It had been 14 long years since Tūrangawaewae Rugby League Sports and Cultural Club last defeated Taniwharau – in the 2006 Waikato Rugby League Grand Final.
Most things you really want in this world are better when you have to wait 14 years to get your hands on them. There are exceptions of course. I probably wouldn’t want a chocolate and salted caramel mud cake I’d been waiting 14 years for – it would be a bit mouldy. But other than that…
It had been a lot longer than 14 years since I’d last set foot on the sacred and hallowed ground that is the Huntly Rugby Club – more like 35 years since I played junior cricket here. I’ve never seen it like this though. Crammed with spectators, full of life, heaving with excitement, and a more fertile breeding ground of vibrant culture than a 14 year old chocolate and salted caramel mud cake.
The crowd was so full of life that it was literally pulsing out into the field of play. And those who weren’t pulsing were simply claiming the space for themselves – to the point of sitting on portable outdoor furniture well inside the in-goal area. One kick and chase resulted in an attacking player crashing into the legs of one such spectator – “sorry bro” the *player* giggled as he picked himself up! At one point the ground announcer said “back from the sideline please whānau or I’ll call your name AND your marae!” I thought it sounded like a pretty scary threat. He was wasting his breath though.
This game was special. Marae vs marae. Whānau vs whānau. Huntly vs Ngāruawāhia. There was feeling. No quarter was given. But there was no hatred either. It had the atmosphere of a healthy rivalry where passions don’t cross the line into bitterness.
It twisted and turned – Taniwharau led for most of it and looked every bit like last season’s premiers. But Tūrangawaewae wanted it more – they never gave up no matter how grim the situation looked.
At ten points down with ten minutes of the game left, Tūrangawaewae forced a line dropout at the Taniwharau end of the paddock. “Is this the start of the comeback?” the ground announcer mused. The answer to his question was yes. Yes it was. The visitors scored under the sticks and it was game on.
With less than five minutes to go, Taniwharau won a penalty right out in front. Instead of taking the easy two points they kicked for the sideline. Then they coughed up possession on tackle one.
With less than two minutes to go, Tūrangawaewae needed a try to draw level and a conversion to win. After repeat sets of six Taniwharau’s heroic defence finally cracked, conceding a try in the corner.
With less than 30 seconds to go, the conversion started drifting away from the left hand upright, then it wobbled, then it drifted back and snuck inside.
Afterwards everyone was smiling, even the home club supporters. They had lost a game of football but it was to people they know and respect and they’d witnessed a rip snorter. What’s to be sad about? “We have the makings of a formidable Waikato Māori rohe side” one wāhine quipped on the way to the carpark.
Never lose sight of the bigger picture.
Taniwharau 20, Tūrangawaewae 22
The Fox and the Crow 