What a pleasure to see Taranaki bruise their way to a 15-12 victory over Southland which meant they could take the Log of Wood back with them to New Plymouth.
One of the peculiarities of this compact NPC season has been a few mid-week Shield Challenges which we haven't really witnessed in the last 30 years (apart from some divisional miss-matches). The 5 penalties to 4 penalties scoreline also harked back to the days of mud, high cut boots & pigskins (not to mention the after-match function).
I know I said it last year but once again Counties travel to Invercargill with chance to alleviate years of hurt for their fans (think '77, '70, '81, '82 & '85) & finally lift the Log of Wood.
With NPC games being played every couple of hours its not hard to miss the glory of Southland's win last week in Christchurch after sandbagging their way through their first two games. It has set up an unexpected chance for the Spud farmers this week.
Well I don't know about you but there is not a lot of time to catch your breath between rugby competitions these days. Having just completed the Super XV we dash straight into the NPC meanwhile the Tri Nations will be on, the World Cup starts in less than 2 months & there's still some club rugby competitions to be completed.
And then people wonder why NZ rugby fans aren't flocking to the stadiums at the moment. They are keeping their powder dry for the big event later the year - that's why.
I'm not even totally sure how the NPC works this year - there barely seems to be a year go by where the NZRU don't fiddle with the format or try & cut down the number of teams. As I understand it ...
Power rankings has taken a bit of a vacation but is back to run the rule over who's hot & who's not. The table is well & truly split now with only 8 teams in with a realistic chance of making that top seven cut off that the NZRU has marked as all important for next season. Meanwhile only four points separate 3rd place Taranaki from 8th place Wellington so the semi final race is well & truly on.
So the rankings for this week (with movements since week 7) are;
- Southland (+1) - Might have lost to the Naki last week but superb passionate displays against Mooloo & the Rangitoto Yanks see it remain ranked Numero Uno but with another mountain to climb this week to hold on to the Log of Wood.
They tell it like it is down south & finally a journalist has had the guts to say in print what I have been saying for a long time - as a grassroots rugby supporter the NPC is a far superior competition to the Super However Many competition.
I especially liked his points on no arranged marriages, not being played when there is test cricket on & the Ranfurly Shield.
So the Three Wise Men (supposedly after consultation with the players themselves) have decreed which All Blacks can & which All Blacks can't play NPC this season. While no one can deny players like McCaw, Thorn, Read & Jane deserve a bit of a rest after playing virtually the entire international season some of the other choices are rather surprising.
What has Sam Whitelock done to not be considered for the NPC?
Some upward movement for the Oyster Catchers, the Rangitoto Yanks, the Naki, Bay of Plenty, Otago & the Magpies this week. Meanwhile the Spud Farmers, the Hutt Valley, Tasman, Manawatu & the North Shore slip down the power rankings .......
- Canterbury (n/c) - continue to build nicely into their season. Have introduced SBW to the starting line up but face a tough away game in the Naki.
Tana is back but can he lead Counties to the ultimate glory - the capture of the Ranfurly Shield? Forget the talk of playing for NPC points this is all about the Shield as any Counties supporter will tell you.
For those of us who had to endure the heartache of Palmerston North in '77, Eden Park in '79, Waikato in '81, robbery at Lancaster Park in '82 & then Eden Park again in '85, a Counties shield challenge often brings back bitter memories.
A feisty capacity crowd of 18,000 will be packed into Rugby Park, Invercargill this weekend for a reminder of the glory days of NZ provincial rugby when the Ranfurly Shield challenge & local rivalries meant everything.
Otago haven't held the Shield since 1957 & were unsuccessful in 2 challenges last year. Meanwhile Southland get the chance to play in front of a packed crowd in what will be the biggest game of their lives for many of the team (especially compared to playing for the Highlanders).
Here lies the sad tale of Isaac Ross. Twelve months ago he was in charge of the All Blacks lineout but has since been dropped by the All Blacks then the Crusaders & then even Jarred Hoeata was picked ahead of him for NZ Maori! Once Steve Hansen puts the word out about your problems its all down hill!
Makes you ask what Steve Hansen saw in him in the first place & was it similar to Campbell Johnstone's right shoulder?
