Fans ready to cheer their team on
Rugby fever is catching in South Canterbury, with huge crowds of supporters wearing their team’s colours expected to line the field in Pleasant Point today to watch the Hamersley Cup final.
Waimate and Celtic will go headto-head, with representatives from both teams ‘‘excited’’ for the final, and predicting a close one as last time the two teams met three weeks ago Celtic beat Waimate 19-12.
Waimate has played for the title three times in the past five years, but have not taken the Hamersley Cup home since 1995.
Meanwhile, Celtic lost the cup after a 10-year streak in 2018, when Temuka started their three-year winning streak, which Waimate ended in the semi-finals last Saturday.
Waimate residents are backing their team, with businesses and early child centres in the town spending the week preparing for the match.
Rural Scholars Early Learning Centre held a rugby legends day during the week, where members of the Waimate team played rugby drills with the children.
Centre teacher Rosie Sakatava said ‘‘a lot of families in the community have a tight link to the rugby club’’.
‘‘If your kids play in it [the club] or for some of our kids their dad, uncles or family friends play in it.
‘‘We had a dress-up day planned for Wednesday but due to the rain we closed, so people sent in photos dressed up.’’
Waimate Rugby Club president Matt Hayman said the team was looking forward to the final.
‘‘It is really exciting. It is a big thing for us as it is the third time in five years that we are hoping to bring it home,’’ Hayman said.
‘‘We have two supporter buses going along with our player bus, but I expect a lot of car loads to be heading out to Pleasant Point.’’
He said they are expecting a big turnout to the match as both Waimate and Celtic are longstanding ‘‘well-respected clubs’’ with large followings.
‘‘I expect to see a lot of light blue at the embankment on Saturday.’’
The rugby club also sold a lot of their old playing jerseys ahead of the game as supporters gear.
‘‘We had 100’s and we sold most of them on Sunday last week, and we didn’t have many left to sell on Wednesday.’’
Rainbow Dairy and Cafe´ part owner Sarah Farrell said staff decorated the store as they would not be able to go watch the game but wanted to show their support.
In Timaru, Celtic Rugby Club committee member Vaughan O’Shaughnessy said ‘‘there will be a sea of green around the field for this game’’.
He said there is ‘‘potentially’’ a few players that will retire after the game, but he did not want to confirm who.
‘‘We haven’t had the cup for three years, so we are looking forward to taking it home,’’ he said.
The game will kick off at 3pm.