THE RANFURLY SHIELD

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 170, 5 August 1937, Page 13

THE RANFURLY SHIELD

"Magpie".)

Its History Fairly Bristles With Unexpectedness H.B. GAME UNLIKELY THIS YEAR

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The emblem of provincial Ri Shield, is early on the move th the-season challengers to the h were successful and now the tro] In many respects the Southi features, but the history of the expectedness and so is added yel The story of the Ranfurly Shield is evergreen and so, perhaps, readers wiii tind interest in its reiteration. The Shield was donated by the l&te Earl Ranfurly to the New Zealaiid Rugby Union and awarded to Auckland as the champion provincial side in the 1902 season, There were no challengers in that or the foilowing year, but in 1904 Wellington travelled north and lifted it per medium of a six-to-three victory. That was the commencement of competition for a trophy whose possession provinces dream about. Cniike many tx-ophies, possession in no way dims ihe enjoyment of bedng the hoider, rather does it have a reverse effeet. Throughout the years results have proved that the longer a province fetains the .Ranfurly Shield the inore puhiie iixterest it arouses and the players deem it an hohour to be in the challenging side. It is bhis keehness that lifts Ranfurly Shield lixtures above the plane of ordinary provincial Rugby. These games ai'fe in actual fact, insofar as this Dominion is concerned, next in importance to the inter-island fixture whdch is second oxxly to the international matehes. lteverting to the history of the Shield it is well known that Auckland, winning it back from Wellington in 1905, retained it until August 16, 1913, when Taranaki, by their victory of 14 to 11, bore the trophy off in triumph. Mr E. McKenzie, present chairman of the New Zealand Selection Committee, was the referee that day. Taranaki were siiccessful defenders on six occasions, but on September 10, 1914, Wellington, by winning by 12 to 6, set the shield on the move once again. There was no competition dnring the war years, but in 1919 Canterbury tried their luck and missed by 22 to 8. That was on August '30, and two weeks later Wellington took the Shield down to Christchurch and Canterbury missed again, tliis time by 23 to 9. After resisting several challenges Wellington in 1920 took the Shield up to Hawera and put it up as the prize in the annual match with Taranaki, but the holders Won by 20 to 9. Wellington then defended it successfully against Auckland at Auckland, winning by 23 to 20, and after defending it thrice at home, including Auckland again, 20 to 3, carted it on a tour of the South Island. Suoh recklessness was bound to have its penalty, and after South Canterbury and Otago had failed, Southland, at Invercargill, were successful over a battle-scarred and travel-worn side by 17 to 6. No union since has, while in possession of the Shield, treated it in such a sporting manner as Wellington did, although it imposed a severe taBk on the players. When Hawke's Bay came into possession of the shield they, in the winter of 1925 and again in 1926, defended

igby superiority, the Ranfurly is winter, Southland, first-of-tolders, Otago, last Saturday phy is on view in Invercargill, and victory had its surprising Shield fairly bristles with unt another. fche trophy successfully against the challengers on the latter's own ground of what was considered to be the next best provincial fifteen in the Dominion. Wellington and Canterbury were the twd unions so preferred, and both matehes attracted enormous public interest with resultant finatxcial gain to those particular unions, as iix each instance Hawke's Bay paid all the expenses of travel of its own players. Mueh has been written about sporting spirit in recent years where the Ranfurly Shield is concerned, but it is deeds that count not words, and since 1927 other unions have had the opportunity to follow the lead of Wellington and Hawke's Bay, but have never done so. Southland, having won the Shield from Wellington on the former's own ground, were in duty bound to return the compliMetit the next winter, and Wellington, by a 28 to 13 margin, regained the trophy. In' 1922 Hawke's Bay caused general surprise by lifting the ttophy in a 19 to 9 victory. The surprise was not so marked in mner official Hawke's Bay circles. Actually it was a successfully planned coup, the details of which were arranged by the union' s selector four months earlier. After Hawke's Bay's long tenure, Wairarapa, Manawata, Canterbury, Wairarapa, Southland, Wellington, Canterbury, Hawke's Bay, Auckland, Canterbury and Otago have been successful in turn and now Southland for the third time. ' There have been many inquiries made recently concerning Hawke's Bay's prospects of diverting their challenge set down for decision on the last Saturday in September from Otago to Southland. . On the f ace this looks quite a simple matter, but in Southland the representative season ends on September 8, and it is not likely that they would consider a spefcial challenge as late as September 25. In all probability there Will be no more Shield matehes this s'eason. Iif this connection it has to be remembered that Southland are on tour from August 11 and they play Hawke's Bay at Hastings on August 19. Their tour coneludes at Christchurch on August 28. It is interesting to note the number of times that the Ranfurly Shield has been lost by the holders jn the first challenge of the season. Auckland lost it in suoh fashion in 1904 to Wellington and» Wellington lost to Hawke's Bay in the first challenge in 1922. In 1927 Wairarapa were similariy successful and Hawke's Bay repeated the procedure at the expense of Canterbury in 1934. History repeated itself last Saturday at Canterbury when Southland were successful, and as Otago are practically certain of being accorded the first challenge for next winter, it is within the bounds of possibility that the trophy will change hands again.