Ruatoria rugby fans rock rivals

By CHRIS RATTUE and LIBBY MIDDLEBROOK

Hawkes Bay rugby came face to face with the enthusiasm of their East Coast opponents more than two hours before kick-off at yesterday's division two NPC rugby grand final in Napier.

It might not have rivalled the crush outside the stadiums of world sport, but for New Zealand it was a rare sight.

A mass of singing Ngati Porou supporters, many from their unemployment-racked East Coast towns, pressed against the wire fence behind the main McLean Park grandstand. Officials wisely opened the gates 15 minutes early.

Moments later, thousands of East Coast supporters had made McLean Park their home away from home as they filled one stand and spread around others.

Their sky-blue banners - one proclaiming NPC stood for Ngati Porou Champs - outnumbered the black-and-white of Hawkes Bay by 40 to three.

Hawkes Bay fans made a valiant comeback with their chants as kickoff approached, but East Coast had won the initial battle.

Hours later, the fairytale run of the country's smallest union ended in front of a 15,000-strong crowd.

The Joe McClutchie-coached team went down 27-30, despite outscoring their opponents five tries to two.

"Win, lose or draw we don't care," said veteran prop Orcades Crawford. "This support is awesome.

"Words can't describe what it means. We've proved we're competitive in the second division."

Flanker Horace Lewis said: "Our supporters were 80 per cent of the crowd. We only train once a week - we don't need more. That's because we are all about whanau."

Lewis then sipped a strong smelling congratulatory drink handed to him by one of the thousands of family and friends who mobbed the team as if they had won.

On the Coast, rugby fans left behind in Ruatoria had two options - to stay home, or watch the game inside one of the town's two pubs, Blue Boar Tavern or Ruatoria Hotel.

Blue Boar co-owner Duke Henry said the town shut down yesterday, but a good crowd of 30 people were inside the tavern by 2.30 pm to watch the game.

Mr Henry, whose nephew Koro Ngarimu scored two tries in the game, said the team's loss did not disappoint the crowd.

Ruatoria residents, who total about 900, were "stoked" about the team's achievements over the past two years.

"Ruatoria's going to rock for a few days yet."

Across town at the Ruatoria Hotel, the mood was more subdued as 70 rugby fans watched their team finally run out of hope.

In Tokomaru Bay, south of Ruatoria, residents packed into the United Sport Club at noon yesterday for beer and barbecued food.

At 7.30 pm, bar manager Jayne Raroa was still trying to get them to leave.

Imagine the party if the Coast's rugby fairytale had come true.