Former All Black and successful businessman Bill Osborne could be destined to become Wanganui's first New Zealand Rugby Union president in more than half a century.
Osborne, who turns 62 on April 4, has been nominated as NZRU vice president by the Wanganui Rugby Football Union and if elected at the
national body's annual meeting on April 27 it is a stepping stone to becoming president.
The last Wanganui president was the late Ernie Bevege in 1961. The Spriggens Park grandstand is named after him. Bevege was Wanganui RFU president in 1954 and chairman from 1955 until 1962.
If elected Osborne will become the sixth Wanganui NZRU president, joining Walter Epsom (1900), George Spriggens (1917), Dr George Adams (1930), Geoffrey Pownall (1932) and Ernie Bevege.
Epsom was also president of the NZ Cricket Council in 1900-01, Spriggens donated Spriggens Park to Wanganui rugby, Adams was co-manager of the All Blacks to Australia in 1938 and Pownall repped for Wanganui in rugby, tennis and athletics.
It is possible that former All Black Blair Furlong (Hawke's Bay) could be a contender against Osborne.
Furlong, a first five who repped for Hawke's Bay, Bay of Plenty and Wellington, played 11 games including one test for New Zealand in South Africa in 1970, was a NZ Under-23 cricket rep and a Hawke's Bay rugby and cricket administrator.
Bill Osborne, who lived in Waikato and Lower Hutt after leaving Wanganui and now resides in Tauranga, wore the Wanganui colours 72 times between 1973-84 when a member of the Kaierau club, repped for Wanganui-King Country and also for Waikato.
He played 48 times for New Zealand, including 16 internationals, between 1975 and 1982 and was regarded as a world class second five or centre, especially for his solid defence.
Osborne was an All Black trialist 1974-79, a NZ Maori rep who was NZ Maori Player of the year (Tom French Cup) in 1977, a NZ Under-21 rep in 1974, a North Island rep 1980-84, played for the NZ Cavaliers in South Africa in 1986 and for World Invitation teams in 1977 and 1979.
He played in Wanganui age grade rugby teams, for the Wanganui High School 1st XV and was in a WHS NZ secondary schools' champion Maadi Cup rowing eight oar crew.
Osborne, who worked in the forestry industry and as a stock and station company representative in Wanganui, earned an Executive MBA (with distinction) from Waikato University in 1995.
He was appointed group manager for NZ Post when he moved to Lower Hutt and a member of the Institute of Directors, having completed qualifications as director and chairman of the board.
His working career included being involved in 15 companies around the country including being appointed chief executive of Quotable Value NZ in 1998, a position he held until retiring at the end of 2015.
He was co-founder and inaugural chairman of 2 Degrees Mobile in 2002, retiring in 2012, and chairman of CoreLogic NZ.
Bill Osborne is currently a director of Rangatira Services Ltd, Transpower NZ Ltd and the Chiefs Rugby Club GP Ltd.
Being of Te Atihauhau a Paparangi (Wanganui area) descent he has committed much time to Maori development over the years including serving on the Maori Economic Development Commission, establishing the Te Huarahi Trust (a pan Maori trust handling Maori interests in Radio Spectrum) and chairing the commercial arm of the trust, and is a former board member of the Spoptas Foundation, Hillary Commission, SPARC and is a former director of the NZ Maori Rugby Board.
He represents New Zealand business interests in China, America, Europe, South America and Australia.
He is married to Pia and they have two children, Stefan and Penille.
If elected vice president next month Bill Osborne would become NZRU president during a very important 2019 season which includes the World Cup in Japan. Former Auckland selector Maurice Trapp starts a two-year term as president next month.
Former All Blacks who have become NZRU president in recent years include Ian MacRae, Andy Leslie and Brian Lochore.
Main interest in the second round of the 2017 Tasman Tanning premier club championship on Saturday centres on the Border-Ruapehu clash at Ohakune's Rochfort Park.
Waverley Harvesting Border, the playing-through champions, challenge McCarthy Transport Ruapehu for the Grand Hotel Challenge Shield.
Border started the season well with an easy 65-7 home romp over Harvey Round Motors Ratana last weekend while Ruapehu sat out the opening day bye.
With former champion coach Kerry Alabaster back in control Ruapehu should be up and firing early this campaign in contrast to the past two seasons.
Border has won on the past three trips north but only by very slender margins each time - 18-13 in 2014, 17-14 in 2015 and 23-21 last year. Since Border returned from Taranaki in 2011 Ruapehu is ahead seven wins to five.
The two clubs have met seven times in shield fixtures with Ruapehu ahead four wins to three, winning at home 53-7 (2012) and 25-22 (2013) and at Waverley 21-6 (2013) and 25-14 (2015) with Border's victories at home last year (47-17) and at Ohakune 18-13 (2014) and 17-14 (2015)
Highest score between the two teams in the past six years was 69-14 by the visitors at Dallison Park in 2011 when Ruapehu finished third in the championship behind Ratana and Kaierau and Border was eighth.
Kaierau has held the trophy five times at the end of a season (2004-05-06-10-11) during the new millennium, Ratana four times (2000-01-02-03), Ruapehu three times (2013-15-16), Marist twice (2008-09) and Pirates (2012) and Border (2014) once each. There was no award in 2007 when the final shield game between Kaierau and Ruapehu was called off because of fighting with both teams then excluded from the championship play-offs.
Border picked up 11 tries last Saturday including a hat-trick for Nick Harding who also kicked five conversions for a personal tally of 25 points from opening day. He was the top points scorer in the competition last year with 179 points (10 tries, 13 penalty goals and 45 conversions).
Following a close 33-32 win over Dave Hoskin Carriers Marist last weekend Black Bull Pirates host premier newcomers Settlers Honey Ngamatapouri at Spriggens Park on Saturday.
It is likely to be a bruising affair with both teams primarily consisting of Pacific Island players.
After sailing through the senior ranks unbeaten last season Ngamatapouri suffered a 62-29 home defeat at the hands of Wanganui Car Centre Kaierau last Saturday, being out-scored 10 tries to four.
But there were only five points between the two teams mid-way through the second spell until Kaierau piled on late points with Karl Pascoe collecting three tries.
Kaierau has a breather this coming weekend sitting out the second round bye
After being pipped by a single point at the hands of Pirates last weekend Marist is off to Taihape to play Utiku OB on Saturday.
Marist, who out-scored Pirates five tries to four on Saturday, beat Utiku 36-25 and 45-25 in two free-flowing games last season.
A year, however, can produce different fortunes as Marist found out in losing to Pirates, a side that it beat 34-0 on opening day last season.
To make the day even sadder Celtic went down 26-19 to Pirates, a team it had hammered 88-0 12 months ago, and Buffalo's lost 29-12 to Counties on Saturday.
There were certainly celebrations at Spriggens Park at the weekend, but they mainly came from the Pirates club rooms.
Pirates has been bolstered by the arrival of halfback Fa'alele Iosua, winger Suilagi Iafi and No 8 Tafulu Isaako from the Samoan Training Academy, goal-kicking second five Junior Ainea from Manawatu (ex-Rangitikei College and Wanganui lower grade rep who played for Bulls last season) and former Wanganui rep mid-field back Soonalote Tauailoto, another useful goal-kicker who has transferred from Marton.
It was superior goal-kicking by Ainea, who landed three penalty goals and two conversions, that enabled Pirates to collect a late match revenge win over Marist on opening day.
After a heavy loss to Border, Ratana has a home ground against Taihape this weekend but PGG Wrightson/Balance Taihape will take some containing.
Taihape scored five tries to one in beating neighbours Utiku OB 34-10. It was 22-12 (at Ratana) and 66-12 (at home) to Taihape over Ratana in 2016.
To strike the defending champions and runners up in the first two rounds this season is a tough starting challenge for Ratana.
In senior rugby this weekend first round winners Pirates and Counties meet at Spriggens Park, Hunterville has a home Stihl Shop Wanganui Shield challenge from Taihape and there are also home games for Utiku OB (v Celtic), Ruapehu (v Border) and Speirs Food Marton (v Buffalo's) with Kaierau having the bye.
