Meads laments demise of King Country

In just five years, King Country have gone from being the cinderella province of New Zealand domestic rugby to being one of the ugly sisters.

Having boxed above their weight in the NPC first division from 1992 to 1996, they will spend next year with the lightweights of the third division.

Their fate was sealed on Saturday when King Country suffered their seventh successive defeat, a 61-24 loss to Marlborough in Blenheim.

With one round left, they have no hope of avoiding the dreaded drop.

Their demise has saddened King Country's greatest rugby figure, Colin Meads, who has served the union as a player and administrator since the mid-1950s.

"It's tragic. It's a sign of the times, we just haven't got the depth in our rugby," he said.

It was no coincidence that King Country's demotion from the first division to the second in 1996 marked the start of professionalism.

"King Country do not have the resources to keep players, and promising schoolboys lured to big centres on scholarships do not return," Meads said. "Our club competition is terrible. We lost four representative players to first division unions this season.

"If you haven't got the money you just can't do it."

- NZPA