Newspaper clipping from June, 1869. Source / Papers Past
"NZ Rugby 150-year-old myth revealed — Wanganui was first."
They were the headlines in the national Sunday Star Times (June 6) eight column book review article outlining the claims by both Wanganui and Nelson over who hosted the first game of rugby played in New Zealand.
The late Arthur Carman, the noted NZ rugby historian, had always claimed that the first match was between Nelson College OB v Town, played at Nelson Botanical Reserve on May 14, 1870.
But present respected New Zealand sports writer and historian Ron Palenski, who is the CEO of the Dunedin-based NZ Sports Hall of Fame and also a member of the Whanganui Sports Hall of Fame committee, states in his latest rugby book Our Game the first known match in the country was played between Country and Town at Wanganui on June12, 1869.
The revelation that the original game was played here was revealed locally by Ron Palenski when he spoke at the Wanganui Literary Festival last year but now the news has gained national prominence.
The Wanganui fixture was played on John Walker's Aramoho property, and was advertised on June 2, 1869, in the Wanganui Herald, a paper founded by jeweller-journalist and later NZ Prime Minister John Balance (a bronze statue of him is situated in front of the Whanganui District Council).
With darkness and rain setting in and no scoring by the teams the match was delayed after two hours of play and completed the following weekend. There was also a marathon three-hour trotting race on the day (June 12) between two horses.
The honour of being the first Māori to participate in an official game in the country is held by a Wanganui player by the name of Wirihana, a member of a Country team.
With the last Irish regiment of the British Army, the 18th Regiment of Foot, stationed in Wanganui during the 1860s, the overseas soldiers participated in a variety of sports in the city.
Kenny departure a loss
Wanganui rugby has lost a dedicated administrator with the departure of WRFU club liaison officer Paul (PK) Kenny last week.
He was into his seventh year with the union and only the third person to have the role of CDO during the new millennium, following in the footsteps of John Phillips (2004-12) and Roger Wells (2000-03).
Under a restructure the position of CDO has been disestablished with the club administration duties now to be shared between the other five members of the office staff.
During his playing career Kenny was halfback of the unbeaten 1983 Marist premiers who headed off eventual runners-up Ratana, wining all nine matches in the round robin championship.
In the 1990s he was player-coach of the Marist 3rds who won their championship.
During his 25 years working for the government, including for the prison department at Kaitoke between 1982-97, Kenny was halfback for the NZ Prison rugby team.
As well as being a loyal Marist member he is a life member of the Wanganui Squash Club, representing Central Districts and being NZ Coach of the Year in 2003.
As part of his role as rugby CDO he was also secretary of the WRFU Council of Clubs.
COC chairman Marty McGrath, who is also vice chairman of the WRFU, said Kenny had done an "excellent job in what can be a very demanding position, handling all sorts of requests from clubs. We worked in well together and he will be really missed."
Kenny was also ground announcer and scoreboard controller for club rugby at Spriggens Park, also setting up ground flags and protector wrappings, and also assisted in the same roles during rep games at Cooks Gardens.
"Covid-19 has affected us all in some way or another and the Wanganui union is no exception. It is with some regret and sadness that I need to tell you all that my job as club development officer has been disestablished as such and will be covered by another staff member," said Paul Kenny in an email to all Wanganui clubs.
"I thank you for all your support over the past seven years."
He also thanked fellow staff members for their support and friendship through "the good, the bad and the ugly" times. "I have enjoyed my job immensely, especially the associations and friends I have made with all clubs, referees and the media.
"I wish you all well for the long upcoming club season in what has been a trying set of circumstances for everyone."
Footnote — Many unions in the country have been re-organising their staff numbers, following in the footsteps of the NZRU which shed 90 of its staff.
Rangitikei Derby Series
With Hunterville, Marton and Ratana all in the same grade this year there will be a true Rangitikei sub-union domestic club championship for the first time in six seasons.
As the only Rangitikei side in the Tasman Tanning premier competition in recent years Ratana has automatically claimed the sub-union honour since 2015 although there was no clear proof the team was always stronger than Hunterville and Marton teams who won senior grade championship titles during the same period.
There is no doubt that Ratana was clearly the top side in 2001-02-03-06 and 2011 when the club won the union-wide combined premier titles.
Between 2001-03 Ratana won 51 of 53 matches during a dream hat-trick title golden era.
The 2001 side was unbeaten in 18 outings, culminating in a 16-13 win over defending champions Marist in the final. It was revenge for an unexpected 13-23 loss to Marist in the previous year's final.
Ratana, in its 75th jubilee year, had suffered only one loss (7-8 away to Taihape) during 2000 but the green and whites turned earlier 15-18 and 17-23 qualifying round defeats into an upset victory in the final. That season Johnny Muir scored 147 points for Marist and Leon Mason 127 and Corey Pardoe 115 including 23 tries for Ratana.
Dwayne Corfield scored 124 pts for unbeaten Ratana in 2001 with the closest win 19-18 away versus Taihape at Memorial Park.
Corfield was also the top points scorer for champions Ratana in both 2002 (163) and 2003 (145) with the sole loss l7-18 away to Taihape in 2002 while a year later there were 16 victories and a 15-all draw at Taihape, Ratana beating Kaierau 25-18 and Marist 25-10 in the two finals.
During the four-year cycle (2000-2003) Ratana achieved a rare hat-tricks of titles and a second placing, losing only twice and drawing once from 70 fixtures.
The 2006 Ratana team also performed well, winning l5 of 6 fixtures, losing only 23-24 at home against Kaierau but atoning for that with a tense 16-14 triumph in the final, Corfield managing 82 points during the series and Rauhina scoring nine tries.
Ratana's fifth and most recent Wanganui title was a 17-15 win over Kaierau in 2011, Caleb Maraku (66 pts) top scoring for the champions who earlier had a 16-all draw at home and losing 5-25 away against the Kaiwaka's, 15-26 at home to Marist and 18-27 to Pirates and 5-12 v Utiku OB in away games.
Marton won two premier titles for Rangitikei — 21-12 v Marist in 1989 with 14 wins, a draw and a loss, and 38-15 v Ohakune-Karioi in 1994 with 11 wins and six defeats.
Since the start of the union-wide competitions in 1978 Ratana has won the Rangitikei sub-union title outright 24 times, Marton seven, Pourewa (Marton and Hunterville combined) three and Hunterville (1979) and Bulls (1978) once each.
The title has ben shared five times — Athletic, Hunterville and Marton in 1989, Athletic and Ratana 1983, Bulls, Marton and Ratana 1986, Hunterville and Marton 1990 and Marton and Ratana 2013.
Apart from 2013, when Marton and Ratana shared the title, Ratana has emerged as the top Rangitikei team 19 times during the new millennium.
Although Marton finished three places ahead of Ratana on the union-wide points table in 2013 — fifth against eighth overall — the teams beat each other at home during the two qualifying rounds.
Marton won 13-0 on Marton Park in the first round and Ratana turned the tables 28-25 as hosts in the return game, the side's only victory of the round.
Lote Tauailoto (118 pts) was top points scorer for Marton that season with Tyler Rogers-Holden (8) and Moli Sagapolutere (7) the team's leading try scorers, rep front rower Vaan Rauhina scoring six times for Ratana.
NZ Super Rugby Draw
Saturday —
Chief v Blues — Hamilton 5.05.
Sunday —
Hurricanes v Crusaders — Wellington 3.05.
Bye — Highlanders
The second round robin gets under way next week.