Rugby: Shield dreams in check

Northland coach Derren Witcombe says his side will be focused on their game, not the prize, as they take the field for their Ranfurly Shield challenge in Hamilton tomorrow.

Amid the growing excitement surrounding the shield clash, Witcombe has tried to keep his players grounded ahead of the game.

"We know [winning the shield] is a very achievable opportunity for us, sure everyone's excited and we all know how special it is going to be, but we have to make sure we go down there and do the job," he said.

And Witcombe, who was raised in the far north at Taupo Bay, should know. He was involved in a few shield campaigns while playing for Auckland and rates the 2003 victory over Canterbury as one of the sweetest of his playing career. A win tomorrow will certainly be the highlight of his short coaching career.

"I've been fortunate to play in quite a few shield games and to have won some. You've got to be on the ball and play good rugby because the opposition aren't going to lose the game for you, no matter how young and inexperienced they are."

Former Taniwha Peter Sloane, who captained North Auckland in 1978 - the last time they won the shield in an upset over the then champion Manawatu side - came to address the team last week, giving them a boost in motivation.

"Shield games are different to normal footy, so the guys now have a better understanding of what it's about and, if we can pull it off, there's going to be a good buzz around in the province," Witcombe said.

Prior to 1978, North Auckland held the shield in 1972 before losing it to Auckland in the match featured on the front of today's Northern Advocate.

Team management have played down the challenge during the pre-season but Witcombe knows there's no better time to challenge for the country's greatest provincial rugby prize.

"It's a good time to try and beat any team early on in the season when the teams don't really know each other and if it pays off, it pays off big," he said.

The coach is satisfied with the team's progress in the pre-season. The Taniwha were defeated by Auckland 37-26 but bounced back to defeat Counties-Manukau 21-17 in their second pre-season game.

By contrast, Waikato have been scratchy in their pre-season. After two successful shield defences, against Horowhenua-Kapiti and East Coast, they could only scrape a late draw against North Harbour before losing 31-17 to Taranaki last weekend. But no one in the Taniwha camp is reading too much into that with some of the champion Chiefs side due to return to their provincial team for the match.

Witcombe is confident that the pack he has named can match it against any provincial outfit in the country. With Bronson Murray, Bryce Williams and Jake Paringatai, it has plenty of experience while Dan Prior, Jack Ram and former Aussie U20 rep Tom Murday add mobility.

If they can get a roll on, then the backs may just be able to cause enough havoc in the Mooloo defence to bring the shield back to Whangarei.