Former Wanganui loose forward Chris Masoe reached another milestone in his rugby career when he helped Toulon make history by winning a third successive European Cup, beating Clermont Auvergne 24-18 in an all-French final at Twickenham.
Masoe, a former European Player of the Year, has played in all three champion Toulon
teams, the first Northern Hemisphere club to win a hat-trick of titles to match the feat of the Canterbury Crusaders in the Southern Hemisphere Super series.
A few of the star-studded Toulon "international" squad, which includes ex-All Blacks Ali Williams, Carl Hayman (captain), Rudi Wulf and Masoe, are likely to retire but Masoe has signed on for at least another season and is tipped as a likely team captain.
Williams, who started his international career at Twickenham in 2002 when the All Blacks beat England 31-28, has retired in fitting style - being named man of the match in the Cup final which was played before a crowd of 56,662. Williams is to live in London with his family.
Toulon led 16-11 at half-time and later came from behind with a crucial try from Wallaby winger Drew Morrison clinching victory. Welsh fullback Leigh Halfpenny also played a major role by kicking 14 points.
Masoe, born in Savaii, Samoa, on May 15, 1979, was educated at Wanganui City College, making his senior representative debut for Wanganui in 1999 for Kaierau. He later played for Marist before moving to Inglewood.
He played 12 times for Wanganui in 2000 before being snapped up by Taranaki, gaining All Black honours in 2005 and again in 2006-2007 when playing in Wellington. Masoe played 20 times for New Zealand.
He had been a New Zealand Sevens rep in 2001-2002-2004, playing in 22 matches including in the winning team at the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games. The same year he was named Taranaki Sportsman of the Year and New Zealand Sevens Player of the Year.
Masoe was chosen in the Chiefs Super Squad in 2001 and the following season played the first of his 62 matches for the Hurricanes, ending in 2007.
In 2008 he signed a contract with the French Top 14 club Castres Olympique, for whom he played 118 times, and was chosen in the French Barbarians to play Tonga in 2010. He was named the 2011-2012 European Top 14 Player of the Year.
In 2012 he switched to Toulon and has 68 caps to his credit for a club that can now boast three successive European (formerly Heineken) Cup titles. Masoe has played in 32 European Cup fixtures for two French teams.
He has been in select company for the powerful Toulon side which was this year captained by 46-cap Otago former All Black prop Hayman (2001-2007) plus fellow former All Blacks Auckland prop Williams (78 games for NZ between 2002-2012) and four-times 2008 North Harbour All Black three-quarter Wulf.
Throw in 21 other international players, comprising five Frenchmen, four Argentinians, Welsh fullback Leigh Halfpenny, England's fullback Delon Armitage and No 8 Steffon Armitage, three Georgians, an Italian prop, the Springbok trio of lock Bakkies Botha, winger Bryan Habana and halfback Michael Classens, and Wallabies Matt Giteau (five eighths) and Drew Mitchell (fullback or wing) and it is little wonder that Toulon is the current European champion club.
The quest to find the winners of the first qualifying round of the 2015 Tasman Tanning Wanganui premier club rugby championship - the Paul Mitchell Cup and Breakers' Bar $500 voucher - terminates on Saturday.
It is the half-way stage in the two-round qualifying series with Waverley Harvesting Border (27 pts), Integrity Motors Pirates (26 pts) and PGG Wrightson/Ballance Taihape (21 pts) the Mitchell Cup contenders
Unbeaten Border tackles defending combined champions and Mitchell Cup holders Pirates at Spriggens Park and Taihape confronts Wanganui Car Centre Kaierau (10 pts) at the Kaierau Country Club.
In the past 40 years, since 1975, a dozen clubs from three sub unions have claimed the first round honours.
Metropolitan clubs have emerged top 22 times, Northern Wanganui clubs on 11 occasions and Rangitikei clubs seven times.
Ratana and Ruapehu share the most first round titles in succession with four each.
Kaierau has been the most successful club with 10 successes, Ruapehu (formerly Ohakune and Ohakune-Karioi) has won eight times, Ratana five and Marist and Border (then Waverley) four times each.
Over the past four years Pirates premiers have won six of the 10 matches against Border including a hat-trick en-route to winning the combined championship title for the first time last season - 25-14 at Waverley, 28-13 in the return game and l8-16 in a close cut-throat semi-final at Spriggens Park.
The four wins by Border came in 2013 - 16-15 away and 17-16 at home in the two qualifying rounds (Pirates won the semi-final 22-17 in Waverley) - and 26-17 at home and 23-6 in the 2012 semi-final at Spriggens Park (Pirates won 25-20 at home in the second round).
There was only one game between the two clubs in 2011, Pirates winning 19-12 at Spriggens Park.
This year Border has won six from six so far, scoring 176 points (24 tries) and conceding 72 points (nine tries).
There have been some close shaves - 17-14 over McCarthy's Transport Ruapehu in Ohakune, 15-12 away against Taihape and 22-18 at home against Utiku OB last Saturday.
The other victories were all in Waverley - 46-7 v Harvey Round Motors Ratana, 38-7 v Dave Hoskin Carriers Marist and 38-14 v Kaierau.
Loose forward Kieran Hussey has been in top form for Border, scoring seven tries, with halfback Lindsay Horrocks scoring four. First five Jack Lupton has missed the odd game because of his hydroplane racing but has still managed 54 points with eight penalty goals and 15 conversions.
Since losing 18-19 away to Taihape on opening day Pirates has strung together five victories although the side was lucky to pip Marist 25-23. The others wins have been over Kaierau 40-30 and Utiku OB 50-29 at Spriggens Park and away against Ratana 22-5 and Ruapehu 31-6 last weekend.
Pirates has scored 186 pts (28 tries) and conceded 12 (15 tries).
Mid Field back S'aena Vili is the team's leading try scorer with seven tries and veteran first five Denning Tyrell has contributed 34pts (two tries, two penalty goals and nine conversions).
Throw in the Grand Hotel Challenge Shield for good measure and Saturday's clash should be a thriller.
A draw for Border would clinch the Mitchell Cup and retention of the Grand Shield.
With a likely away win over Kaierau on Saturday, including a bonus point, Taihape could draw level with Border at the top of the table should Border and Pirates draw. But on the strength of a 15-12 win in Taihape, Border would win the first round trophy.
Utiku OB host Ratana in Taihape on Saturday and will be seeking just a fifth victory in 29 games betweenthe clubs during the new millennium.
Last year the two teams drew 23-all in a "washed out" consolation semi-final at Ratana when both teams fielded unregistered players. Ratana had won the two qualifying games, 20-19 at home and 27-7 away.
Utiku claimed two narrow victories the previous season, 15-12 in Taihape and 19-12 at Ratana.
Kaierau may be ahead 26 wins to give with a 12-all draw in 2006 over Taihape since the turn of the century but the visitors will be hard to contain this time at the Devon Road complex.
Taihape has only won twice at the field - 36-21 in 2000 and 18-17 in 2013 - but the team has scalped the city side at least once in each of the past three seasons.
There is little between the two teams in scoring tries this winter with Taihape ahead 21 to 20 but the northern club's defence is much stronger, only conceding nine tries to Kaierau's 25.
It is five years since Marist (11 pts) has beaten Ruapehu (10 pts) and despite indifferent form from both teams this winter the hosts will still be hard to beat in Ohakune on Saturday.
The top two unbeaten senior teams - Ruapehu and defending champions Kelso Hunterville - could face testing opposition in ninth round games on Saturday.
They have been the championship finalists for the past two seasons and on current form could again play-off for the title on August 1 at Spriggens Park.
Top of the table Ruapehu (39 pts) is home to fifth-placed Celtic (28 pts) and second-placed Hunterville (37 pts) travels away to play near-neighbours Speirs Food Marton (third-placed with 35 pts).
Marton has dropped just one game this year - 15-5 at home to Ruapehu - while Celtic has lost two away matches - 22-0 at Ngamatapouri and 30-17 at Hunterville.
In other senior games this weekend Pirates play Tech at Spriggens Park, Buffalo's v Taihape on the Racecourse, Utiku OB is home to Ratana, Kaierau to Ngamatapouri and Border to Counties.
CURRENT STANDINGS
Individual points: - 54 Jack Lupton (Border), 50 Zyon Hekenui (Ruapehu), 49 Ace Malo (Kaierau), 40 Grayson Tihema (Marist) and Ricky Alabaster (Utiku OB), 36 Taylor Transom (Taihape), 35 Kieran Hussey (Border), S'aena Vili (Pirates) and Michael Nabuliwaqa (Utiku OB). ¦ Goal-kicking: 54 Lupton, 45 Hekenui, 44 Malo, 40 Alabaster, 35 Tihema. ¦ Individual tries: 7 Hussey, Vili and Nabuliwaqa, 5 Malakai Volou (Utiku OB), 4 Lindsay Horrocks (Border) and Karl Pascoe (Kaierau). ¦ Team tries: For: 28 Pirates, 26 Utiku OB, 24 Border, 21 Taihape, 20 Kaierau, 18 Marist, 16 Ruapehu, 10 Ratana. Conceded: 9 Border and Taihape, 15 Pirates, 23 Ruapehu, 25 Kaierau, 26 Utiku OB, 27 Marist,29 Ratana.