bay Today in 2017: “At one point Pinetree [Meads] had a bit of blood around his chops, so I said to the referee I think you’d better count the players – I think Meads might’ve scoffed one of them.”

At the time there was no National Provincial Championship (NPC), but the last time a union from outside the top division held the Shield was back in 1973 when Marlborough beat Canterbury. The Red Devils lost the Old Log to South Canterbury the following season.

The match will be refereed by Mike Winter of Waikato. Hawke’s Bay Tui women’s captain Krysten Cottrell has also taken to refereeing and will be on the touchline as an assistant referee, along with veteran Hawke’s Bay official Stu Catley.

Teams:

Hawke’s Bay Magpies: Tim Farrell (Napier Tech), Kianu Kereru-Symes (Napier Tech), Joel Hintz (Central), Hunter Morrison (Taradale), Tom Parsons (Central, captain), Josh Gimblett (Napier OBM), Josh Kaifa (Central), Semi Vodosese (Central), Sam Wye (Taradale), Jonty Stewart (Napier OBM), Anzelo Tuitavuki (Clive), Meni Manase (MAC), Kienan Higgins (Taradale), Kere Penitito (Napier OBM), Johnny Ika (MAC). Replacements: Dylan Homan (Napier OBM), Nik Patumaka (Napier Tech), Nathaniel Hauiti (Napier Tech), Mikaele Tapilii (Taradale), Cooper Flanders (Havelock North), Kade Manuel (Napier OBM), Will Cole (Havelock North), Al Momoisea (Napier Pirates).

King Country Rams: Toby Tukaki, Liam Rowlands (captain), Carey Peina, Maximus Dunster, Cruise Dunster, Leveson Gower, Karney Dunster, Kaleb Foote, Kristian Gent-Standen, Cameron Robinson, Zach Wickham-Darlington, Anaru Etana, Baven Brown, Styris Harland, Oliver Foote. Replacements: Alan Kingan, Nicholas Barnes, Benjamin Moffett, Josh Mann, Dion Peterson, Patrick Hedley, Apete Matai, Kahu Hiwawa.

Havelock North Primary, Hastings Christian School, St Marys, Te Mata Primary and Bridge Pā schools will form part of the curtain-raiser, playing Rippa rugby from 2pm.

Doug Laing is a senior reporter based in Napier with Hawke’s Bay Today and has 51 years of journalism experience, 40 of them in Hawke’s Bay, in news gathering, including breaking news, sports, local events, issues, and personalities.