Manawatu Rugby Union
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| Manawatu Rugby Union | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Nickname(s) | Turbos | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Founded | 1886 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ground(s) | FMG Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Capacity | 18,000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chairman |  Tony Murphy |
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| Coach | Dave Rennie |
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| League | Air New Zealand Cup | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006 | 4th, Repechage A | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Manawatu Rugby Union (MRU) is the governing body of Rugby in the Manawatu rugby province. It is based in the city of Palmerston North but has club teams from nearby towns in the province, such as Feilding, Rongotea and Woodville.
The Union's home ground is FMG Stadium, which has been formerly known as the Palmerston North Showgrounds and Arena One. Palmerston North is the home of the New Zealand Rugby Museum[1] and also the Massey University Sport and Rugby Institute.[2]
The Manawatu Rugby Union boasts over 5,000 players, making it the tenth largest union in New Zealand in terms of player numbers.[3]
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[edit] Manawatu in Super 14 Rugby
Manawatu is, along with Taranaki, Wanganui, Hawke's Bay, Poverty Bay, East Coast, Horowhenua-Kapiti, Wairarapa Bush and Wellington, in the Hurricanes Super 14 catchment area.
[edit] Ranfurly Shield & NPC
The Manawatu Rugby Union was formed in 1886, which makes it one of New Zealand's oldest.
This proud union, which at its best combines bullocking forwards from the outlaying country areas, with the speedy backs from the Varsity club, has produced several outstanding All Blacks and has achieved notable success on the national rugby stage.
The period from 1976 to 1983 saw Manawatu as a powerhouse in New Zealand rugby, achieving outstanding success. One of the great Ranfurly Shield reigns (1976 - 1978) was followed by an historic National Provincial Championship (NPC) victory in 1980. Manawatu was also NPC Runner-up in 1976 and 1981. These lofty heights placed a heavy burden on Manawatu sides in the future, who failed to live up to this 'once in a generation' success of the Graham Hamer coached teams of 1976 to 1983.
In the final Ranfurly Shield challenge of 1978 Manawatu were leading North Auckland (now called Northland) with time up on the clock. A record Ranfurly Shield reign seemed possible with the team going into the 1979 season and beyond with one of the most powerful teams in the country, who were very difficult to beat at home. Inexplicably the referee played 6-7 minutes of 'injury' time before awarding the visitors a dubious penalty close to the posts, who duly kicked it and took the shield north.
This highly controversial moment was a bitter end to Manawatu's impressive run with the shield, and no acceptable explanation for the referee's actions that day ever surfaced.
Conspiracy theories ran wild throughout the Manawatu!
In 1980, its championship winning season, Manawatu had no less than eight All Blacks, an impressive number even by todays standards.
They were: Mark Donaldson, Mark 'Cowboy' Shaw (who earned his living at various meat works around the city), Geoff Old, Frank Oliver, Gary Knight, Doug Rollerson, Lachie Cameron and 18-year-old PNBHS schoolboy Craig Wickes (who came on as a substitute in the final minutes of the game against Fiji at Eden Park).
Manawatu remained the most feared and one of the most powerful unions in the country until the 1984 season when standards slipped considerably. So feared were Manawatu that the great Canterbury Ranfurly Shield team of 1983 put Manawatu last on their list of challengers for that season. Auckland and Wellington were considered easier options! Which is hard to fathom these days!
In 1988 the union was relegated to the second division for the first time. They stayed in this second tier until 2006 when they were resurrected in the top flight of NZ rugby, as the Manawatu Turbo's, in the revamped NPC.
However it is hard not to think that the glory days of the Manawatu union are well behind it.
"Go, Go Manawatu!" as the huge sign would read, lofted high above the Palmerston North Showgrounds by a crane, summed up the optimism and confidence that existed during the heyday of Manawatu rugby.
Match highlights include:
- A last minute try by University winger Hugh Blair in 1977, that prevented Counties from taking the Shield back to Pukekohe for the first time. Kent Lambert had been sent off in this game and the home team was really up against it. The shield looked gone until that blond head-band wearing 'hippy' from Massey went over for a memorable try. Needless to say the whole Manawatu region went into party mode, for Counties there was plenty more Ranfurly Shield heartbreak to come.
- A win over Australia in 1978, 20-10.
- Holding the South African 'test' team 19 all with time up on the clock in 1981 (we went for the glory, spilled the ball and the Springboks raced away for the winner). The Manawatu v Springbok game was the first to witness the infamous riot squads patrolling the streets as a pre-emptive measure, as opposed to them just turning out once trouble started! Either way, both the police and the public/protesters were well behaved that day, despite the barbed wire, the bitterness and the repressive police presence.
- Beating Auckland 12-10 at Eden Park in 1976 to win the coveted Log 'o Wood for the first time, followed by a homecoming parade through the city streets.
- Consistantly dishing out rugby lessons to the likes of Otago, Auckland, Wellington and Canterbury, amongst other unions, between the years of 1976 to 1983.
- Lee Stensness starred in a 58-24 win over Ireland in 1992.
Manawatu had two theme songs during their 'glory' years, which were played on radio 2ZA in the days leading up to the big games on Saturday.
They were: Ranfurly Shield theme song 1976-1978 (sung to the melody of an old American civil war song) "We're Manawatu we've got the shield huh rah, huh rah!..." and a later song "We'll pass the ball and run it, green and white! And let them feel the power of country might!..." If anyone knows the rest of the lyrics then please feel free to enter them here! As well as any other team songs that came after the 1980s.
[edit] Manawatu players who have represented the All Blacks
- Robert (Bob) Burgess (All Black 1971-1973)
- John Callesen (All Black 1974-1976)
- Lachlan (Lachie) Cameron (All Black 1979-81)
- Christian Cullen (All Black 1996-2002) - one of the most entertaining fullbacks of all time
- Chresten Davis (All Black 1996)
- Mark Donaldson (All Black 1977-1981)- "Bullet", went on to coach Manawatu.
- Jason Eaton (All Black 2005-06 - Moved to Taranaki before making All Black debut)
- Kevin Eveleigh (All Black 1974-1977)- "Hayburner", Voted 'Rugby News' All Black player of the tour in South Africa, 1976
- Mark Finlay (All Black 1984)
- Bruce Hemara (All Black 1985)- Manawatu player of the year 1983, NZ Maori representative.
- Jason Hewett (All Black 1991 - Moved to Auckland before making All Black debut).
- Gary Knight (All Black 1977-1986) - "Axle". The lyric "Let them feel the power of country might" was surely written with him in mind.
- Kent Lambert (All Black 1972-1977) - Went to Penrith Panthers in the NSWRL, 1978. Was one of the first All Blacks to publicly complain about the financial burden of amateur rugby.
- Rod McKenzie (All Black 1934-1938)
- Mick O'Callaghan (All Black 1968) - Played for Manawatu until the 1979 season.
- Geoff Old (All Black 1980-1983) - A police officer who worked during the 1981 Springbok tour.
- Frank Oliver (All Black 1976-1981) - A welcome recruit from Southland in 1979.
- Mark Ranby (All Black 2001)
- Doug Rollerson (All Black 1976-1981) Went to North Sydney Bears in NSWRL, 1982. Player of the season in the championship winning team of 1980.
- Kevin Schuler (All Black 1989-1995)
- Mark Shaw (All Black 1980-1986) - "Cowboy", A meat worker by trade, Longburn Freezing Works.
- Lee Stensness (All Black 1993-1997 - Moved to Auckland before making All Black debut)
- Sam Strahan (All Black 1967-1973)
- Dion Waller (All Black 2001)
- Craig Wickes (All Black 1980) - Aged 18 years, 196 days this schoolboy was the 2nd youngest All Black ever, behind 17 year old Lui Paewai in 1923.
Other distinguished players:
- Hugh Blair - 1970s winger, Ranfurly Shield hero and crowd favorite, from the Varsity Club.
- Denis Clare - outstanding hooker during Ranfurly Shield and National Championship winning era.
Coaches:
- Graham Hamer - coached the famous Ranfurly Shield and National Championship winning teams of the 1970s and 80s.
- Mark Donaldson - was coach of the impressive young side of the early 1990s. A team which promised so much to a union desperate for a return to form on the national stage.
- Frank Oliver - 1995-96.
[edit] Club Rugby
There are 12 club teams which play at Senior A level. They are:
| Club Name | Colours |
|---|---|
| High School Old Boys (HSOB) | Black and White hoops |
| College Old Boys (COB) | White with Maroon, Gold and Black pinstripes |
| Freyberg | Blue and yellow hoops |
| Kia Toa | Light blue and Dark Blue |
| Marist | Green and White |
| Varsity | Cambridge blue and white |
The above 6 are known as Town clubs
| Club Name | Colours |
|---|---|
| Feilding (Commonly called Feilding Yellows, to differentiate from the below club) | Yellow and black |
| Feilding Old Boys | Black, White, Red |
| Bush from nearby Woodville | Red, blue, black, green and white |
| Te Kawau from nearby Rongotea | Green and black hoops |
| Oroua RFC, from Kimbolton | Blue and black hoops |
| Linton Army RFC, from Linton Military Camp | red and black |
The above 6 are known as Country clubs
[edit] Senior A Club Rugby (Hankins Shield, Goldfinch & Cousins Cup)
The competition is divided into two pools: a Top 6 and Bottom 6. The Top 6 in the Senior A grade play for the Hankins Shield, whilst the Bottom 6 play for the Goldfinch & Cousins Cup.
Other clubs include:
- Ashhurst-Pohangina
- Bunnythorpe
- Bulls
- Halcombe
- Rangitaane Sports
[edit] Representative Rugby
In 2005, Manawatu were promoted, as one of the four new unions, to play in the inaugural Air New Zealand Cup in 2006. It was the first time since 1988 that Manawatu had played in the top grade for New Zealand Rugby. The team's nickname is the Manawatu Turbos
Manawatu have traditionally played in the distinctive green and white tramline jersey. Although in 1986 there was a special jersey for Centennial celebrations and in 1996 a jersey which included red stripes was worn.
Main jersey sponsor (since 2005) is Higgins Group. Apparel is provided by ISC (since 2006). Other sponsors include:
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[edit] Current Squad
- Representative squad for the 2006 Air New Zealand Cup:
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[edit] Women's Rugby
Manawatu has a women's rugby team, which in recent times has been quite successful. In 2005, the team was promoted from the Second Division.
In 2006, however, Manawatu did not win a game in the competition, which saw the team play against the likes of Auckland, Wellington and Otago . Manawatu managed a draw with Hawke's Bay.
Manawatu is sponsored by Ezibuy, and wear the same jersey as the men's team.
Notable players in Women's team
- Farah Palmer, New Zealand Black Ferns captain and Manawatu captain
- Selica Winiata, stand-in captain for Palmer (away on World Cup duty)
[edit] Notes
- ^ New Zealand Rugby Museum; last accessed January 17, 2007.
- ^ Massey University Sport and Rugby Institute; last accessed January 17, 2007
- ^ Manawatu Rugby Shirts. Retrieved on 2008-02-16.
[edit] External links
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