The Green Pride ? Volume 1, 2006

Been There, Done That, Now Lets Do It Again

Cameron Muggeridge

Founded in 1886 the Manawatu Rugby Union has over time developed its self in to being one of the proudest provincial unions in New Zealand. In saying that the journey to get to where Manawatu is today certainly hasn' t been a smooth one, so as Manawatu heads back into the first division what better time to remember why we are such a proud union.

It' s arguably the most prized position in New Zealand provincial rugby. The Ranfurly Shield was given to Auckland in 1902 making them the first ever holders. 12 years later for their first time Manawatu challenged for the shield traveling to New Plymouth to take on Taranaki and although Manawatu was defeated 11-3 there now grew a desire for the shield to belong to the green and white.

In 1927 Manawhenua beat Wairarapa 18-16 to win the Ranfurly Shield. Who are Manawhenua you might ask? Manawhenua is actually Manawatu, only with Horowhenua as well. From 1925 to 1932 the two teams amalgamated to form Manawhenua, during which they won the Ranfurly Shield successfully defending it for two games against Taranaki and Wanganui only to lose it to Canterbury.

Let' s face it though when your having a few beers with your mates you want to be able to say that your team has won the Ranfurly Shield without them pointing out that you had another unions help. This meant for Manawatu to truly become one of New Zealand rugby's proudest unions it would have to win the shield alone.

In 1976 Manawatu did just that. What is now known as the Manawatu Rugby Union's golden era began when they defeated Auckland 12-10 for the Ranfurly Shield. They then went on to successfully defend the shield for 13 games eventually going down to North Auckland 12-10 in 1978.

Not only did Manawatu win the Ranfurly Shield for the first time in 1976 but also the NPC competition began. It was in this year that Manawatu came runners-up to Bay of Plenty in the competition something that they would later repeat in 1981 against Wellington.

In 1980 Manawatu did what only eight other provinces managed to do by winning the NPC. This is something that North Harbour, Taranaki and Hawkes Bay never have. Manawatu did this with players such as then All Blacks Gary Knight, Mark Donaldson and now Manawatu Assistant Coach Bruce Hemara.

Not only has the Manawatu Rugby Union achieved success as a team but also individuals from the province have shown their ability as the countries top players. Manawatu has had 36 All Blacks in total with the more renowned players being the likes of Christian Cullen, Gary Knight, Rod Mckenzie, Sam Strahan, Doug Rollerson, Kent Lambert, Mark Shaw and Mark Donaldson.

In 1988 Manawatu were relegated to second division, but there' s no need to dwell on that too much because in 2006 New Zealand rugby realised how much they missed Manawatu' s green and white stripes bringing us back into first division. With its strong club competition and top schools such as Palmerston Boys High School producing a factory of young talent it shouldn' t be long until Manawatu returns to its days of winning the Ranfurly Shield and competing at the top of the Air New Zealand Cup.

Manawatu Turbos - Air New Zealand Cup Update

Bruce Hemara

Just over 2 weeks to go before Manawatu returns to the big stage in provincial rugby after 18 years. What a tremendous opportunity for our players to test themselves at the highest level. The last 6 weeks has been very stressful for players and management alike and it' s a credit to the attitude and leadership from within the players group that they have been able to maintain focus on their preparation for the competition.

There' s no doubt that the standard of rugby will be far higher in many ways than the players have ever encountered before. The speed and physicality of the opposition teams we will play will be brutal and demanding however it' s important that everyone steps up and responds to the challenge.

Many of the players have made great gains in strength and conditioning over the last 4 months. This enthusiasm and commitment to Hammers training regime will be important in our efforts to stay in the game. Being able to physically match our opponents will give us the opportunity to apply pressure to score points as well as absorb it in defence.

The players have adapted well to new Head Coach Dave Rennie' s philosophies.  He has introduced clear structure and pattern to the team in terms of attack and defence. He is also working hard on improving individual and unit skills in particular around the contact area and breakdown, making sure players understand their roles.

New Manager John Knowles has also brought his experience and knowledge to the team to ensure that all administrative matters and off field concerns are addressed leaving the players to focus on their performance on the field.

Assistant manager Muzza Signal has been tireless in ensuring that the seemingly small but important details behind the scenes are taken care of to allow the operation to run smoothly.

The Manawatu Turbos are extremely fortunate to have on the medical services team Dr Ra Durie and physiotherapist Mike Harnett. Both have long local rugby histories as well as being widely respected professionals in the fields.

Although the competition is close at hand the final composition of the Turbos squad is yet to be confirmed and announced. This will be done early next week, as there are still one or two more signings pending. With the final preseason game against Hawkes Bay in Napier tomorrow the players will have a final opportunity to put their hands up for selection.

The Manawatu Turbos players and management are realistic in their expectations in terms of results this season. To gain the respect of both the opposition and public through effort and performance on a weekly basis is an important objective in building for the future. It will be a great experience to be a part of& .

Club Liaison Update

Martin Brady

The beginning of the real test rugby season (Tri nations) signifies that the club is coming to a close and hopefully the warmer weather isn' t too far around the corner.

For me the start of the tri nations signaled that a world event wasn' t too far from happening. The 2006 World Junior Men' s Squash Championships is being held in Palmerston North from 17-28 July and I happened to find myself on the organising committee.

It' s always interesting dealing with sports other than rugby as invariably they tend to face the same dilemmas but sometimes tackles them is rather difficult fashion. An example of this is the premier squash club in the region, SquashGym Palmerston North, (also the host of the world juniors) which has sought a solution to solve the age-old problem of scarcity of volunteers and members paying fees. The squash club offers members discount membership or 'credits' for every hour they work for the club in a voluntary capability meaning it' s a win-win situation for all concerned.

Talking of things that are new and innovative, I recently attended the inaugural Sports Club of the Year awards organised by Sport Manawatu. As expected SquashGym Palmerston North was among the winners but the Manawatu Showgrounds Skating Club also collected an award for player development.

I freely admit to be a bit ignorant when it comes to skating and it' s also fair to say it' s ' not my cup of tea' but I couldn' t help but thinking what do they do that sees them produce numerous New Zealand representatives not to mention a couple of world champions.

Again there isn' t one thing that you could pinpoint and say ' that' s the reason for their success.' There are a number of factors but two key aspects are having a well thought out plan and a person to drive it and inspire others.

Clubs need to plan and I' ve always been a believer in the off-season is the best time to look ahead at the years ahead and carried out thorough planning - the off season is, if you like, the club administrators' season.

PS: Wasn' t it good to see the All Blacks expose the soft under belly of the Aussie forward pack at the weekend?