Our rugby boys well worth cheering

SWEET: The kiss of victory in 2011.PHOTO/FILE

All right, so it's not the All Blacks versus Australia for the Bledisloe Cup. That comes later tonight.

It's not even Super 15 (though it can be "super").

But it is the Heartland Championship - and that's what counts in rugby circles around these parts.

Wanganui's representative team - also known as "The Butcher's Boys" - start their competitive season at Cooks Gardens this afternoon (2.30pm kick-off) and they deserve a good crowd and enthusiastic support.

There's a new coach and some new faces (and a few faces that have been around quite a number of years) and you never know how the first match will go.

But Wanganui deserve support - and respect - on the back of their remarkable Heartland Championship record.

They have made every final in the seven years of the Heartland competition and they have picked up the silverware on three of those occasions.

That run of success is testament to the strength of the club game in the district and also of the Wanganui Rugby Union which administers it.

I had the privilege (yes, it was a privilege) of covering the winning 2011 campaign for the Chronicle. There were thrills, spills, some heart-stopping moments and a glorious finale at Cooks Gardens.

My one regret was that not more people went along on a Saturday afternoon to watch them. Finals and the last home Ranfurly Shield challenge drew about 6000 spectators, but some home matches only get 1200 to 1500 fans.

Sure, the boys aren't the professionals we are used to seeing on TV - they fluff the odd pass ... but then who hasn't?

But they are something Wanganui can take pride in; they give value for money; and we wouldn't want to see that great tradition fade away.

Go along and give them a cheer.