Mat talks The kids are there!
MANGONUI were certainly no match in their Harding Shield final against Rodney Northern Wairoa last Saturday.
Thumped 52-10 in Dargaville in front of a small crowd who showed little interest, the Far North players were simply outclassed. The opposition were at another level, with virtually the whole side being Northland representatives. Now with Bay of Islands being thrashed 74-5 by Whangarei, the question to be asked is, is this subunion competition worth continuing with? Also, it must be asked, why have Northern Wairoa and Rodney combined?
Both have sides competing in Whangarei’s southern competition and have a number of reserve sides. If directed by the Northland Rugby Union to hold their own identity, then the big scores from last weekend would not have happened. More importantly, all five sub unions would be on a more even par. So to Northland, let’s get it right. Forget playing these matches on public holiday weekends, and keep to the same format of last year, using Saturday club rugby.
The traditional under-18/19 rugby competition has been abandoned for the season. Reason: not enough teams to make a viable competition. With Whangarei Boys’ High, Kerikeri and Tikipunga available, it was left up to Mangonui’s Ninety Milers to see if some competition could eventuate. It didn’t happen. Mangonui had the players due to the good work of former coach Dave Jurlina but to get a replacement, there was none. And that’s the issue in this year’s youth grade; getting reliable, conscientious coaches. It is wrong for Northland operations manager Kyal Collins to say, “The kids just aren’t there.” They are there!
All these youngsters need is leadership. So, Collins, it’s your job to get out and promote this. Now this grade is being replaced by a 1st XV competition to be played every second Wednesday. Great idea, only if it is being contested during school times — which is not happening. More on this next week.
The New Zealand cricket team have done it! They have beaten England in the second test at Headlingly by a whopping 199 runs to level the test series 1-1. It’s New Zealand’s first away win against the Poms in 16 years. Regardless, the Kiwis’ ranking regardless of this win will drop from third to fourth, but still ahead of England who fancy themselves like in soccer as masters. And the English media are praising the New Zealanders’ achievements. Former England captain Michael Vaughan wrote that the Black Caps are the best team to watch in test cricket and TV frontman Mark Nicholas said, “No team could play with such a sense of possibility and joy like this New Zealand side.”
Local rugby picks for this weekend: Awanui too good for Rarawa, Motukohu just over Kaitaia, and Eastern too classy for South Hokianga. And that’s how Mat sees it.