Brett Turner, who represented Wanganui 24 times as a front rower between 2002 and 2015, played more than 300 club matches in Wanganui and South Canterbury, and was a member of the Kaierau (1999) and Pirates (2014-15) Tasman Tanning Wanganui premier champion teams.
He scored 10 tries for Kaierau between 1999 and 2002, and for Pirates between 2004 and last year, including most tries for the club in 2004 and 2005 (eight each season) and 2011 (five).
Turner scored seven times to help Pirates secure back-to-back premier titles in 2015, a year after the club won its first major championship in 58 years.
He rated the 2014 success, when Pirates beat defending champions Ruapehu 23-17 in the semis to avenge a 13-16 finals loss the previous season, and Border 18-16 in the final as the highlights of his club career.
There was also a champion's medal 12 months later, when Pirates beat Taihape 25-24 in the semis and Border 20-19 in the final in two nail-biting matches.
The two titles came after the blacks, coached by "Red" Morris, had finished third behind Ruapehu and Border in 2012, and were beaten 16-13 by Ruapehu in the 2013 final.
Last year, Turner hooked for Pirates in a 20-32 loss to Ngamatapouri in the Division 2 final on Cooks Gardens after playing for Temuka in South Canterbury for several seasons.
Turner played in Kaierau's 30-10 win over Pirates in the 1999 premier final under coach Dave Simes, and in the team that lost 25-18 to Ratana in the 2002 final.
Turner started his rugby career as a halfback, but at age 12, his father suggested he switch to hooker and he has played most of his rugby as a front rower ever since.
He started his rep career as a Taranaki primary player and also repped for the province at age grade levels before moving to Wanganui, where he was selected in the 2000 under-19 team, also making the first Hurricanes under-19 side.
As a quality hooker and mobile forward, Turner made his Wanganui premier rep debut against Horowhenua-Kapiti on Spriggens Park in 2002, also playing against Victoria that season.
He had one rep game in 2004 after switching to Pirates, at home against Manawatu, but made 10 appearances in the inaugural Heartland championship in 2006.
Also in that squad was fellow Pirates hooker Cole Baldwin, now coach of Border, who also made 10 appearances in 2006 and went on to play 105 times for the Butcher Boys, who reached the Meads Cup final, only to lose 16-14 to Wairarapa-Bush at Cooks Gardens.
Turner and Baldwin (then with Border) did not play again together for Wanganui until 2015, when they were front rowers (Baldwin hooking and Turner propping or replacement) in the Meads Cup champion team.
Baldwin played in all 10 matches that winter, while Turner came on as a replacement six times in his nine matches. The front row contingent also included Roman Tutauha (Ruapehu), Kampeli Latu and Viki Tofa (both Border).
Turner had been recalled to the Wanganui reps in 2015 after an absence of nine years, helping the Butcher Boys beat Mid Canterbury 20-11 in the Meads Cup semifinals and then South Canterbury 28-11 in the final from back-to-back weekend flights to the South Island.
Assisting Turner with Pirates coaching this season will be Matt Davis, who played for the club during its last golden era.
Qualifying for the playoffs six times between 2012 and 2018, including contesting four finals and wining two, was a milestone for the club.
For the real old timers, it brought back memories of the 1940s, when the club won five Wanganui titles during 1944-49 including a hat-trick during the Ben Pedley (47 rep caps) era.
Pirates, a club that included George Spriggens (NZRFU president in 1917), regarded as the "Father of Pirates", has fielded senior netball, softball, cricket as well as champion lower grade rugby teams and women's rugby sides over the years, is hoping the 2020 rebuild will help return the club to its former glory.
Home Cup Challenge
Steelform Wanganui will hopefully have a home Bruce Steel Memorial Cup home challenge against Wairarapa-Bush this season.
Wairarapa lifted the trophy off Wanganui 28-18 on Masterton's artificial turf in the first Heartland round of fixtures last August, only the second time in a dozen Cup fixtures between the two unions since 1972.
Wairarapa defended the trophy 25-20 at home against Horowhenua-Kapiti, just the first win in five clashes between the unions.
It was the second close encounter after Horowhenua had managed a 26-23 home win against the Stags in the 2018 Lochore Cup final, Tawa loan first-five James So'oialo scoring 118 points for the champions and nine-cap 2017 Wanganui centre Timoci Seruwalu (Ngamatapouri) six tries.
Wanganui's 10-point shock defeat in Masterton last season came after large wins by the Butcher Boys in 2018 (61-14), 2017 (a record 79-7) and 2016 (58-26 ). Wanganui is scheduled to host Wairarapa-Bush on October 17.
With no Heartland Championship this year because of Covid-19, the Butcher Boys will play at least three rep matches.
A week after the Tasman Tanning Wanganui club finals (September 26), Wanganui may play King Country at Taumarunui for the Sir Colin Meads Log, although that game could be switched to October 10.
Confirmed matches are against Horowhenua-Kapiti at Shannon on October 3 and the local clash against Wairarapa-Bush on October 17.
A date has yet to be sighted for the Wairarapa v Horowhenua fixture, which would also be a Steel Cup encounter.
It will be the fourth time Wanganui has played in Shannon, winning 24-6 in 1958, losing 6-4 in 1960 and winning 36-12 in 2012 in a non-first-class but Steel Cup game.
Still to be arranged is a Wanganui Town v Country fixture and a possible Wanganui v Poverty Bay, in probably mid-way Napier.
Semi Finalists In Form
The four 2019 Wanganui premier club semifinalists all registered comfortable victories last weekend in warm-up fixtures for the start of the shortened local season on Saturday week (July 4).
Defending champions Byfords Readimix Taihape beat Bulls 41-10 at Memorial Park, runners-up Waverley Harvesting Border beat Carterton 28-14 (four tries to two) in Palmerston North, third-placed McCarthy Transport Ruapehu beat Taupo Marist 34-6 at Ohakune and fourth-ranked Wanganui Car Centre Kaierau collected a 33-7 home win over Wairarapa-Bush champions Martinborough.
The four semifinalists face each other in the opening round — Grand Shield holders Border against Ruapehu at Dallison Park and Kaierau v titleholders Taihape at the Devon Road Country Club.
Division 2 champions Settlers Honey Ngamatapouri and Dave Hoskin Carriers Marist, neither of whom played last weekend, meet in the other premier game.
Harvey Round Motors Ratana, dropping to the senior grade this season along with Black Bull Liquor Pirates, beat Kaierau seniors 35-10 last Saturday.
Both Ratana (v Speirs Food Marton) and Pirates (v Kaierau) have first round away senior games.
Super Rugby Aotearoa Draw
Saturday
Blues v Highlanders — Auckland 5.05pm
Sunday
Crusaders v Chiefs — Christchurch 3.05pm
Bye — Hurricanes
