Teams chow down ahead of rugby feast

PETER DRURY/Waikato Times

HEAD TO HEAD: Opposing captains for tomorrow's Waikato club rugby final Mark Verner, of Morrinsville Sports, and Tyron Child, of Fraser-Tech, at today's club final breakfast.

A feast of rugby this weekend was kicked off with a breakfast in Hamilton today.

The third annual Waikato club rugby final breakfast was held at Waikato Stadium involving the two teams that will contest tomorrow's Waikato Breweries Shield grand final.

Both teams were joined by club and Waikato Rugby Union officials, along with the respective clubs' representatives in the Waikato team who face Bay of Plenty in the ITM Cup opener that will follow the final at the stadium.

The club final is being played at 3.35pm tomorrow as a curtain-raiser for a Waikato match for the first time, the latter kicking off at 6.35pm.

Later in the night the All Blacks will take on the Wallabies in Melbourne.

The Waikato club final will feature the same two teams that met last year – defending champions Morrinsville Sports and Fraser-Tech.

Morrinsville won a historic first championship title last year, riding a wave of emotion after coach Darrin Stevenson died suddenly having guided his team to an upset victory over his old Fraser-Tech club to squeeze into the playoffs as fourth seeds.

This year it is Fraser-Tech who are the fourth seeds, having reached their fourth final in a row. They won the title in 2008.

A march-past of 6200 junior rugby players will take place at 5.35pm at the stadium, between the club final and the ITM Cup match with the junior players of the club that wins the Shield final leading the marchers.

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