Low key bid lifts Shield
Veteran coach Colin Cooper believes their deliberate ploy not to talk about the Ranfurly Shield helped Taranaki take New Zealand’s most prized provincial trophy off Canterbury.
Instead of making the Shield the focal point of their match in Christchurch, Cooper and his management team opted to put the focus on the importance of the Mitre 10 Cup points that were on offer.
The result was not only a stunning 55-43 win, which took them to the top of the premiership table, but the Ranfurly Shield found its way back to New Plymouth for the first time since 2012.
‘‘The bigger goal was always trying to get a home semifinal and we wanted to make sure they were hearing that clearly,’’ he said. ‘‘Last year [against Waikato] we didn’t mention that, it was all about the Shield and we threw everything at them about the Shield. After we drew that and didn’t win it, it was so tough to bring them back up. It kept everyone balanced I think.’’
Cooper found it hard to split the triumph they enjoyed when he first won it against Southland in 2011 and Friday night’s victory over Canterbury.
‘‘2011 was special because it was the first time,’’ he said. ‘‘But winning there [Christchurch] has always been tough.’’
Despite falling 31-7 behind, Cooper always held belief the side could come back.
‘‘We made 10 errors at the start and they scored three tries off those. We were still confident because we had a great week leading up to it and we were pretty confident even when we were down by so many points.’’
While they were able to enjoy a day of celebrating what they achieved, he was mindful of the quick turnaround and the fact they faced Manawatu’s challenge on Wednesday.
He believed that short back-up would work in their favour, as it did back in 2011 when they faced a challenge from Hawke’s Bay just a few days after winning the Shield.
‘‘I think we have some good momentum and I’m sure the guys will take a lot of confidence from the win [over Canterbury].’’
A standout from the win was flanker Lachlan Boshier.
He not only scored two tries, but put on a man-of-the-match performance around the field.
He was clearly jaded after arriving back in New Plymouth, as well as being sore from such a physical encounter.
‘‘Everyone was pretty happy with me after I came off and thought I’d played well,’’ he said.
‘‘It was a pretty quick game, really physical. It felt like it was next level from what we had been playing in the previous weeks, they certainly brought it to us but I thought the boys handled it well and were pretty calm.’’
That calmness, he said, was there even though they fell so far behind on the scoreboard.
‘‘It was a bit strange because I thought we were doing some good things but nothing was going our way. It just felt like they had the rub of the green in the first half and then we started scoring some tries.
‘‘We went into halftime and saw it was only 10 points and we thought we weren’t too far away. The belief was always there. The second half, it was amazing how we got on top and just got on a roll.’’
‘‘The bigger goal was always trying to get a home semifinal and we wanted to make sure they were hearing that clearly.’’
Colin Cooper Coach
It’s safe to say Taranaki has turned amber and black after the Ranfurly Shield win.
Cheering crowds filled New Plymouth on Saturday morning to try catch a glimpse of the shield, and its holders – the Port Taranaki Bulls rugby team.
This followed the team’s 55-43 Mitre 10 Cup win over Canterbury on Friday, which brought home the 113-year-old Ranfurly Shield for the first time in five years.
As the team touched down at New Plymouth Airport Bulls supporters went wild.
Mike Morresey, better known as Mad Mike, was one of the hundreds who packed the airport.
‘‘I’ve been to every home game, no matter the weather,’’ Morresey said. ‘‘My thing is support the boys, through and through, no matter what.’’
The game was called a rollercoaster by some – with some Bulls’ fans admitting they turned their televisions off before half time. However, Morresey said he sent a telepathic message to coach Colin Cooper during the match.
‘‘I went: ‘Coop, listen to me, I know you can hear me, put [Charlie] Ngatai on the field. Let’s go. Let’s stabilise this backline. Let’s go boys. Let’s get these tries back’,’’ Morresey said. ‘‘Bang...Look what happened.’’
Morresey’s message must have got through as Ngatai was put on in the second half and everything seemed to look up from there.
‘‘This was one of the biggest Ranfurly Shield matches in history, as far as I’m aware of. At 98 points for the shield challenge, it was a great game.’’ Morresey said.
When the players were able to make their way through the masses, who spilled onto the road outside, they were welcomed with a haka.
The celebrations then moved to the New Plymouth CBD, where amber and black shirts, scarves, flags and signs lined Devon St for the celebratory parade. The players and the shield made their way up the street in a truck, and the fans followed.
Self-confessed hardcore supporter Josh Hickford briefly joined the parade and recalled the up-anddown game.
Hickford said the final score resulted in ‘‘lots of passion and a lot of bull cries’’.
‘‘[I] had a bit of a crowd in my mancave and it’s fair to say the mancave roof almost came off,’’ he said.
‘‘It just brings back memories of 2012 when we took it off Southland, and the 2014 final.’’