Hi Everyone,

With the School Holidays and Easter, I have had three days of rugby as well as some time with the family.

Metropolitan Rugby:

Several games in the town competition were played late on Thursday afternoon and early evening. I was at the North Ground to see the Premier Mens game between Alhambra-Union and Southern. Southern have a balanced side from 1 through to 15 as well as a strong bench to call on so were always going to be the favourites. The game was free flowing assisted greatly by the superb control of referee Sam Adam. While he had a low key approach, he still had the respect of the players as he was accurate in his decision making without over dominating the game. Both captains gave him high praise at the after-match function, which was well deserved. Southern had a comfortable lead at halftime, however A/U fought back well in the second half to make the final score 45-19. Considering it was a Thursday evening, there was a good turnout at the after-match function, which is a credit to both clubs.

I then headed down to Logan Park 6 to watch the Premier Womens game between Pirates and the newly formed Taieri side. As you would expect the experienced Pirates side were far too strong, however the Taieri girls showed a great deal of spirit and kept trying right until the end. I was impressed with the attitude of the Taieri management who remained positive with the girls at all times even although they were up against it. The game was played in excellent spirits with both sides enjoying the encounter. The teams had their photos taken with the Ranfurly Shield, finishing the night on a high.

North v South:

Each year there is a game played between the North and the South in the Otago Country Southern Premier Competition. There are eight teams in this competition and a team is selected from each of the four teams, playing for the Caelib Edwards Memorial Trophy. This year the match was played on Good Friday in Kaitangata in absolutely beautiful conditions. This was an evenly contested affair with both sides entering into the spirit of the game. Considering that both sides had only one training run to prepare for the fixture, the standard of the play was very high. The Ranfurly Shield was again on display at the end of the ground with large numbers of people including many children getting a photo opportunity. After-match functions in the country are always a highlight and this was no exception. I was impressed with the way that both captains spoke about Caelib and the importance of the Trophy that was on the line, with the Northern Team getting their hands on it for the first time since its inception four years ago. For the record Northern won 33-26, scoring a converted try right on full time.

Arrowtown 30th Jubilee:

It was a privilege to be invited to the Jubilee Celebrations at their new complex at Jack Reid Park on Saturday. Raylene and I travelled up early Saturday morning with the third member of the family in the boot, to arrive in plenty of time for the 12 noon kick off. I was greeted by Nathan Pullar and Lisa Spark - Nathan leading the charge in terms of the organisation of the event. As we had time before kick-off, Lisa kindly showed me through the new multi-purpose complex, which is quite unbelievable. While the Arrowtown Rugby Club will have this facility as their base, it will also be available for other community users. The changing rooms were superb as were the showers and storage areas. The after-match function and the evening dinner were held in the main function room, which was absolutely ideal for events of this type.

The last time I was at this ground was in 2010 when I managed the Otago Team. The playing surface then was not great to say the least. The ground has been completely upgraded and now has a wonderful sole of grass, which will be a great asset for the club. The game was a close encounter which is normally the case between Arrowtown and Wakatipu. The fact that the White Horse Cup was up for grabs made for a tense battle with Wakatipu eventually sneaking home 20-19. The Ranfurly Shield also added to the occasion with hundreds of people showing interest in this historic trophy. The dinner that night was a wonderful celebration for the Arrowtown Club with Frank Bunce being the guest speaker. He was light hearted in telling many stories about his times with the All Blacks, producing plenty of laughs from the 150 who attended the function.

The highlight of the whole day for me was the surprise announcement of the Life Members Award of the Arrowtown Rugby Club to Simon Spark. Simon has made a massive contribution to the club over a long period of time including coaching, administrating and being President for the past 15 years. He received a standing ovation from all those present and was very emotional on receiving the award.

Well done to the Arrowtown Club on 30 years of existence. With the junior players in the club already numbering around 150 and with these outstanding new facilities, this club will continue to go from strength to strength.      

Des Smith MNZM

Article added: Monday 29 April 2019