Editorial: ABs are great but BBs are magic

Mark Dawson, Editor of Wanganui Chronicle

ANOTHER outstanding performance ... another milestone knocked off.

No, not the All Blacks -- let's just put New Zealand's rugby heroes and their world record* 18 straight wins to one side.

Instead, turn your thoughts to where these almighty ABs come from -- the grassroots of the game. And, of course, that means the blue-and-black Butcher Boys from Wanganui.

Steve Hansen's men may be heading to Chicago to take on Ireland, but Cooks Gardens is the place to be.

On Saturday Wanganui took apart Wairarapa Bush -- and their former All Black flier Zac Guildford -- 58-26 at a sun-drenched Cooks in the Meads Cup semifinal.

That took Wanganui's winning streak to 15 games in the Heartland Championship.

Next Saturday it is the biggest game of the season, with no-nonsense Buller coming to town for the final.

If Wanganui retain the Meads Cup, they will emulate the 2008-09 teams which also won back-to-back titles.

There was a good crowd at Saturday's match, but hopefully there will be a lot more cheering the boys on next weekend for what should be a wonderful occasion.

Get your tickets sorted now.

While the All Blacks have AIG on their shirts, Wanganui have Steelform, a sponsor who has stuck with the local rugby union through thick and thin.

Talking of thick and thin, Wanganui coach Jason Caskey may lack Hansen's dry wit but his record bears comparison.

In 2011, he took the team to Meads Cup glory, but the following year lost out in the final to East Coast. That one blemish saw him out of the job, but he didn't make a song-and-dance about it.

Karl Hoskin's one season in charge may be best forgotten, and Caskey was reinstated in 2014 when Wanganui won the Lochore Cup.

Last season, of course, Caskey secured the main prize, and on Saturday he will hopefully add further to a pretty remarkable coaching record.

(* That's an 18-win rugby record for the top-flight, tier one nations. Cyprus notched up 24 successive victories at a level somewhere below the Heartland Championship.)