Stephen Donald (c) of Waikato Chiefs offloads to Brad Weber to score the first try in against Wales at FMG Stadium in Hamilton on Tuesday night. 14 June 2016. New Zealand Herald photograph by Nick Ree
YOU'VE got to credit Wales coach Warren Gatland for his benevolence towards a fellow Mooloo.
The hard-as-nails former prop - who played 140 games for Waikato from 1986 to 1994 before going on to prove that stocky scrum merchants do have the mental acumen and nuance to guide an entire divergent outfit of farmer forwards and rock star backs - always knew the value of being the tank that lays down the platform so the general can prosper.
The 2013 UK coach of the year, when he was the first man to lead a successful Lions tour since 1997, Gatland just didn't pick that the platform he was laying when he agreed to a Tuesday night game in Hamilton against a second-rate Chiefs outfit would be to provide a benefit match for the ol' Beaver.
Heartfelt standing ovations are rare in New Zealand rugby, but Waikato Stadium was not going to hold back as captain Stephen Donald jogged gingerly to the sideline with a cramped leg - which he had still swung right through to land a difficult conversion and maintaining a perfect 100 per cent kicking record.
It had been a magic evening where Donald laid on or provided the final pass on several tries and somehow was denied his own five-pointer by a nervous TMO who did not seem to appreciate the reason he could not "see the ball" was because Donald had used his whole body to ground it, which back in my day took on all the suspicious hallmarks of a touch down.
It's true, being cynical, that the current worth of the 32-year-old Donald is to now fill the role of the grizzled veteran inside the Chiefs wider squad - happy to be the voice of wisdom on the training pitch every week to the newest group of 20-something year old bolters while serving as the potential understudy to the shining star of Aaron Cruden, which was the role he was immortalised for on a certain day in 2011 on Eden Park.
However, to my mind, the famous Waiuku bar co-owner and Waikato River white-baiter remains somewhere amongst the Top 10-15 first-fives in the entire world - it's just his status as Aotearoa's favourite cult hero which means he sits behind about six fellow New Zealanders on that list.
Undoubtedly, on form and ability, were he born in Europe then Donald could still be either the first-string or back-up No10 for any if not all of the Six Nations teams.
I've written in the past about Donald's journey back to redemption after his vilification for the All Black's loss to the Wallabies in 2010 - an albatross around his neck which never should have been his to bare in the first place.
But given those detressing days, it looks like Donald has retained his uneasiness around this fickle world of fandom.
He felt embarrassed by the Hamilton crowd's adulation and chose to keep his quiet composure in case Wales made an unlikely comeback after his departure.
"I was humbled and grateful to the great people of Waikato for the reception I got.
"And I didn't want to [be] the fool who hot dogged it and then we lost...so keep the hands in the pockets and trudge off."
The old saying in the movies is if the hero lives long enough he will see himself become a villain.
Beaver just did it the other way around.
* * * * * *
If any rugby personnel would be deserving of praise for dominance, it would be those prodigious beekeepers from up the valley in South Taranaki.
But there's a degree of cynicism which comes with it - for Settlers Honey Ngamatapouri have proved beyond all statistical review that they need to be playing Tasman Tanning Premier club rugby in 2017, strengthening the grade with some much-needed depth as a nine-team competition.
Statistician guru JB Phillips provided his Senior club rugby records after nine rounds of the competition and it's almost embarrassing.
Ngamatapouri have been pushed by only Marton in their eight played games, winning that encounter 40-32.
Dominant multiple-time Senior champions Hunterville only closed to 31-13 when about three Ngamatapouri players were carded in the opening game.
The procession has continued with Buffalos (93-17), Counties (39-8), defending champions Ruapehu (74-19), Border (60-14), Utiku (76-0) and Celtic (64-10) just swept aside, while Ratana are probably counting their lucky stars that they defaulted the season.
Club benefactor and the area's major employer Henry Matthews has assembled a team far above their current grade's standard.
The only competition representative wingers Michael Nabuliwaqe (16 tries) and Samu Kubunavanua (15) have is amongst themselves, while their fellow island powerhouses Isireli Baleitavuku and Jim Seruwalu add to the tally of a whopping 77 tries scored in eight played games.
NZ Heartland rep Bryn Hudson and fellow Steelform Wanganui loose forward Malakai Volou would be a terror for any opposing loosies who are already at Premier level.
And those are just the franchise player names - spread across the squad are the likes of speedy backs Josaia Dawai and Ben Aiken who have previously made a mark for Premier clubs, while even Feilding Ag's schoolboy star Vilimoni Koroi has popped up on the score card.
The possible knock on Ngamatapouri when it came to playing Premier was while they had secured a vast array of outside back talent, they may struggle in the engine room without props of comparable quality.
Cue the recent arrival of 36-year-old forestry worker Clint Newland - former Maori All Black front rower with 35 Super Rugby caps for the Highlanders between 2008-10, and more than 100 NPC games for Hawke's Bay, having also played for Leinster in Ireland and South Africa's Eastern Province.
It's getting flat out ridiculous.
Ngamatapouri should be playing Premier in 2017, and based on their talent roster, they could be potential finalists in their first attempt.