Last Saturday I had the pleasure of being an Assistant Referee for the Division 2 semifinal between Ngamatapouri and Utiku Old Boys.
The game was played at Whanganui's most remote ground at the little settlement of Ngamatapouri up the Waitotara River valley, while the other three semifinals were also played on country grounds at Taihape, Ohakune and Waverley.
Just about everything in the game epitomised what is great about rugby in New Zealand.
The ground had been carved out of a paddock near the local hall three or four years ago, with the drainage being much improved after a couple of disastrous rain bombs contributed to the floods in the Waitotara and Whanganui rivers in 2015.
I had refereed the last game played there that season between Ngamatapouri and Ratana, a couple of weeks after the flood, and the match was held on what was probably the most unpleasant surface I have ever played or refereed on.
About fifty percent of the field was still ankle-deep water, while most of the rest was pure mud.
In contrast, last Saturday the ground was in excellent condition, despite some heavy rain in the days leading up to the match.
The surface was well covered in koukoia grass, which usually stays green and lush through the winter.
Although freshly painted, the line markings were somewhat difficult to see in places, making sideline decision-making somewhat hazardous, while we were missing flags to mark the 22m and dead ball lines.
Fortunately, none of these caused any issues during the game. Spectators were kept at their respectful distance from the field by ropes on either side, as they should.
The Ngamatapouri clubrooms are somewhat unique.
An old farmhouse has been taken over for the purpose, which means teams have a choice of carpeted bedrooms, kitchen, dining room or a wash house in which to change.
The showers though were in a league of their own – a new block had been built and the showers themselves delivered hot water at great pressure.
The ground is furnished with another unique feature – a mobile scoreboard and ground clock, ably run by Ross Jones on the back of his ute.
He even used a hooter to mark the end of each half, which made us all feel we were all part of the big time NZ rugby scene.
Some people might remember Ross as the brains behind the Saturday morning country market on his farm out at Brunswick. I think it was called Old McDonald's farm.
There were plenty of supporters for each team on the sidelines, especially from the visiting Utiku team.
I was even offered a beer before the game as I walked along the road from the car into the ground, but us two assistant referees declined graciously, at that stage anyway.
The game itself was played in a great but intense spirit befitting a semifinal.
Utiku kept the ball for the first few minutes and tried to apply pressure on the Ngamatapouri defences, but they were up to the task and eventually got the not unexpected breakaway try after about 15 minutes.
Two more tries followed before halftime, all converted as they were handy to the goal posts.
Utiku managed a well-worked try of their own and the teams went to the break at the score of 21–5. It was still anybody's game.
The third quarter was very evenly contested with no more scoring until Ngamatapouri got two quick tries, which began deep in their own half and were scored in the corner.
From a refereeing perspective, there were no issues whatsoever that arose during the game, fulltime 36-5.
The players seemed to almost appreciate the presence of the two Assistant Referees and duly observed the offside lines almost without exception.
The referee was Sean Ferguson, having a very good game in only his second season of refereeing.
Spectators cheered for their team and refrained from bagging any errors or misfortunes of their opponents.
All the aftermatch activities are held at the nearby Ngamatapouri Hall, which has an excellent outdoor bar and garden atmosphere.
Children played on the adventure playground, while the adults got down to the serious business of dissecting the game over a glass or three.
The locals brought out welcome plates of hot chips as an entrée to the main course after the speeches.
The speeches themselves were among the better ones I have heard lately, with both teams speaking eloquently about each other's efforts during the game.
Unlike at some aftermatch functions, the supporters listened politely and clapped at the appropriate times, especially when local manager Gerald Pearce reported that thanks to the size of the Utiku support team, the bar takings were the best in years.
By the time the scrumptious food was served everyone was in a very convivial mood.
Favourable comments were passed about not only the quality of the food but the quality of the refereeing this season, something I was very pleased to hear.
I haven't heard to the contrary, so I imagine there were similar scenes at the other three country venues.
Today, the emphasis shifts from the country to the big smoke, as the finals are due to be played at Cooks Gardens this afternoon.
The atmosphere is likely to be a little more clinical than we experienced last weekend as the season reaches its finale, with the two winners taking all.
There will be an electronic scoreboard, a ground announcer and the crowd sitting mainly in the stands.
There will be a team of six officials for each of the two finals, helping to make sure everything is fair and transparent for the four teams playing.
Good luck to those teams. I just hope the referees involved enjoy the finals as much as I enjoyed the game in the country last weekend.