An 88-5 thrashing at Hāwera in 2000, when Taranaki piled on 14 tries, led to the end of first-class games, and even then the mountain province proved too powerful with a Taranaki XV scoring a dozen tries in a 77-19 runaway victory at Waverley in 2003 in the first of the non-first-class clashes.
Since then Taranaki have won 37-5 on Cooks Gardens in 2004, 56-29 at Eltham and 62-17 at Dallison Park, both in 2005, 47-11 at Spriggens Park and 20-12 at New Plymouth, both in 2006, 39-14 at Spriggens Park in 2007, 34-22 at Waverley in 2008 and 17-5 at Hāwera in 2019 with Whanganui's sole success 43-12 on the same field in 2016.
Kameli Kuruyabaki, a former local rep who is a loan player from Manawatū this year, scored twice for Whanganui in the 2016 Jones Brothers Shield triumph with Campbell Hart, Te Rangatira Waitokia, Lindsay Horrocks, Cole Baldwin and Sam Madams also scoring, and Dane Whale (three) and Craig Clare kicking conversions.
That Whanganui squad later went through the Heartland season unbeaten, eliminating visiting Wairarapa-Bush 58-26 in the semifinals and scraping home 20-18 against Buller in a very tight local Meads Cup final.
The Butcher Boys also face Hawke's Bay (at Cooks Gardens, August 7) and Wellington (at Porirua, August 14) Development XVs before the opening Bunnings Warehouse Heartland championship match here on August 21.
Footnote – The Jones Brothers Shield is in memory of hooker Bevan, halfback Graeme and first-five Peter who all played for Wanganui HSOB and represented Whanganui. Bevan, a NZ Māori rep in 1952-54, played 20 times for Whanganui in 1949-54 and also played for Manawatū; Graeme, also a Horowhenua rep, had nine games for Whanganui in 1958; and Peter was capped 47 times for Whanganui between 1950 and 1961.
Other sets of three brothers who repped for Whanganui included –
Crocker family (Bulls) – winger Basil (1967 – six games), five-eighth Peter (1963-68 – 29) and halfback Michael (1966-67 – 16).
McLean family (Kaierau) – Billy (1888-1901 – 26), Jack (1896-1904 -14) and Robert (1891-1901 – 28).
Collier family (Mataroa) – FS Collier (also Kaierau – 1910-22 – 32), HW Collier (1913-15 – 13), JM Collier (also Marist and Marton – 1912-20 – 7).
Double For "Tiks"
Waverley flyer Vereniki Tikoisolomone has joined select company, becoming only the third player to top both the points and try-scoring in Whanganui premier club rugby in the same season.
He scored 23 tries for a season total of 115 points to join the Kaierau pair of Api Karoi (2010) and Dion Hyland (2009) as the only players in more than half a century to win the points-try double in the same year in local top-grade competitions.
Karoi scored 145 points from a record 29 tries from 16 matches, and Hyland 184 points including 14 tries, also from 16 games, compared with a dozen fixtures this season.
"Tiks" headed off last year's top points-scorer Ethan Robinson (Kaierau), who picked up 34 points in the past fortnight, by 24 points with Dane Whale (Taihape) a further 16 points back in third place.
Border skipper Angus Middleton (11 tries) was second in 2021 try-scoring, 12 behind his star winger.
"Tiks" becomes the eighth Waverley player to claim the points-scoring honour since 1976, joining Francis Hill (104 in 1976), Geoff Rodley (100 in 1977), Dennis Koubaridis (166 in 1981), Guy Lennox (247 in 1995), Mark Davis (158 in 2012 and 155 in 2013), Sikeli Ulukuta (190 in 2014) and Nick Harding (179 in 2016, 212 in 2017 and 200 in 2018).
Waiouru's Jody Smith, who also holds Manawatū records, set a Whanganui record of 271 points.
Tikoisolomone was also leading 2020 try-scorer with 11, and has now set a club record of 23 this year.
He is the ninth Waverley player to score the most tries in a season, joining Sandy Elmslie who shared the honour with Marton Athletic's Richard Murray with nine each in 1977, Derek Brooks (13 with Pirates' Kevin Lister in 1990), Chris Carrick (22 in 1991 and 12 in 1994 with Kaierau's Stu Selby), Aaron Yadiga (11 in 2012), Sailosi Naqiso (13 in 2013), Poasa Waqanibau (18 in 2015), Kaveni Dabonaise (20 in 2016) and Harry Symes (15 in 2017).
Kaierau tops
Comparing champion teams from different eras can be problematic because of the number of entries and games played in the grade, and in the case of Whanganui's premier division that has varied between 20 matches down to a low of 12 since the union-wide competitions started in 1978.
There were only a total of seven fixtures in the first two years, won by Utiku OB and Ohakune, and as many as 20 in 1980 and 1998 when Waverley and Tech COB emerged champions.
Over the past two seasons just a dozen fixtures were played in a six-club competition.
One logical way of trying to compare champion sides is to look at their average scores.
Under that format the unbeaten 2005 Kaierau squad, under coach Philip ("Red") Morris claims the top honour, being the only team during the 43 years of the championships to finish with a plus-50-point average winning score.
The side's winning score averaged 59-6 over 18 games, scoring 948 points including 149 tries, both records that still stand, and conceding 100 points.
Waverley Harvesting Border, champions for the past two years, come in sixth (average score of 40-13 in 2020) and seventh (40-14) this season.
Also in the 40-point bracket are Border in 2016 (49-15 from 16 games), Kaierau in 2000 (45-11 – 18 games) and 1997 (44-15 – 16 games) and Marist in 2007 (42-14 – 16 matches.
Most points in a season were Kaierau 948 in 2005 and 814 in 2004, Tech 773 (20 games in 1998 – average score 39-8), Border 770 in 2016, Ruapehu 710 in 2013 (18 games – average score 39-11) and Kaierau 698 in 1997.
Try-wise, the leading teams were Kaierau 149 in 2005 and 122 in 2004, Border 119 in 2016, Tech 116 in 1998 and Ruapehu 103 in 2013.
Border scored 475 points (72 tries) this winter and 464 points (74 tries) last season.
