Tasman planning a Ranfurly Shield parade – a week before battling Hawke’s Bay

Hawke's Bay aren't planning on giving up the Ranfurly Shield lightly. Photo / Photosport

The Mako are already circling with Nelson City Council dusting up parade plans in the hope of Tasman winning the Ranfurly Shield for the first time when they play the Hawke’s Bay Magpies in Napier on Saturday.

The hopes come with a match-of-the-season contest on the cards since both sides maintained their unbeaten 2024 Bunnings Warehouse NPC records at the weekend.

Playing in Palmerston North on Sunday, the Magpies, shortening to a $1.07 favourite at the TAB for their third game in nine days, came back from 19-0 down after 20 minutes to beat $7.50 longshots the Manawatū Turbos.

They took maximum points, including a bonus point, to guarantee a playoffs place only halfway through the season.

In Blenheim, on Saturday night, Tasman scored a fourth win in four games by beating Bay of Plenty 34-15.

Tasman, a 2006 merger of Nelson Bays and Marlborough in the expansion of the NPC, have never won the Shield. Neither did Nelson Bays. Marlborough are renowned for one of the biggest upsets in 120 years of Ranfurly Shield rugby, beating Canterbury in 1973.

Nelson council group manager community services Andrew White said that when the Tasman Mako challenged for the Ranfurly Shield last year against Wellington, the council worked with the team to make sure a parade or celebration could happen as soon as possible after the game if they won.

In the event, Tasman, who the Magpies had beaten 34-22 in a 2021 Shield match in Napier, were last year beaten 7-0 in their match in the capital.

White said that before last year’s challenge, Tasman Rugby provided the council with a full run-sheet of the day, including when the players would arrive back in Nelson, media opportunities and timing of the parade from Trafalgar Park to 1903 Square, down Trafalgar Street.

“Council was on standby to provide support, with input coming from our events team, transport co-ordinators and mayors (including the Tasman and Marlborough Mayors),” he said. “Council has been in contact with Tasman Rugby in case we need to revive the plan, which is very similar to the plans made last year. "

The star of Sunday’s win, as the Magpies struggled to get the combinations going after the rotational changes around the game and the previous week’s wins over Northland in Napier and Canterbury in Christchurch was, again, halfback Folau Fakatava, who scored the two most crucial tries, the first in the 40th minute, which, with first five-eighths Danny Toala’s conversion, kept the Magpies in touch at 26-21 down at halftime.

The second, 27 minutes into the second half, put Hawke’s Bay ahead 31-26, and the team’s sixth of the day, to centre Nick Grigg, guaranteed the win, and ensured Manawatū would go scoreless in the second half, after scoring four tries in the first.

Meanwhile, the Hawke’s Bay Tui have a mountain to climb on Sunday in their hopes of emulating last year’s Farah Palmer Cup women’s semifinal placing.

After suffering their second loss in three games when beaten 47-26 by Bay of Plenty Volcanix in Hastings on Saturday, they now travel to Hamilton to play Waikato, who turned the competition on its head with a 65-17 win over defending champions the Auckland Storm.