Team make history with shield win
Clinching a coveted shield that carries the same mana as the Log o’ Wood will be a big boost to Māori players, the Taranaki Māori Rugby Football Union says.
Last Saturday, the Taranaki Māori rugby squad beat the Wellington-based Te Upoko o Te Ika team 29-19 in their first outing of the season, a win that also netted them the Sir Eruera Tihema Tirikatene Shield.
It is the first time the region’s team, which is made up of club players from across the maunga, had raised the shield in the 99-year history of the Taranaki Māori Rugby Football Union (TMRFU), which was formed in 1923.
Head coach Te Waiti Mareikura said it was a significant win for the team, and it boosted the union’s goal to provide a credible pathway for Māori rugby players to vie for higher honours in the code.
He said within Māori sporting circles, the accolade – which pays homage to the late Sir Eruera Tirikatene, a politician and noted Ratana leader with whānau links to Taranaki – held the same mana the Ranfurly Shield enjoyed on New Zealand’s domestic rugby scene.
Mareikura said he hoped winning the shield would help to build up the status of the union, which is independent of the Taranaki Rugby Football Union, along with a revitalisation of the game among younger players.
‘‘It’s an avenue for our people to be in a professional environment.’’
It also provided a way to build connections with players and their whakapapa links.
Mareikura said bringing the shield to Taranaki was a source of ‘‘an immense sense of pride’’ for the team, who will hold on to the taonga until next season.
The team’s next game is on home turf when they clash with King Country Heartland tomorrow at the Clifton Rugby Club in Tikorangi. Kickoff is 2pm. The following three games will be held at the TSB Hub in Hāwera.