Ranfurly Shield broken, give it to the Heartland

By Adam Julian

It’s only recently the Ranfurly Shield has been publicly labelled a taonga. Taonga is a Māori word to describe treasured items or possessions that hold cultural, spiritual, historical or personal significance. These can include physical objects such as artwork, carvings, jewellery or heirlooms, as well as intangible concepts like songs, dances, stories or language.

Taonga represents the cultural heritage of Māori and is recognised as valuable for its intrinsic connection to their identity, history and traditions. It’s often protected and preserved to maintain its cultural integrity and pass it on to future generations.

In 1986, the Waitangi Tribunal recognised te reo Māori, the Māori language itself, as a taonga and a year later it was made an official language of New Zealand.

The Ranfurly Shield is without doubt the most famous trophy in New Zealand sport.  It speaks to the deep and intrinsic connection many Kiwis have with rugby and their province. It has, done long before PR departments started applying meaningful Māori words to tick boxes.

In August, the Ranfurly Shield was blessed and decommissioned by New Zealand Rugby Māori cultural adviser Luke Crawford, recognising its status as a taonga in rugby. Effectively the trophy was upgraded to an even higher status than it already had. It is a verified treasure.

Last weekend the Ranfurly Shield was treated with utter contempt by Hawke’s Bay, a province with the third best record in the competition stretching back to 1904.

Part of the Ranfurly Shield folklore is the revelry in winning the thing. Craftsman and frequent repairer James Dwan wryly observed, “She’s had a hard life. There’s a lot that’s happened to it, on it, around it.”

But never has the Log o’ Wood been snapped in half.

Adam Gilshnan is a good bugger. He runs the West Coast Rugby Museum and bleeds footy. On his Facebook page this week he wrote: “I thought I’d post a few photos of when I was humbled to be entrusted to look after both the [Ranfurly] Shield and ITM Cup, back in 2011.

“To have it at my house for the night was really special and I was also able to take it to my Marist club, my work, as well as the hospital. To see the joy it brought to the faces of so many people was an incredible thing, and of course, I snuck a few photos.

“West Coast, while not having won it before, have put up some great showings in our history, and the players that played in those games, I’m sure, would have been proud to have had a crack at the Log o’ Wood.”

The Shield is broken and will be locked up for summer. Gilshnan, his like, and most of the good folk in the Hawke’s Bay rugby community, are denied the chance to share their love of this taonga.

Instead, NZ Rugby’s integrity unit will investigate the shenanigans of Hawkes Bay with, of course, “no timeframe for the investigation.”

In other words, reach for the broomsticks.

Most people don’t give a shit about the party. What we care about is the Shield being broken. Crawford himself described the Shield as “bigger than rugby.”

Hawke’s Bay played honourably to win the Shield, but their behaviour afterward makes any claim to respect the Shield obsolete. They have a duty of care and failed. Every direct question about what happened, how it happened and who was involved has been palmed off to NZ Rugby.

Apparently almost everyone is available to play this weekend, too.

Why don’t NZ Rugby confiscate the Ranfurly Shield from Hawke’s Bay and gift it to the winner of the Meads Cup? Take it to the Heartland where real love and respect for the Shield exists. Give struggling unions an opportunity to monetise it with some early season games.

Some might complain this devalues the competition, but instead it could reset the importance of the Ranfurly Shield with a start of something new.

Champion All Black fullback Israel Dagg helped Hawke’s Bay win the Shield in 2014. He was rightly incensed by the damage and raised an important point on SENZ when he said: “What the hell are randoms that are out there to sabotage, doing in that room with the Hawke’s Bay players? This is an ever-changing landscape, with social media playing a big part in the world we live in.”

Hawke’s Bay CEO Jay Campbell said the union and the players understand “the significance of this special taonga and its unique place within New Zealand rugby, including our own rich history. Everyone involved is incredibly upset and devastated by what has happened, especially as it was a genuine accident.”

Mr. Campbell, we hear you, until the last two words.

“Genuine accident.” What plausible explanation can you provide for the snapping of 12kg of English oak in a kitchen?

Someone else can handle that question.

The Hawke’s Bay team is entitled to have a hearty celebration, but a Ranfurly Shield triumph isn’t a licence for a player to allegedly get so drunk, he put lives at risk by crashing his car.

Where was the control, discipline, respect, genuine camaraderie and pride your team exhibited only hours earlier?

Imagine treating a foreign taonga like this rabble? In some places you’d literally have your head chopped off.

If you’re going to call the Shield taonga, then start treating it like taonga.

The Lord’s Colonial Taonga