Hawke's Bay Magpies rugby coach Craig Philpott's one and only try for Canterbury was in a Ranfurly Shield challenge against Auckland.
Naturally Philpott, a former lock who also played for Nelson Bays, hopes the try, not the result - a 47-38 loss to Auckland at Eden Park in 1992 - will prove a lucky omen for the Magpies when they challenge Taranaki for the "Log 'O Wood" in New Plymouth on Friday night.
The Magpies' fourth round ITM Cup Premiership match will be a challenge after Taranaki retained the shield for the third time this season. They took a thrilling 49-40 win against the Kieran Keane-coached Tasman Makos in New Plymouth on Saturday night.
This will be former Christchurch Boys' High School deputy principal Philpott's biggest assignment in his first season as a head coach in the Cup.
"Obviously there's a bit of a one-off prize there, but our main focus will be continuing to build on what we produced on Friday night," Philpott said, referring to the Magpies' 37-30 win against the Counties-Manukau Steelers - their first Cup win of the season.