Ranfurly Shield heartbreak assured

By SAM WORTHINGTON - The Dominion Post

Another chapter of Ranfurly Shield heartbreak will be written at Westpac Stadium tonight - it's just a matter of in which union's history book it's penned.

For two of New Zealand rugby's major unions, Wellington and Otago have sorry shield records.

Wellington ended their 26-year misery by lifting the Log o' Wood off Auckland last year, but that's only half the suffering Otago's faithful have endured.

The southerners last held the shield 52 years ago, in 1957, when they ended Wellington's four-game hold with a 19-11 victory at Athletic Park.

Bookmakers have confidently opened Wellington as $1.15 favourites but Otago's $5 odds appear generous against a Lions outfit shorn of its All Blacks and injured Super 14 trio Serge Lilo, Faifili Levave and Michael Hobbs.

The Lions do appeal as having the edge in flair and firepower, though Otago's locks, Tom Donnelly and Hayden Triggs, and loose forwards, Adam Thomson, Alando Soakai and Steven Setephano, will ensure a steady supply of ball.

Otago have had a mixed pre-season campaign, thrashing North Otago and Mid-Canterbury before losing 19-14 to Southland on Friday night, and Lions coach Jamie Joseph a former Otago player hoped to prolong their shield hoodoo.

"I just hope they're as successful as I have been playing for Otago," Joseph quipped.

"I've got friends that I played rugby with, John Leslie and David Latta, all coming up to watch the game and I guess they're doing that because they think they're going to take it away.

"They'll [Otago] be a spirited challenge and they'll come for the whole 80 minutes. So that's the message we've given our guys. At the end of the day, these games are what the players play rugby for.

"The Ranfurly Shield, while it creates a lot of pressure, it just gives them a platform to actually launch a career in really good rugby conditions and I'm excited about that."

Another point of interest tonight is the return to New Zealand rugby of 35-year-old, 42-test former All Black Kees Meeuws, who is on Otago's bench.

"He'll bring experience and he'll bring a few old tricks," Joseph said.

"I don't know what that bag of tricks contains I remember when he was playing in New Zealand a few years ago they were pretty tough tricks.

"But the game hasn't changed with regards to front-row play, our guys are going to have to front up and we've got two New Zealand juniors playing against one of our best All Black props of all time."

Pivotal tonight will be the performances of the two talented, but relatively raw No10s, Wellington's Daniel Kirkpatrick and Otago's Chris Noakes.

Kirkpatrick and halfback Alby Mathewson will be asked to steer proceedings as the links between rookie No8 Mathew Luamanu and second-five Shaun Treeby.

Kirkpatrick is somewhat of a forgotten man, having faded out of Hurricanes contention during the business end of the season and is now facing the challenge of Manawatu tyro Aaron Cruden.

But Joseph backed the 20-year-old to reaffirm his ability.

"He was junior world international player [of the tournament] just two seasons ago this year the new kid on the block is Cruden, and everyone's forgotten Daniel except me and [backs coach] Andre [Bell].

"I think it's [being overlooked] made him more hungry and more determined to actually crack it at Super 14 level. He'd be disappointed that he didn't get as much gametime as he would have liked, particularly at the end of the season when the Hurricanes were playing those big games, but I definitely have confidence in his ability to be able to play at that level."

The shield has overshadowed the start of the Air New Zealand Cup, but last year's finalists, Canterbury and Wellington, look shoo-ins for two semifinal spots, with Hawke's Bay and Waikato the best of the rest.

Provided Wellington navigate tonight's challenge, the bar will continue to rise, with defences against Auckland on August 22 and Canterbury on August 29.

OTAGO'S TALE OF WOE

1967 Lost 9-8 to Hawke's Bay

Halves Chris Laidlaw and Earle Kirton guided Otago out to an 8-3 lead, but would later be accused of kicking away too much possession. Hawke's Bay halfback Aidan Thomas broke Otago hearts when he ran down the blindside late in the second half for the vital try.

1970 Lost 16-12 to Canterbury

Fullback Laurie Mains nailed three early penalties to put the challengers out to a 9-0 lead by halftime, but tries by Ian Penrose and Wayne Cottrell and 10 points from Fergie McCormick's boot held off the challenge.

1994 Lost 22-20 to Canterbury

Otago hooker David Latta said after this match that the changing room felt as though there had been "a death in the family". Otago led 15-5 in the first half, before the horror unfolded. Latta would infamously dive over a ruck in the last passage of play with Otago up 20-19. Andrew Mehrtens' penalty sealed the match.

2000 Lost 29-26 to Canterbury

Up 18-14 at halftime, halfback Byron Kelleher scooted in after the break and Tony Brown knocked over his second penalty for a 26-14 lead with 20 minutes to play. Canterbury closed to 26-22 through a try by wing Marika Vunibaka and in the 76th minute a flying Caleb Ralph scored the clincher.

2002 Lost 16-13 to Canterbury

Blair Feeney's penalty hit the upright in the 62nd minute with the challengers up 13-6 and two minutes later Canterbury halfback Justin Marshall crashed over under the Otago posts to tie the scores. An Andrew Mehrtens penalty again delivered the killer blow.

2006 Lost 22-17 to Canterbury

Yet again all signs pointed to a drought-breaking win when flanker Josh Blackie scored in the second half for a 14-8 lead. But Canterbury, minus their All Blacks, powered away in the final quarter to entrench Otago's reputation as shield chokers.

1957 - A glance at the year Otago last held the Ranfurly Shield illustrates just how long it's been between drinks for the southerners

Sydney Holland, Keith Holyoake and Walter Nash all spent time as prime minister. Frank Kitts was the mayor of Wellington, not a park. Edmund Hillary established Scott Base in Antarctica. Elvis Presley bought Gracelands. John Lennon met Paul McCartney and formed the Beatles.