Home games
Sept 1, v Horowhenua-Kapiti.
Sept 8, v Poverty Bay.
Sept 29, North Otago.
Oct 6, v Buller Heartland rugby
Wanganui area primary and intermediate schools are the target of a joint Cooks Gardens/Wanganui Events Trust/Wanganui Rugby Union initiative to boost support for the local Heartland rugby team.
Driven initially by Cooks events manager Vallie Finlay and Events Trust boss Leigh Grant, the idea is to have three schools enter a "supporters' squad" of between 15 and 30 pupils for each of the first three confirmed home matches this season.
These students will dress in Wanganui-themed regalia of their own creation, with banner(s) and a mascot and a message of support for The Butcher Boys. They will be paraded around the field before each game starts with their banners, and then be seated in a designated area in the western stand.
They will be judged by a panel on their effort and effect, and the winners returned for the final round-robin game to find the overall winner. The crowd will also be asked to vote in the final.
The winning class/school will receive a $500 Junior Rugby training kit donated by the Wanganui Rugby Union.
There is also a "Butcher's apprentice" competition being run on Facebook for the youngsters, with a winner to take the match ball out each day alongside the home team's captain.
Tawhero School principal Chris Dibben has quickly got his school in and urged other schools to get involved.
"It was an idea with Vallie and Leigh to promote the Heartland rugby, and Cooks Gardens - and helping to get the kids' families along to the games," says Dibben, who's the father of Wanganui rep winger Simon Dibben.
"Tawhero's just one of the schools that has been invited to attend, and all schools have been invited."
Or are about to be. Grant says invitations are being sent out to all schools.
"It's all about trying to get an atmosphere here," he said.
Any interest, contact the Cooks gardens events manager at cooks@eventswanganui.com.
Footnote: Wanganui's club final between Ruapehu and Border features next Thursday night on Grassroots Rugby, while a half-hour of highlights of Wanganui's Ranfurly Shield challenge with Taranaki will be shown on SS3 on April 8 at 7pm.
The Collegiate rugby player referred to as Rosslyn McCasey in Thursday's edition was in fact Ruslan Casey. He is a member of the Collegiate rugby team taking part in next week's Quadrangular tournament between Collegiate, Wellington College, Christ's College and Nelson College.