A mixed season for Steelform Wanganui

Wanganui and Poverty Bay scrum it in Napier on Saturday. Wanganui won 41-38. Photo / Merrilyn George

The curtain has fallen on a mixed season for the Steelform Wanganui representative team that despite losing the Pinetree Log still emerged as the most successful North Island Heartland union.

The Butcher Boys ran hot and cold in the four first-class matches, finding it difficult to handle strong winds in away fixtures at Shannon and Taumarunui and struggling to hold out Poverty Bay in the Napier heat after thankfully striking form to lift the Bruce Steel Memorial Cup 29-8 off Wairarapa-Bush in the sole home game at Cooks Gardens.

Wanganui had earlier recovered in the second spell to dispose of Horowhenua-Kapiti 36-7 at Shannon in the Steel Cup round-robin series to set up the trophy final against the unbeaten W-B Stags who had also beaten H-K (22-18 at home and 43-8 in an earlier warm-up fixture in Levin).

To round off its Covid-19 affected season, comprising just four first-class matches, Wanganui edged out Poverty Bay 41-38 last weekend in an entertaining live televised match at McLean Park in Napier.

With each side scoring six tries, points coming at almost one a minute, there was a feast of action for the televised audience as the Bay stormed back from a 41-12 deficit to almost snatch victory.

The Butcher Boys started and ended the season in Napier, opening with a 36-12 away defeat at the hands of a strong semi-professional Hawke's Bay Saracens XV in a non-first-class game at Tremaine Park.

Six-times Meads Cup champions Wanganui, again coached by Jason Caskey and Jason Hamlin, then recovered after a dismal first half effort to win by 29 points at Shannon but a week later put in a substandard display to lose by five points (16-11) to the KC Rams in a first Sir Colin Meads Memorial Log loss in four seasons.

Retaining an unbeaten Steel Cup home record against the W-B Stags, however, enable Wanganui to rightly claim the unofficial No 1 North Island Heartland ranking for 2020.

The Thames Valley Swamp Foxes, Meads Cup champions in 2018 and third-placed last winter (pipped 20-15 by Wanganui in a tense Paeroa semi-final), elected not to play any rep fixtures this year.

Wanganui did not play against East Coast (beaten twice by Poverty Bay) this season, electing to concentrate on near neighbouring unions and meeting Poverty Bay at half-way Napier.

A similar neighbouring system operated in the South Island where Mid Canterbury and South Canterbury, who drew 31-all in Timaru, shared equal top ranking.

They had both beaten 2019 Heartland champions North Otago – South Canterbury by 37-29 and Mid Canterbury by 30-7.

In addition SC beat Buller 66-28 and 78-10 and MC beat Buller 35-17. West Coast, who rely heavily on Canterbury loan players, did not play.

With teams agreeing only to field home club players this year and no loan members it really affected some of the smaller unions around the country.

The intention is to operate the same postponed 2020 Heartland draw next year but there is talk of possibly switching to North and South Island divisions to save costly travelling expenses.

To make for similar six-team divisions could result in an extra South Island team (Ellesmere has been suggested) and possibly East Coast and Poverty Bay combining although Ngati Porou would hotly dispute a merger.

With six-team divisions there could be home and away fixtures followed by inter-island semifinals with the winners contesting the Meads Cup and losers the Lochore Cup.

If there are seven North Island sides the NI qualifying may have to start a fortnight earlier than the SI.

But it will all revolve around finances because the NZRU is aiming at reducing its financial allocation to the country's 26 provincial unions and there are serious doubts over Air New Zealand's travel contribution.

It could lead to a real financial struggle for some unions.

If the same Heartland draw as this year applies Wanganui will have home qualifying games against Horowhenua-Kapiti, North Otago, Poverty Bay and Wairarapa-Bush and travel to play South Canterbury, Mid Canterbury, Thames Valley and King Country with no fixtures against Buller, West Coast and East Coast.

It is likely that the same Wanganui rep selectors, if available, will be retained for 2021 because of the pittance of fixtures this year.

Ranfurly Shield Bid?

With the Ranfurly Shield destined to remain in the North Island this season, and within reasonable travelling time from the River City, Wanganui should be thinking along the lines of a challenge for the "Log" in 2021.

The last remaining Shield fixture this year is Wellington's challenge against Hawke's Bay at McLean Park on Sunday week.

If the Bay wins the trophy will be retained for the season because the last Mitre 10 qualifying game for the Magpies is away against Bay of Plenty while Wellington hosts struggling Manawatu which would be a Shield fixture if the trophy changes hands.

Traditionally the Heartland champion union receives an automatic Shield challenge the following season but there was no Heartland competition this year because of Covid-19.

Bruce Steel Cup holders Wanganui, as the top performing North Island Heartland side in 2020, would have strong claims for an early crack at the "Log" next season.

Wanganui has good relationships with both Hawke's Bay and Wellington, especially with the 'Bay because of regular annual matches against the Bay Saracens.

If Wellington holds the "Log" it is likely that close neighbours Wairarapa-Bush or Horowhenua-Kapiti. who regularly borrow loan players from Capital clubs, would be offered an early 2021 Shield game.

Over the years the Butcher Boys and Magpies have twice contested the Shield with HB winning 36-3 at Nelson Park (Hastings) in 1926 and 39-16 at McLean Park (Napier) in 1934.

Wanganui has challenged Wellington five times for the Shield, losing 30-3 in 1919, 20-14 in 1920, 34-5 in 1957, 30-9 in 1982 and 61-6 here at Cooks Gardens in 2009.

To play for the Ranfurly Shield is a milestone for minor provincial rep players and the prospect of a challenge early next season could inspire some of the older members of the current Wanganui squad to recommit to the 2021 campaign.

Present Butcher Boys squad members who played in the union's last Shield game – a 33-10 loss to Taranaki at Hawera in 2018 – are backs Lindsay Horrocks, Dane Whale and Ethan Robinson and forwards Campbell Hart, Jamie Hughes, Kampeli Latu, Dylan Gallien, Jack Yarrall, Gabriel Hakaraia and Wiremu Cottrell (who is moving to Hawke's Bay).
Record 'Bay' score

The 38 points scored by Poverty Bay in last weekend's nail-biter is a record for the "Bay in 40 games against Wanganui over the past 111 years.

Previous highest PB score was a 36-22 home win in 2003.

An early penalty goal from Dane Whale turned out to be the difference between the teams last Saturday – Wanganui's 15th successive win against the Reds since 2006 and a 31st success since 1909.

Apart from Ranfurly Shield games only Buller (40-30 in a 2013 Cooks Gardens Lochore Cup semifinal), Mid Canterbury (40-39 at home in 2017) and North Otago (39-16 here in 2007 and 39-18 in the 2010 Meads Cup final at Oamaru) have scored more than 38 points against the Butcher Boys in 14 years during the Heartland era.

Poverty Bay's six tries is equal tops with Horowhenua-Kapiti (34-39 home loss in 2015) and North Otago (39-18 home Meads final in 2010) in tries conceded by Wanganui over the same time period.

The televised Wanganui's struggle on Saturday was in direct contrast to a 53-0 eight-try romp when the teams last met, at Gisborne in 2018.

Saturday's three point victory matched the 3-0 PB win here in the very first encounter in 1909 and again by the visitors in 1979 (10-7) but there were two point margins in Wanganui winning at home in 2007 (22-20 home) and 1995 (19-17 away).

There has been a single draw – 15-all on Spriggens Park in 1977.

Clare up to fifth

Accurate goal-kicker Craig Clare has climbed to fifth on the Wanganui rep points scoring table.

The globe-trotter has reached 308 points from 31 matches since 2016, an average of 9.99 points per outing.

Top average amongst the leading scorers is 10.9 held by another Border goal kicker, Mark Davis, who scored 427 pts from 39 fixtures between 2006-12.

All Black triallist Bob Barrell (Marton OB and Utiku OB) holds the Wanganui record of 980 pts from 139 games between 1963-77 (average 7.0).

Barrell, who played 147 first class games during his career, is Wanganui's only player with more than 1000 NZ first class points. He finished with 1030 over 16 years.

Former NZ Universities' rep Guy Lennox (Border), who had 110 games for Wanganui between 1989-98, has recorded the second highest points tally for the union with 746 (average 6.80).

Under Barrell 980, Lennox 746, Davis 427 and Clare 308 are Ace Malo 243 (85 games 2004-17), John Hainsworth 240 (69 games 1984-95), Kelvin Chase 217 (64 games 1981-94), Denning Tyrell 197 (89 games 1997-2011), David Kereti 185 (84 games 1994-2003) and Steve Gordon 185 (81 games 1982-90), Tom Fearn 184 (52 games 1987-90), Glenn Willacy 182 (30 games 1977-82), Bruce Hansen 175 (82 games 1986-93) and Richard Murray 179 (70 games 1976-80).