Apart from one-defence reigns by Taranaki in 1996 and Bay of Plenty in 2004, the Ranfurly Shield has been shared exclusively among Auckland, Waikato and Canterbury since 1982, when Canterbury took it off Wellington.
But does this domination by a select few reduce the standing of the Shield because it
has been rendered practically unattainable for the majority, or does that elusiveness mean that the aura and status are retained because it is so difficult to win?
For me, the aura and mana of the Shield have been retained because winning it is such a rare occurrence. Because of that rarity, when it is won it is a significant achievement, it is special. However, there needs to be a balance because it only remains special when it is still rare.
The problem is that those who do win it, Auckland and Canterbury in particular, win it so often that their supporters become blasé, and that feeds the perception the Shield has lost its lustre.
To witness the reactions of the Bay of Plenty and Taranaki players, their supporters and then their wider communities, proved that, when the Ranfurly Shield resides in places other than those main centres, the fever returns.
These brief forays by the Shield into those rugby heartlands provided tremendous fillips both to rugby in those regions and the regions themselves. Wouldn't it be great for rugby if such tenures could happen more often? This is where the salary cap for the Air New Zealand Cup comes in.
Hypothetically, in a few years down the track, the power balance will level out a bit, and this should have benefits in terms of the evenness of the competition and for the Shield in particular. Hopefully, a greater variety of teams will win the Ranfurly Shield.
