No game plan needed, just play rugby
It has been four decades since the Swamp Foxes strapped on their boots to kick off in the NPC.
speaks to one of the original 1976 coaches.
Memories were shared and stories told as the members of the 1976 Thames Valley rugby team held their 40-year reunion at Paeroa Domain on Saturday.
It was in 1976 that the first season of the national provincial championship was put into action.
The Swamp Foxes were placed in the second division along with the likes of Waikato and North Auckland where they eventually finished in eighth spot for the season, Taranaki won the division that year for the North Island and South Canterbury for the South Island.
Those in charge of the team as it moved into new territory were Joe Wright as head coach and Ali Schmidt as his assistant.
Up until 1976 the unions had been organising their own fixture list with other sides.
Thames Valley was allocated
‘‘It took Waikato five years to get out of the second division.’’
16 matches which was the most in the union’s history.
The game fixtures list wasn’t matched until 1995.
So it was a big season for a small union, which also included a three-match South Island tour.
‘‘It was a pretty tough competition, it took Waikato five years to get out of the second division, that’s how tough it was,’’ Schmidt said.
Given the escalation into professional rugby, Schmidt is pleased that Thames Valley still has a team.
He also pleased that the union he invested so much time in hasn’t forgotten about the teams of the past.
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