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Thirty two. That’s the number on the Wellington Lions’ mind as they lick their wounds (literally if you’re James O’Reilly) and prepare to face the Hawke’s Bay Magpies in this coming Saturday’s major NPC semi-final down at Wellington Stadium. The Lions survived 32 phases of heated Waikato attack in the red minutes
Representative Rugby
Aisle be Back: All Blacks v Uruguay (the wash-up)
By Kevin McCarthy My family used to live in the Falkland Islands, and politics being politics, if they needed better medical care, they’d take the slow boat to neighbouring Uruguay, rather than Argentina. The said ship, the Montevideo, was legendary for making people violently sick in the wild South Atlantic seas. I
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
Roman Tutauha proud centurion on the Meads Cup march
By Adam Julian - this story was written for NZRU channels this week and has been republished here with permission. It took some persuasion for Roman Tutauha (Ngāti Ruanui) to speak publicly about his 100th match for Whanganui. This coming Saturday the stoic, sturdy, and softly-spoken hooker will become the 15th
The Lord’s Colonial Taonga
The Wellington team in 1904, the first winners of the Ranfurly Shield. By Rolling Maul The general disquiet and disbelief expressed by New Zealanders following damage to the iconic “Ranfurly Shield” last weekend reflects a great respect for this country’s colonial history. The Shield recalls the colonial governorship of New Zealand’s