Taranaki determined to break 44-year hoodoo
It is an often used line, one that goes along the them of modern day rugby players not being burdened by record or history.
If it is true then it is definitely a good thing for the Taranaki squad who have made their way to Napier to take on Hawke’s Bay in a Mitre 10 Cup crossover match.
Why? Well, there is the small matter of none of the players actually being alive the last time Taranaki beat Hawke’s Bay in Napier when Ian Eliason crossed the line and Neil Johnston landed the conversion and a penalty for the 9-4 victory.
Forty-four years have past since that 1973 win and while Taranaki have triumphed at every other venue in the country in that time, McLean Park remains the last bastion to be knocked off.
If history does have an influence over selection it has definitely not been a factor in the mind of Taranaki coach Colin Cooper who has made a number of significant changes from the side who came out 29-7 victors over Bay of Plenty last round.
Instead of sticking with the status quo Cooper has opted to look ahead to the remaining weeks of round robin when they will face Tasman, Canterbury, Manawatu and North Harbour over a 17-day period.
It’s hard to argue with Cooper’s logic, given Hawke’s Bay have looked as bad as they have ever been in the last decade or so, but that nagging concern about winning at McLean Park will sit uneasily with some Taranaki supporters.
Especially so when you consider Taranaki’s form belies their third place standing on the premiership table.
‘‘We’re not playing well but we’ve still been winning,’’ Cooper acknowledged.
‘‘We’ve had a lot of changes this year, particularly in the forward pack where we have lost a lot of experience, so it has been disruptive. But our defence is getting better, our lineout is improving and so is our scrum, so we’re making progress.’’
Progress would be something Hawke’s Bay coach Craig Philpott would love to see as he continues to come under pressure about their side’s continued poor
‘‘We’re not playing well but we’ve still been winning.’’
Taranaki coach Colin Cooper
performances amidst growing rumours of player discontent.
He should at least take a level of optimism out of the fact that Cooper has opened the door for them by making so many changes as well as opting to to give teenage squad members Ciarahn Matoe and Tom Florence the chance to make their debuts off the bench.
The flip side to that is the changes have a more than positive effect, the players afforded an opportunity actually play better than the ones they’ve replaced and Taranaki finally do reach their potential.
If that happens then the last, nagging unwanted record Taranaki has held since the national provincial championship started should be erased.