PARTY TIME: The well-earned celebrations did not stop for the Meads Cup-winning Wanganui team for a long time over the weekend.PHOTO/GETTY IMAGES
SO THERE we have it, the journey of four years to get back to the top of the Pink Batts Heartland Championship was completed by Steelform Wanganui in fine style just seven days ago.
You have read the exploits of the team in 2015, waxed lyrical in the pages of the Wanganui Chronicle, over the past few days.
I could give you more anecdotes about this amazing team winning the Meads Cup for the fourth time - breaking their own record - or the outstanding accomplishment of winning six consecutive games on the road, including the final against South Canterbury in Timaru.
But instead, I thought I'd share a few of the behind-the-scenes moments from those amazing 48 hours - October 23-25 - which saw a group of enthusiastic young men enter themselves into rugby folklore.
FRIDAY
Tarted Up
It was a very early Friday morning start for barber Ian Filo at UGC Hairdressing.
Receiving an anxious visit the day before, Filo found four Wanganui players in desperate need of a trim before they got on the 1.30pm bus for the trip to Palmerston North airport the next day.
With no free slots that day or the mid-morning, Filo magnanimously went back down to open up at 7am for the players, who said "we got to look sharp" ahead of the season's only game broadcast live on Sky Sport 1 in front of potential viewing audience of several million.
SATURDAY
Fong is Wrong
Locals eagerly watching Sky's telecast were soon getting their bees in a bonnet with commentator Ken Laban, from Wellington.
Without getting too much into the "H" in Wanganui debate, the local enunciation of the town name has remained much the same whatever the spelling.
Laban started the pre-match telecast well enough, but as the match progressed and his excitment built, suddenly some team called "Fonganui" was making all the running.
In fact, when Samu Kubunavanua dashed in for that magic 64th minute try, in lieu of trying to pronounce his name and those of his Fijian cohorts, Laban went wild about "these Fonganui" players.
Annoyed Wanganui fans also went wild on Facebook - "say it right Ken", they cried.
F-Bomb
Halfback Lindsay Horrocks found himself having a bit in common with All Blacks coach Steve Hansen when confronted by a camera as he jogged off at halftime.
Otago legend Brendan Laney asked the puffing scrumhalf if he was pleased his team was leading.
"Probably lucky, to be honest. They've got some big forward runners and they ****ing paid in that first 20 minutes," was the reply.
It was said so quickly that one was almost unsure Horrocks had just committed the ultimate sin - swearing on live TV - but Laban's subsequent apology and his offsider's comment that the playmaker's drink should come with a bar of soap pretty much confirmed it.
Nah Nah Nah - Shut Up
Aside from mispronunciations and R18 language, another audio annoyance came in the 61st minute when Wanganui's captain Peter Rowe caught the leg of South Canterbury halfback Nick Annear, trying to climb all over the top of the maul.
As an airborne Annear fell back and landed on his shoulders from quite a height - which the commentary described as Rowe's "judo throw" - all waited to see what the skipper's punishment would be at a crucial juncture of the match.
The ground announcers were in no doubt, proceeding to play, at loud volume, pop-rock band Steam's cult classic Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye.
Aside from inflaming the home supporters and trying to put added pressure on referee Liam Scanlon to show Rowe one coloured card or another, the racket made it impossible for the officials to communicate with the TMO on the sideline via headphones.
It got to the point where an NZRFU official had to walk onto the pitch to inform Scanlon, correctly, that Annear had put himself in the air rather than being lifted, so a penalty would suffice.
Wanganui's Heartland TV commentator and ground announcer Rowena Duncum, who was at the match, was beyond livid with the loud song selection.
If circumstances were reversed and the final was at Cooks Gardens, Duncum said she would never have tried a similar stunt.
SUNDAY
Whoopsie
After informing excited Wanganui punters via social media that their new Meads Cup champions would be arriving back at Cooks Gardens at 2pm on Sunday, the Chronicle team were a little disappointed at the lack of a public welcoming committee, on what was admittedly a very busy Labour Weekend with multiple sporting events around the city.
Still, those who were there got a bit more of a sight than they bargained for.
Having stepped off the bus with the Meads Cup held aloft in his giant mit, Ngamatapouri's own No8 Bryn Hudson felt the need to quickly swap from his travelling shorts to a fresh pair.
So, he "dropped trou" right there at the Cooks Gardens archway entrance, without being aware that leaning on the railing just above him were three young girls and two mothers who had arrived to welcome the side.
Reserve prop Brett Turner, a proud father of two, informed Hudson he had chosen an inauspicious moment for a wardrobe change, but the girls quickly recovered and soon had their beaming pictures taken with Heartland rugby's most prized trophy.
Cups for Poker Chips
The tepid welcoming continued for the team as they headed off to the St John's club, which could have been expected given one Facebook commentator's post beside the Chronicle's announcement that NZ Rugby's No1 amateur provincial team was coming in for a well-earned beverage.
"Don't make 2 much noise, we got poker on," he exclaimed.
To be fair, the card sharks at the half dozen or so tables did put down their full houses and royal flushes long enough to give the bemused players a very polite round of applause. It wasn't quite an open-top bus parade up Victoria Ave, but it will do.
First Class Education
While having a pint at St John's club, the talk with coach Jason Caskey turned to the future of young prodigy Stephen Perofeta - the Collegiate schoolboy who was dynamic in the No10 jumper and will become the youngest player selected for the NZ Heartland XV.
His talent is undeniable, but the learned Caskey was quick to point out it is just as impressive how the 18-year-old matured off the field in 10 weeks.
When first joining the team, the quiet Perofeta was somewhat stand-offish, preferring to go and do his own thing when day's session was over.
It could have been youthful arrogance, or inherent shyness about being a boy amongst men. Most likely a combination of both.
Caskey credited veteran fullback Ace Malo - 72 games for Wanganui and 30 for Perofeta's future union Taranaki - for taking the young man under his wing and showing him there is more to being part of a team than training and playing.
Buoyed, Perofeta came out of his shell, being one of the first to help with sweeping up the sheds and carrying the squad's bags.
He will now join the Clifton club in Taranaki and if you catch him in a couple of seasons being spoken of highly by Sky Sports' commentators as a humble team man, then you know where he learned those lessons.
The Meads Baptism
Tapping away at his computer at 8pm on Sunday night, our Chronicle production editor was very bemused to hear enthusiastic singing - a combination of Polynesian soul, Maori waiata and Pakeha warbling - coming down Guyton St.
He went to the window and sure enough, there were the Wanganui boys, now in full spirits, who had come down to the Wanganui District Council fountains for a bit of an impromptu dip.
They had brought the Meads Cup with them, giving it an official Wanganui baptism of absolution since it last farewelled the town in 2012.
Therefore, in one moment, they had washed away any sins which may have occurred to the trophy in the four years it has been domiciled in Ruatoria and then Ashburton.