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- By Steven White and Peter Marriott
Wellingtonians, Huttites and Poriruaians have a spring in their steps this week because the region’s rugby team is on a tear, having won their sixth straight NPC win of the season on Wednesday night and with a Ranfurly Shield challenge this coming Sunday to look forward to.
The squad’s depth came through at the end when Tawa prop PJ Sheck scored the winning try in the 79th minute to see Wellington beat Otago 32-28 and retain the Mike Gibson Memorial Trophy.
Trailing 27-28 heading deep into the match, Wellington launched one last attacking foray and came up with the winning, bonus point try.
With a maximum 30 competition points and a handy buffer to the mid-table contenders with four rounds to play, their home quarterfinals spot is not yet assured but it is likely.
Which brings us on to this Sunday’s Ranfurly Shield challenge at 2.05pm in Blenheim.
The Lions can afford to throw everything they have at the newly minted holders the Tasman Mako.
After four previously unsuccessful challenges for the Ranfurly Shield, Tasman finally won it by beating Hawke’s Bay 25-24 last weekend in Napier. The win was not clinched until Tasman, down 22-24, kicked a long-range penalty at the 82-minute mark.
Wellington is thus Tasman’s first challenger for the Shield, and if they play well, it could be their last.
The match against Tasman will be Wellington’s 50th challenge for the Ranfurly Shield: their first (and successful) was against Auckland in 1904.
Their most recent and 11th tenure was against Hawke’s Bay. This began when they beat Hawke’s Bay 19-12 at Napier on 17 September 2022. They successfully defended the Shield seven times before losing it (18-20) to Hawke’s Bay in Wellington on 30 September 2023. They had held it for a year and two weeks.
Their fourth defence of the last tenure was against Tasman on 23 August 2023, with hooker James O’Reilly scoring Wellington’s only try in a 7-0 win.
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Wellington’s previous tenure had been in 2008-09 when Wellington beat Auckland 27-0 in 2008 to win the Ranfurly Shield for the first time since 1982 on September 20, 2008.
Wellington’s first defence in 2008 was a week later – Wellington won 26-20 but it was a close-run thing.
The two teams for Wellington’s first defence against Tasman in 2008.
Read our story from last year about this defence here:
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Wellington’s first defence of their previous tenure in 1982 has also been against a team from the top of the South Island, Marlborough.
Our story about this match is below:
Wellington’s first home match of the 1982 season at Athletic Park was significant for two reasons. Not only was it Wellington’s first Ranfurly Shield defence after capturing the Log ‘o Wood off Waikato at the tail-end of the previous season, but it was the match that prolific wing Bernie Fraser scored his 100th first-class try.
In fact, not for the first nor the last time in his illustrious career on the left wing for Wellington, Fraser played a starring role in that 1982 Ranfurly Shield opener in June against Marlborough.
Fraser scored a hat-trick in Wellington’s comfortable four tries to nil 31-6 win over the Red Devils.
It had been a long wait for Fraser to reach a century of first-class tries, minor injuries keeping him sidelined since he scored his 98th and 99th first class-tries while playing for the All Blacks against Romania South at the end of the previous year.
Read more here http://www.clubrugby.co.nz/wellington/story.php?id=1099
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Wellington Ranfurly Shield History
Played: 108
Won: 58
Lost: 45
Drawn: 6
Points For: 1,897
Winning Challenges: 11
Points Against: 1,481
Longest Tenure: 16 defences, 1914-1920
First Game: Auckland, August 6, 1904, Alexandra Park, won 6-3 in the very first Ranfurly Shield game. All Blacks Duncan McGregor and Doddy Gray scored tries for Wellington.
The Wellington 1904 team.
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Short tenures
Should the Lions win and bring the Ranfurly Shield home, it will be an 8-day tenure.
Shortest Ranfurly Shield tenures
1.Hawke’s Bay (six days); 1 – 7 September 2013
2= Wellington (seven days); 31 August – 7 September 1963
2= Waikato (seven days); 24 August – 1 September 2007
4. Taranaki (eight days); 19-27 September 2020
5. Otago (nine days); 23 August – 1 September 2013
A Short Tenure, 1963: On August 31, Wellington defeated Auckland 8-3 to end Auckland’s then record 25 defences with the Log. Fred Allen established his coaching reputation in this era. Marist No. 8 and Junior All Black Paul Russo (1969, Billy Wallace Best & Fairest winner) scored the only try of the game on a heavy field. All Black fullback and stand-in captain Mick Williment kicked a conversion and a penalty. All Black prop Ken Gray was ruled out as captain with a broken hand. Wellington lost the Shield on September 7 to Taranaki, 3-17. Williment kicked a penalty. Taranaki under the coaching of future All Black mentor J.J. Stewart would hold the Log for 16 defences until 1965.
