Skip to main content

The Ranfurly Shield

Image
By


The shield is currently causing heaps of excitement for us here in Taranaki. I know most readers may not be up on their NZ rugby facts but the Ranfurly Shield has been around the NZ rugby scene for more than 100 years. They also call it the Log O'Wood. It's a trophy that's separate from the seasonal cup in the leagues. For the current holders of the Shield, every home game puts it at risk. If they play an away game it's not on the line and once the playoffs roll around it's not part of that either.

Last year Taranaki won it off of Southland and have successfully defended it so far this season. Teams from other leagues under them even come in to challenge them. Yesterday we finally attended a Shield match as one of the top teams, Canterbury, was coming to town. It was a nail-biting game but the ol' amber and black pulled through with a win.

Unfortunately because Dustin was working, we missed the parade yesterday morning! (Ok that might not be the only reason we missed it, I don't know if Dustin - being anti-parades - would have come out anyway!)

He also gets the Shield for biggest beard in the league.

At the end of the game they carried the Shield around the stadium and let people touch it. I think next time we'll have to hang around for that. The other highlight of the game was the halftime giveaway - the Yarrows Bread chuck! On of the sponsors is a bread company so what else would you do but load up a little trailer with bread and then have two local celebrities walk around the edge of the field throwing loaves of bread to fans? Lucky for us, we got invited to a BBQ after the game where some much-coveted "Shield Bread" was on the menu thanks to our host with orangutan arms.

The next match is in 2 weeks. I think we will join the Amber Army for that game. They are a group that stands in one section of the terraces and they handout lyric sheets and they have all sorts of chants and songs they belt out to be heard across the field. Now, we just need to find some amber and black clothes to wear...

Go the 'Naki!


Comments

  1. AnonymousSeptember 21, 2012 at 6:32 AM

    First - THAT BEARD!!! ZOMG.

    Second - right on! That's totally fab news. Bummer about the parade, but hey, that bread party sounds pretty fun! Great photos!
    xx
    V.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Most Read Posts

Taranaki Rugby!

By
Some photos from the game on Saturday afternoon. The wind caused a few wayward kicks and the torrential downpour mid-game made the ball slip all over the place but then the sun came out and Taranaki won! They were playing Canterbury who are now behind them by one place in the rankings. We had fun and managed to walk there and back without catching any of the rain. The steam-breathing drivable mascot I don't think the photo does justice to just how much it was raining! Line out Go the 'Naki! (They are the yellow and black team.)
3 comments
Read more

Not for the squeamish

By
Well the long hours of work and planning and helping friends demo sheds and paper shuffling and biking and cooking and eating and cleaning have caught up with us and Dustin has relinquished his right to tell his story from last week. **Note, the pictures are gross so beware if you are a little faint seeing blood... So, last Friday I had worked the early shift and was back at home on a call with a virtual assisting client, so naturally my mobile was on silent, and as soon as I hung up, the home phone rang. (This is a phone that only people who have had a part in giving birth to one of us tend to use... that and wrong numbers, we get a surprising number of wrong numbers...) Anyways when Dustin's voice was on the other end the confusion began. "Hi, I'm at the hospital. Come here now." "What happened??" "I'm fine. Just come up here." (Wheels spinning in my head...) "Are you sure? I think it will take me too long to bike because I
2 comments
Read more

Whitecliffs Walkway

By
About 15,000 people attended the fireworks Early in the evening Our walk at Whitecliffs Walkwa Strongest man competition contender We climbed up this rock
1 comment
Read more