THE RANFURLY SHIELD

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 172, 7 August 1937, Page 18

THE RANFURLY SHIELD

\ RECORD OF SOUTHLAND fe-j 1 i-i UPSETS AND DISAPPOINTMENTS i «

tb» participation of Southland, new hplders of the Ranfurly Shield, in for that coveted trophy, Js in its way a f ascinating story, one of big surprises and several big disappointments, says the Otago Daily Times. The maroons played their first challenge in 1906, but the team that tour•d to Auckland received a sound drubbiag on Alexandra Park. The score weut 48 points to 12, and it wa s not turprising that the so utherners admitlod freely that the Auckland team of fiat time was "the best in the botany." The next attempt produeed a more promising result, Taranaki beating the maroons at New Plymouth in August, 1914, by six points to nil. At that time, of course, provineial teams throughout the .country were weakened by the loss o£ players eaused by the organising of the Expeditionary Forces. First Big Surprlse. Then came the first big surprlse to the outside world, although the. Southlanders themselves did not look at it in light. The Wellington team, having proved itself against all-eom-•rs, took the Shield on tour and aryived in invercargill with a record of 13 consecutive wins. Conditiona on Rugby Park were ideal, and "Sparky"* Cockcroft led the maroons out before the biggest crowd seen on the Park up to that stage to do battle with "Ranji" Wilson, Teddy Roberts, and Co. The home side jumped into its staride from the first whistle and rattled on 12 points hefore the defenders of the shield scored. At half-time Southland led 9r-nil, and when the whistle sounded with the score 17 — 6 the crowd stormed the ground and carried the team off shoulder high. That tvas p. .("Scotty"). Baird's big day. Otago Beaten Off That was on September 15, 1920. Otago played the first challenge the foillowing season, and was beaten by 10 points to 8. The Dark Blues had beaten Southland in Dunedin at the and of the previous season, but the shield was not at stake, and they took down a strong side, accompanied by some hundreds of supporters. The general idea seemed to be that it was just a matter of going down to collect the trophy; but expectations of that nature have a habit of being rudely shocked • in Rugby football, and the invading party went home with a defeat mstead of the forecast sweeping victory. . Southland's reign was not destined to be a long one, however. The Southland team went on tour that same season and took the shield with it. Apparently it was nqt looked at as a source of revenue as it is to-day, at any rate, in the south. The tourists played their first match at .Wellington and left the trophy in the North Island again. The play was described as very ragged, and there was no great enthusiasm about Wellington's 28—13 wiru «Lwve Mr. Brownlie Alone !" Southland's next attempt was in 1925, when a strong touring team tried conclusions with Hawke's Bay. F. Kilby, J. R. Bell, W. E. Hazlett, G. Ailey and J. Richardson were some of the memhers of that years , Maroon side, but the Magpies were opening a chapter of shield history and they won handsomely by 31 points to 12, .after being. behind 8 — 12 at half time. That match will live in- the memories of the Southlanders, and, perhaps in some other memories, - too, because of the famous "Leave Mr. Brownlie alone" incident. The referee was Mr.. V. Meredith, of Auckland (manager of the 1935 AU Blacks), and it is reported that at one stage he stopped play and said to Hazlett, "You leave Mr.- Bfownlie alone!" That team did not go home with the shield, but it made amends by sdoring Southland's first win against Otago on Carisbrook in 19 years. Otago held the lead until well into the second half, hut the final score was 25 — 15 in favour of Southland. Carterton — i929 The scene changes to Carterton, August 31, 1929, where the stage was set for a first-class surprise. Wairarapa had beaten off Hawke's Bay, Auckland, Manawhenua and Canterbury, whereas Southland had arrived with a record of dismal failures all the way up the line. . It was the cent'enary challenge game, and rumour had it that A. E. Cooke and his men had ideas of a record score to commemorate it. But the quietness of Carterton worked wonders on a team that had arrived with sickness and bruises, and "Wampy" Bell took his side on to the field refreshed and determined that there would be .no runaway win about that game. There wasn't, either, but when it was all over the score was 19 points to 16 against Wairarapa, and a special car had to be sent to Masterton to ~remove the shield from its place of honour in a certain shop window. Never-to-be-forgotten Match It was a match that Will never be forgotten by those who saw it. G. L. Porter was its hero. He had been hurt in Christchurch and a hadly injured shoulder was not by any means fully recovered. However, he went out with a definite job to do. He was piaying opposite "Cookie," and his special mlssion was to keep "the Wizard" within bounds. Not only did his solld tackling accomplish that, hut for good measure he kicked

13 points out of his side's 19— two penalty goals (one from just a few yards inside halfway), a goal from a mark and a field goal. The last 10 minutes of play, with Cooke, ivmi and Co. staging rush after rush and doing everything but cross Southland's line, proved too exciting for one of the managers of the challenging party, Mr. William Baird, a well-known memner of a prominent Southland sporting family. -He heard the game out from -behind the grand stand! Wairarapa flelded a team that day that included 11 All Blacks; but the* Maroons played inspired footbalL Their chances before the match were so lightly considered that W. E. Hazlett and J. H. Geddes, who were to have made the trip up specially for the challenge, did not bother to leave home. Of that team there is only one member still piaying representative football, L. George. Southland had a great sporting season in 1929, and the Mayor and the bands and the biggest part of Invercargill's population turned out when the Rugby and hockey teams arrived home together with the Ranfurly Shield and the "K" Cup in their kits. Wellington Again The following year (1930) was a busy home season. Wanganui went south first and was beaten by 19 points to nlL Otago was second and was overwhelmed by 37 points to 5; and the third challenge came from a rugged Hawke's Bay side. Southland won a hard game by 9 points to 6. The "hardness" of the play is recalled by a report which stated that "the Southland representatives survived a triaj of strength in which brawn and muscle were paraded more prominently than is usual or welcomed ln the pastime so enthusiastically acclaimed as New Zealand's nationsd game. Instead of a spectacular display of the Rugby code between two of the Dominion's foremost exponents, the game resolved itself Into a veritable battle of giants, with a superabundance of close line outs providing the rendezvous for the periodical skirmishes. The 'win-the-shield-at-any-cost' spirit was rampant from the first whistle. . ." The fourth match resulted in the departure of the shield, back to Wellington again. The Southland team was disorganised by Wellington's methodical tactics. Wellington fielded a great team and won by 36 points to 13. The First of the Invasions Two years later Southland played for the shield in Christchurch, and a large part of the province went up in a body to cheer the Maro.ons on. Upward of 2000 supporters made the all-night pilgrimage, and the team's form in Timaru gave every justification for their high hopes. Lancaster Park was crowded, and the Canterbury team rose to the occasion, while the Southland side showed very disappointing form. Canterbury won by 21 points to 3, and on its form that day would have beaten any other provineial combination in the country. The game marked the end of Gii Porter's representative career. The shoulder injury which he received on the 1929 tour had left its mark, and the knock which he took in his last gqme had affects which culminated in a very severe illness. The Por+. Chalmers boy had made his name in Southland Rugby, and the public later showed its appreciation of his work in practical fashion. Again, in 1934, Southland attempted to take the trophy from its . Christchurch abode, and again the Red and Blacks were too good. The score was eight points to three, but the Maroons were a considerably weakened side for that match, which was played in blinding rain and hail. That was Southland's last shield challenge until Otago brought the "log of wood" to Dunedin for the first time, and Southland came up ln force last year to do something about it. That match, vfath its attendant features, is too recent to need description. Sufficient to say that Otago won by 16 points to 3, settlipg down after a dashing start by N. A. Mitehell and Co., and accounting for the Maroons in characteristic Otago style. The Sixteenth Challenge That, then, > is Southland's Ranfurly Shield record — two slashing wins when the body of Dominion opinion was all against the Maroons' chances and defeats when the side was considered aiv unusually strong one, and its supporters gave it their mass support. This year's team is reckoned to be the best that has come out of Southland for 10 *or 12 ) years, and proved itself so by lifting the shield by 12 to 7. Holders of the Shield 1902-4 — Auckland. '1904-5 — Wellington. 1905-13— Auckland. 1913-14 — Taranaki. 1914-20— ' Wellington. 1920-21 — Southland. 1921-22— Wellington. 1922-27 — Hawke's Bay. 1927 — Wairarapa (on protest) 1927 — Manawhenua. 1927-28 — Canterbury. 1928-29 — Wairarapa. 1929-30— Southland. 1930-31— Wellington. 1931-34— Canterbury. 1934 — Hawke's Bay. 1934 — Auckland. 1935 — Canterbury. 1935-36— Otago. 1937 — Southland.