Manawatu on the march
They breed them tough in Manawatu. It sounds somewhat cliche, but the union’s eclectic population coupled with its two centralised hubs are key reasons why Manawatu is punching above its weight when it comes to producing top-level rugby players.
The All Blacks featured five Manawatu-educated players against the British and Irish Lions earlier this month - Aaron Smith, Aaron Cruden, Ngani Laumape, Codie Taylor and Sam Whitelock. And that does not include injured Palmerston North Boys’ High School old boy Liam Squire and Nehe Milnerskudder.
There is a similarly healthy flock of Manawatu-raised players throughout Super Rugby.
It is an impressive contribution from a union, that based on registered players, is the second smallest in the Mitre 10 Cup.
Manawatu Rugby Union chief executive John Knowles put much of their success down to positive organisation from the bottom up.
‘‘We just pluck the plums,’’ he said. ‘‘Everybody at every level takes the credit for players who are successful. The reality is that as long as you have your systems from your junior rugby to your secondary schools rugby and then senior and rep rugby well organised then these players have continuing opportunities to come on.’’
Manawatu Turbos coach Jeremy Cotter paid tribute to the work of the province’s two major rugby schools Feilding High School and Palmerston North Boys’ High School, whose development and talent identification play a major role.
But many regions have good coaching set-ups without the same success.
Cotter suggested the make-up of Manawatu’s population was also a factor.
‘‘Demographically we are a little bit different to the main centres,’’ he said. ‘‘There is a massive area that ... draws on big farming communities. You get some good kids coming out of there who are brought up pretty tough. You have a widespread demographic and different occupations that lend themselves to being good rugby players and good characters.
‘‘A lot of the catchment that we are drawing on don’t have the [other sporting] facilities so they are indoctrinated into rugby at an early age. Rural areas, rugby is still first and foremost, whereas in urban communities there are so many choices.’’
Being physically large was not a prerequisite for up-andcoming talent in the province that fields one of the smallest teams in provincial rugby.
That was a positive according to Turbos assistant coach Aaron Good who said players in the region were faced with larger opposition from the secondary schools level.
‘‘Those schools have to play the game a little smarter and more innovative than perhaps a Wellington or Auckland school who could rely on their physical attributes to win games.’’
‘‘I think that it is the condensed nature of the region that helps [players] push on,’’ Cotter said. ‘‘Once you draw that talent they are in a very concentrated small area to develop their skills. It is really conducive to bringing talent through.’’
But retention of players is an on-going issue.
Knowles said the success of past Turbos players has aided that process along with the greater chance to be recognised in a smaller playing pool.
‘‘We have put that in front of school-aged kids saying that if you want to be an Aaron Cruden or an Aaron Smith, there is more opportunity staying here in this province than anywhere else,’’ he said.
‘‘We are a small union ... a young fellow can shine in that environment where he would get gobbled up somewhere else potentially or not even see light of day.’’
Before Jason O’halloran left the Turbos for a coaching job in Scotland in 2015, he pointed to Taylor’s debut for the All Blacks earlier that season.
‘‘Codie Taylor would have been an All Black two years ago if he had stuck around here,’’ he said.
It has been a rapid rise for Manawatu who did not have a Super Rugby player between 2001 and 2006.
But Manawatu is not alone in its renaissance. Many provinces have recovered from the initial years of professional rugby which sucked talent from the regions towards the Super Rugby centres.
Two major changes from New Zealand Rugby have aided that resurgence.
The first came in 2006 with the addition of Hawke’s Bay, Manawatu, Taranaki and Tasman to the top flight of provincial rugby.
Knowles admitted if Manawatu were still battling in the old NPC second division, they would not have the same stock of talent to hang their hat on.
‘‘If we were still in Heartland Rugby, we won’t be producing the players out of this province like we do. They would move away a lot earlier. Players might still shine, but they won’t be playing their footy here.’’
But more significantly, was the change to Super Rugby contracting in 2010.
It saw the scrapping of the old system where franchises had first dibs on players within their catchment to the direct Super Rugby contracting model that we see now which allows them to look anywhere in the country.
It opened the door for players to change their Super Rugby allegiance without leaving their provincial home - under the old system, Cruden’s move from the Hurricanes to the Chiefs in 2011 would have required him to leave Manawatu and sign on with a province within the Chiefs’ region.
Now the All Blacks squad reflects the provincial unions’ growth.
In 2005, the All Blacks used 29 players over the three tests against the British and Irish Lions. Of them, 26 came from the big five provinces (Auckland, Waikato, Wellington, Canterbury and Otago).
But the All Blacks squad this year for the Lions tour had a very different make-up with 28 players used and just 15 coming from the big five provinces.
‘‘I think it is a reflection of the strength of the system that has been built throughout the country,’’ New Zealand Rugby’s head of provincial rugby Steve Lancaster said. ‘‘Development programmes are all run at a very high quality now, particularly through the Mitre 10 Cup unions. That means you are seeing players being able to progress through the highest levels from anywhere in the country.’’
The All Blacks no longer rely on one province being strong for success, they need all of them to stand up.