Rugby: Shield visits would be appreciated

By Chris Rattue

Wairarapa-Bush have called on the major unions to take the Ranfurly Shield on tour when they defend the trophy against the minnows of New Zealand rugby.

Waikato make their first defence of the shield this season against Wairarapa-Bush in Hamilton tomorrow, with even the Bush's administrators giving the tiny union no chance of lifting the country's most famous sporting trophy for the first time in nearly 50 years.

Wairarapa-Bush chief executive Ally O'Neill said his union had been "hit hard" by professional rugby, which saw the most talented youngsters recruited by the major provinces.

He said a hometown challenge would in part make up for the loss of those players, as well as providing a rare big-match occasion while giving a substantial boost to the union's coffers.

"Auckland used to take the shield on tour and they even covered their own expenses," said O'Neill, a former Wairarapa-Bush player.

"In the 1970s and 80s Wairarapa-Bush beat Waikato more times than they beat us, but the gulf between the first division and the rest is huge now.

"The build-up has been pretty low-key for this game and we've got absolutely no hope, even though Waikato have got a few players missing.

"These days, whenever there is a young player with some talent, they quickly get taken away to academies or put on scholarships. We've got quite a few boys all around the country at various academies.

"I believe in terms of the New Zealand rules the big unions should have to take the shield on tour to third division unions, even second division unions. There won't be a third division next year."

O'Neill said the last major touring side Wairarapa-Bush hosted was the 1977 Lions, and its best chance of staging a high-level match will be if the Hurricanes agree to play one of their Super 12 warm-up fixtures at the 10,000 capacity Memorial Park in Masterton.

"We would probably have got 10,000 people to a shield challenge here - it would have been a huge game for us especially as no major touring teams come here any more," he said.

Waikato chief executive Gary Dawson said yesterday that he had some sympathy for Wairarapa Bush's case.

"I wasn't here when those decisions were made so I'm not sure what was considered," he said.

"The only thing I would say is it is a bit hard to go on tour at the end of our club programme. One of our major strategies now is to protect our club football and we like to see our top players involved.

"The programme is very tight - but the tour idea does have some merit and is something that could be looked at."

A recent Waikato club game involved nine Super 12 players, and players in tomorrow's shield defence would also turn out in the club semifinals on Sunday.

Waikato, under new coach Kiwi Searancke, defends the shield against Thames Valley on Wednesday and some of those players will also be involved in next weekend's club grand final. Waikato's next defence, before the NPC first division starts, is against Hawkes Bay on August 7.

Wairarapa Bush, whose most famous rugby son is Sir Brian Lochore, were relegated from the second division last year but will at least make the trip north in a healthy financial state.

O'Neill was appointed the union's first full-time chief executive three-and-a-half years ago when it was in the red. He said "prudent expense cutting and sponsorship gathering" meant Wairarapa Bush now had more than $200,000 in the bank. With local government and lottery assistance, the union has spent $250,000 upgrading Memorial Park, including $150,000 on the playing surface.