Rugby: Maroons' recipe for success

Jimmy Cowan is Southland loyal, through and through. 'He'll never play for anyone else,' says chief executive Roger Clark. Photo / Getty Images

Mils Muliaina flew out of Invercargill bound for Auckland and a fine All Black career the day Roger Clark moved in as Southland rugby's new chief executive in 1998.

Two days later, Clark headed to Auckland in a forlorn attempt to persuade the troubled schoolboy star and his uncle that Southland should remain his rugby home. Clark didn't have much to offer. Super 12 base unions ruled the rugby world back then.

Southland were first division dog tucker at the time, their blushes only saved by the presence of Northland, who were even worse. The following two seasons, Southland did finish last.

The trend at the time was for players from second level provinces such as Southland to quit for Super bases. Southland's massive No 8 Paul Miller and midfield back Pita Alatini would become Otago players early in Clark's management days.

"I thought it would take three years to turn it around," says Clark. "It took a lot longer."

But turn around it has. Southland have steadily climbed to a point at which they are now perhaps the stronger union, marginally, within the Highlanders. Compare that to days past when Southland were cannon fodder as Otago ruled the roost with a stack of leading All Blacks such as Southlander Jeff Wilson in the ranks.

Fast forward, and it is a very different story. Last year, Southland made the semifinals. This year, they are continuing that roll with four wins and a draw out of six including victory over Otago in the all-important local derby. Most significantly, Southland contributed three leading players to the world champion New Zealand under-20 side - utility back Robbie Robinson, lock Alex Ryan and hooker Brayden Mitchell.

Southland are not the only rugby town making good in the NPC, and the NPC is all the better for it. Manawatu - who once fielded the most feared pack in provincial rugby - are the current NPC darlings, fired by rising No 10 Aaron Cruden. Hawkes Bay have emerged from second division limbo to remind people of their illustrious history with a hard-nosed game that echoes their past. Tasman are mini-me Cantabs. Even Northland, who battled for a draw in Invercargill this week, are no longer pitied as easybeats with a stadium that would look at home in a nuclear holocaust.

The system is still loaded in favour of unions like Auckland, Wellington and Canterbury. But the competition has a more even feel to it because the balance of power has altered. In Southland's case, stability and a determination to keep chipping away at the job have been pivotal to their climb out of the first division cellar. The aim has been to produce top quality players and an environment they want to stay in.

The first sign of success came when prop Clarke Dermody remained with the union rather than head to a Super 14 base, and now - in a much higher profile way - Jimmy Cowan has done the same.

Southlanders smiled knowingly at reports suggesting Cowan would join the Blues, not because they thought it was impossible, but because they knew it would never involve the belligerent halfback quitting Southland for another NPC province. Cowan is Southland loyal, through and through.

"He'll never play for anyone else," says Clark with remarkable confidence.

Dermody, Cowan and juggernaut prop Jamie Mackintosh are establishing new traditions in which budding Southland All Blacks feel able to stay at home.

And it is now more likely for Super 14 players to stay with smaller provinces rather than flocking to the five major centres. Examples include Magpies Clint Newland, Sona Taumalolo and Thomas Waldrom, who play for the Highlanders, Chiefs and Crusaders but remain with Hawkes Bay. This is what was always intended in the Super era, but for a long time the major unions hijacked the system and coerced the best players into their NPC ranks even though they were officially not allowed to do so.

Clark says a key to rebuilding Southland has been a stable staff - NPC manager and former All Black flanker Leicester Rutledge has been with Clark since the get go. Others have been around for up to eight years, and old boys Simon Culhane and Dave Henderson have been in charge of the NPC team for five seasons.

Southland operate on a comparative shoestring. Studies indicated they need a minimum turnover of $3.7 million, so that's what they operate to. In comparison, Clark says provinces such as Hawkes Bay and North Harbour are around the $5 million level. Ticket prices at Rugby Park Stadium have been kept low to encourage good turnouts. An adult and two kids can sit in the stand for a combined $18.

Rugby is also feeding off an air of optimism around the region, with high profile Mayor Tim Shadbolt - an Auckland export - getting a bit of the kudos for that. The Southland netball franchise, and now the region's champion provincial team, have led the restoration of southern sporting pride.

With 5200 players in a region of about 90,000, Southland has the highest ratio of rugby participants to people. There were 21 new teams this year, mainly in the teenage grades. This is serious rugby country. About one tenth of the Southland population will turn up for NPC games.

Smaller areas, with less entertainment options, often thrive on sport and produce top prospects, here and overseas. Clark happily concedes Southland has a little advantage in this area.

Southland Boys High School says it has 12 rugby teams and just one soccer side - a statistic that would lead to an enquiry at an Auckland school.

"Those numbers show you the peer pressure for rugby must be enormous," says Clark.

The rugby academy, under the directorship firstly of representative players Mark "Ziggy" Seymour and then Brendan Timmins, and now long time SBHS first XV coach Peter Skelt, is producing the goods if the national under-20 representation can be taken as a good guide. Southland has long been a decent contributor to national junior teams but now hopes their provincial side will reap consistent benefits.

If anything, the concern is that Otago's fall from power will weaken the Highlanders, which is one of the last things Southland wants. The Stags love to beat their neighbours - the opposing coaches always have a few bottles of wine resting on this special match - but want them to succeed otherwise. The feeling is mutual.

"Richard Reid [Otago and Highlanders chief executive] is a great bloke and he loves what is happening with us," said Clark.

The two big names who got away from Southland in the past decade have been Muliaina to Auckland and hooker Corey Flynn to Canterbury.

But Cowan and the new breed - Robinson, Ryan, Mitchell and the rest - are committed Stags, says Clark. Southland even hopes to get Dermody back from London Irish.

"Both his father and uncle reached the hundy mark for Southland. He's on 96 - I'm sure he'd love to join them," said Clark.

There was a time, long ago, when Southland and Otago just about owned the Ranfurly Shield. The gruff Rutledge is a reminder of other happy times - he was part of an all All Black Southland loose forward trio with Ken Stewart and Ash McGregor. Rutledge this year organised a reunion of Southland players who featured in famous victories over France and Australia in the 1970s and 80s.

It's all too easy to forget what rugby was like before open professionalism arrived. The true maroon glory days may not be back but Southlanders looking for rugby good times no longer have to rely entirely on the old days.