Bay players threaten record efforts

Magpie Ryan Tongia, during last Saturday's match at McLean Park, Napier. Photo / Paul Taylor

The Hawke's Bay Magpies are starting to carve into the record books as they head for an 11th defence against Auckland in Napier on Thursday night.

Bearing down on marks are first five-eighths Ihaia West, now the third-highest scorer for Hawke's Bay in Ranfurly Shield matches with 131 points, and wing Ryan Tongia, with 12 tries in his nine matches for the Shield.

The record for most points by any player for Hawke's Bay in Ranfurly Shield matches is 178 by 1966-69 era fullback Ian Bishop, who held the points-scoring mark until the arrival of the record-breaking Canterbury and Auckland sides of the 1980s and 1990s.

Next is 1920s wing Bert Grenside, who scored 144 points in shield matches, including 30 tries then valued at three points. Among them were 10 included in the 49 tries Hawke's Bay scored in just five defences in 1926.

Tongia trails sixth behind Grenside and fellow 1920s stars Jackie Black (22 tries) and Albert Falwasser (15), and 1960s players Bill Davis and flanker Kel Tremain, who each scored 13 apiece.

Having won the shield last August, Hawke's Bay's reign is now the longest in a decade, coming after the Bay had just six days with the shield in 2013 - the shortest tenure in the trophy's history, dating back to first match in 1904.

The Magpies retained the trophy with a 23-17 win over Bay of Plenty on Saturday, and on Thursday face their first shield match against Auckland since a forgettable sequence of four unsuccessful challenges in 1987-93, in which Auckland beat the Bay 56-18, 62-9, 40-9 and 69-31. Two of those matches were at McLean Park.

Meanwhile, TAB bookmakers are split over favouritism for this week's game, which starts at 7.35pm. In July the TAB had Auckland a $2.75 favourite to be the holder of the Ranfurly Shield at the end of the season, with the Magpies at $6.

By Saturday's game, Hawke's Bay had become the $2.20 favourite, with Auckland at $2.40.

TAB sports bookmaker Kieran McAnulty said yesterday afternoon: "Now, there's a a big debate going on at the sports desk - half think Auckland should be the favourites, and the other half that Hawke's Bay should be."

He said it was likely when odds on the game open today, each side will be paying $1.87 in head-to-head betting.