Rugby: Ranfurly Shield

David Henderson's advice is to forget the Ranfurly Shield talk. Henderson coached the Southland Stags from 2005 through to 2013, before Rugby Southland opted to advertise the role. Henderson reapplied but failed to get the job. During his tenure he helped mastermind two successful Ranfurly Shield-winning performances, in 2009 and 2011. Both times…

You only get one opportunity to challenge for the Ranfurly Shield and you gotta be prepared to win. Phil Halse and Stephen Griffin didn't mince their words when asked about the coveted Log o' Woodand whether the Northland Taniwha have what it takes to topple holders Hawke's Bay in Napier tomorrow night. The duo were part of the 1978 North Auckland…

Usually, when Ranfurly Shield challenges crop up, the history gets rolled out. Tough battles which will forever be etched in memory. Auckland clashing with Canterbury in many, many grand encounters. Waikato winning against the odds and Wellington always coming up short. Well, this weekend when Otago heads to Taranaki to take on the new holder of…

The Ranfurly Shield, aka The Log o'Wood. It's possible it may not be played for this year, but it still remains the jewel of provincial rugby in this country, probably the most sought-after prize in New Zealand domestic sport. But has it lost its lustre and mystique in modern times? In 1985, Canterbury against Auckland on Lancaster Park drew 52000…

In the final Boys High' earned a hard fought three point victory over Westlake Boy's High School in Palmerston North. Meanwhile, Westlake, holder of the Moascar Cup, had qualified for the final in a high scoring encounter with Tauranga Boys' College, 43-40. The Moascar Cup is the oldest and most prestigious nationwide trophy in First XV rugby, and…

The Lions have defended the Ranfurly Shield twice in the space of five days, leaving one final challenge - a return to Christchurch for a rematch of last year's NPC final on Sunday afternoon. Should the weary reigning champions repeat their 26-18 win last October, when they won their first championship since 2000, it will be some statement by the…

Coinciding with their'storm week', the Lions next have the prized possession on the line a mere four days later, when, on Wednesday night at Sky Stadium, they host a wounded Tasman side hunting their first-ever lift of the Log o' Wood. Southland, despite two plucky home performances to start the season, were never going to be considered serious…

Work is already going on in the background in regard to what the competition might look like in the future, but it would be naive to expect smooth and quick change. At least not unless NZR can come up with an attractive alternative to woo the provincial unions (PUs), the all-important stakeholders. You only have to look at how long the Silver Lake…

OPINION: Hawke's Bay and the Ranfurly Shield go hand in hand these days. Not only are they two defences away from stashing the treasured Log o' Wood for a third straight summer, they're on the cusp of owning the second-longest Ranfurly Shield tenure of this century. Beating Wellington in Napier on Saturday night will do that, propelling them one…

Crusaders and Taniwha speedster Jone Macilai will return for Northland once he shakes a foot injury. Photo/ Duncan Brown The dawn of a new-look Northland ITM Cup outfit has risen with Taniwha selectors settling on a well rounded 32-man squad to tackle the 2015 provincial season. New coaches Richie Harris and Dale MacLeod will have 13 debutants…

Wellington celebrate their victory over Auckland in the Ranfurly Shield encounter at Eden Park. Photo / Getty Images. Twenty six years of Ranfurly Shield torment is finally over for Wellington as the provincial rugby title favourites dispossessed holders Auckland 27-0 at Eden Park here tonight. Wellington's 11th challenge for the Log o' Wood since…

Southland is one win away from a ripper of a season. The Stags have also been one try or one defensive stop away from better results this season. They have not quite been able to shed the tag of valiant loser, which is annoying given they are playing quite attractive rugby. The dour defensive game has given way to a more expansive game plan this…

Two different types of Conferences have emerged in the Bunnings NPC after the sixth weekend was completed. In the Evens Conference, Canterbury's 46-17 win over Northland has pushed them to 31, 10 points clear of Auckland who suffered their third loss when beaten 15-30 by Waikato. Northland are third on 18. In the Odds Conference, it is much…

The NPC reaches the playoffs stage this weekend. Hayden Meikle checks out the four quarterfinals and makes some predictions. Albany, Friday, 7.05pm The oil: There seems little to separate the Battle of the Bridge teams, both of which finished with 6-4 records in the regular season. Harbour rides a three-game winning streak containing a bucketload…

Josh Syms says there's a pitfall to holding the Ranfurly Shield - but he wouldn't have it any other way. Ahead of tonight's quarterfinal clash with Wellington the Magpies coach chats to Mark Story about tactics and the paradox of underdog success. Is the flipside of a lengthy Ranfurly Shield tenure that players are asked to put up a champagne game…

The Hawke's Bay Magpies will have an afternoon playoff as they kick their 2022 Bunnings NPC rugby dream back into life with what is being called a revenge match against Wellington in the capital on Saturday. The match will start at 2.05pm at Sky Stadium (aka the Cake Tin), with still-raw memories of the Lions' 19-12 win in a successful Ranfurly…

OPINION: Waikato's Ranfurly Shield shocker in the capital looks like having far-reaching ramifications. In what shaped as a classic contest for the Log o' Wood, the defending champions failed to fire a shot in their 34-6 crushing in the first defence of Wellington's tenure on Saturday. And in coming up empty-handed, the path towards the silverware…

Wellington, already having the Ranfurly Shield secure for the summer, face one last hurdle before claiming a home playoff in Bunnings NPC action next week. They need to beat Counties Manukau, who had their playoffs hopes dented by Southland in Invercargill on Sunday, the southern team acting as spoilers in taking a 30-26 win, their first of the…

Having guaranteed the Ranfurly Shield can't be stolen off them for the remainder of the year, thanks to a convincing 34-6 win over Waikato in Wellington on Saturday, the men with the famous "spider'' emblem over their hearts will now go on the hunt for the NPC crown. First things first. Wellington deserves a sackful of praise for putting away…

Yellow card: Pita Anae Ah-Sue (Waikato) 51min Wellington have locked up the Ranfurly Shield for the summer after a comprehensive win over Waikato in their first defence of this new reign on Saturday. Seven days after getting their hands on the Log o' Wood for the first time in 13 years, the Lions had a tricky looking defence first-up against the…

Wellington got a second dose of good news after their Ranfurly Shield triumph over Hawke's Bay in Napier on Saturday when Bunnings NPC conference leader Waikato suffered an upset 20-27 loss to Otago in Dunedin. That pulled Waikato back to only a three-point lead in the Odds Conference while Wellington are in second place, on 28 points, three points…

With the scores locked at 20-20 with about 10 minutes to go, Timu rushed out of the defensive line and picked off a pass from Waikato No 10 Taha Kemara, Timu still had plenty of work to do, but he showed good pace to outstrip Mosese Dawai and score in the corner for the game's deciding try. The win was crucial for Otago, keeping them in touch with…

Yellow cards: Joe Apikotoa (Hawke's Bay) 40min, TJ Perenara (Wellington) 82min Hawke's Bay's Ranfurly Shield reign is over, with Wellington the new owners of the prized silverware after winning a thrilling challenge in Napier on Saturday night. In what was the Lions' 100th Shield match, they triumphed 19-12 in a nailbiting finish at McLean Park,…

21-year-old fullback Tepaea Cook-Savage has set up a try-of-the-year contender in Wednesday's NPC clash between Waikato and Southland in Hamilton. The two provinces entered the match with vastly different records to their names. Waikato - who conquered the Premiership last year - have not lost a game in 11 months, with their last defeat coming at…

OPINION: The Lions are indeed roaring, all of a sudden. After a slow start to the season, the talent-laden Wellington side are now one of the form teams of the competition. Sure, they might have got some help from an erroneous TMO call in their midweek win over Tasman and then had to cling on against a fast-finishing Otago four days later, but Leo…

Southland are 0-3 to date in 2017 and have been given close to no hope by the TAB for Friday night's showdown with Canterbury in Christchurch. In a rare move for a provincial rugby fixture in New Zealand, the TAB has suspended betting on Canterbury in the head-to-head option. The New Zealand betting agency is not even willing to offer up $1.01 odds…