Tamati, Lowe help Linton Cobras celebrate 25th anniversary

people are attending from across the country and from Australia.

Former Kiwi Howie Tamati and former Kiwis coach Graham Lowe are the guest speakers at a dinner tomorrow night. They are holding a past versus present masters game on Saturday and are naming anniversary teams.

The Cobras formed in 1989 after 1st Battalion, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment permanently relocated from Singapore to Linton and had their first season in 1990, when they adopted the Cobras emblem and title.

Since 1998 they have played in nine finals and won three of them – 2012, 2002 and 1998.

It didn’t take long for them to become a force – the club’s first grand final was in 1991, which they lost 18-17 in the final moments to the Waiouru Bobcats. The next year they won their first title, beating the Kia Ora Warriors 22-16.

In 2012 they beat the Dannevirke Tigers 43-22, in 2002 they beat Levin Knights 48-26 and in 1998 they beat Castlecliff 50-16.

As with all army sport, army commitments have affected them. In 2001 they had to pull out of the competition because of an operational deployment to East Timor before coming back the next year.

This season they had two premier men’s teams, but one pulled out during the season because players were away with army commit- ments. Last year they started a women’s team, which has won the Wellington competition for the past two years.

Recent NRL player, former Warriors and Newcastle Knights forward Jesse Royal is a former Cobra.

New Zealand representatives this year were Krystal Murray and Janna Vaughan, who played in the Kiwi Ferns Anzac test against Australia and played for New Zealand in the Auckland Nines, and Sita Kuruyabaki, who played in the Anzac Test.

Codie Christensen, Kane Kelleher and Denzel Lepua are in the Manawatu Mustangs and Central Vipers this year.