SIDELINE WITH GEORGE BERRY
FRENCH FARE FOR KIRWAN’S BLUES Pre this year’s Super Rugby season there was plenty of chatter about one of the Blues players heading to France, now it’s about the French heading down under to face the Blues. It looks fairly assured that centre Rene Ranger will leave Auckland to further his career offshore later this year, but if he’s still fit come 11 June he’ll get the chance to square off against his soon to be adopted country. Whether he makes the All Blacks or not, a Tuesday night match at Auckland’s North Harbour Stadium is well and truly in the pipeline, Les Bleus versus Sir John Kirwan’s Blues. When I was first made aware of the French sides plans to be based in the City of Sails during their three week tour I wondered if a midweek match would be on the cards, a kind of rugby tour of old. And with the international window opening up a significant gap in the Super Rugby competition the Blues swiftly swooped on the potential opportunity. Although I must admit I did raise an eyebrow at their choice to play at North Harbour Stadium, given their lack of positive results at Eden Park. Just as the Chiefs have signalled their intentions to travel to Argentina in search of top quality opposition during the break, the Blues are now the second franchise to jump at taking on international calibre opposition. John Kirwan’s side have made a positive start to their season, and he deserves to be commended for instilling belief into his young squad and some pride in the blue and white jersey. A stunning win over the Hurricanes and a right royal whipping of the Crusaders, Kirwan seems to have injected the severely lacking elements to a side the city deserves to be proud of. And if there’s to be any real measure of how his side are tracking it should be the clash against the French. The final contest ahead of a two week break, and the simple fact that Kiwis love to beat the French (almost as much as beating the Australians) should provide all the motivation Kirwan’s side needs. They will be without their All Blacks, yes, but I doubt that All Blacks coach Steve Hansen is going to throw out his rule book and select anyone too far from the tried and true, so expect the fresh faced Blues squad to be close to full strength. The French will also bring a full strength side down for their end of season tour. After attending a number of French games of rugby this year I can assure you the pain of their Rugby World Cup loss in 2011 is still strong. There’s little more they talk about when they know you’re from New Zealand, and I’m sure the word revenge wouldn’t be unfair in describing their levels of motivation. (GEORGE BERRY) PN
THE HERNE BAY HUSTLERS NEED LOCAL SUPPORT THIS IS THE FIRST YEAR FOR THE HERNE BAY HUSTLERS, AN UNDER 85kg rugby team, a group of players who all come from the local community. A team of the people for the people. We are looking to make our mark on the grade and on the local area and we’d love your support. Auckland club rugby can be a daunting place for your standard young professional, But with every player strictly weighed by the referee before each game, there is no flouting the system. There is plenty of nudity, by players, who ditch their underwear in a last bid to make the weight, but if you can’t get under, you’re out. The weight limit makes for fast-paced rugby and it’s a great spectacle to behold from the sideline. The forwards are often as quick and nimble as the backs. There is tonnes of heart and it’s very competitive, which makes for highly entertaining viewing. With 200 dozen cans of Speights awarded to the ultimate winner, it’s hardly surprising! The Under 85kg grade is the most popular grade in Auckland, hosting between 25 and 30 teams each season, and now Ponsonby has a new team to be proud of. The Herne Bay Hustlers are playing out of Ponsonby Rugby Club, based at Western Springs just five minutes away from Ponsonby Road. The official season does not start until April, so if you think you want to have a run around and see if you’ve got what it takes, you’re welcome to come down to training on a Wednesday night. There’s now no better motivation to lose that beer belly to get under 85kgs and join a team close to your home. We are still on the lookout for a new backs coach, so if you can take a team to glory, and feel that you could have more success than Pat Lam had last year, please contact me. Make sure to get your copy of the next issue of Ponsonby News which will include our full draw including all our home games that will be held down at Western Springs, under lights, on Friday nights. What better way to kick off the weekend’s festivities than coming down to support your local team and having a few very competitively priced drinks from the bar? And ladies, just remember, its not the size of the wave, more the motion of the ocean. We are also looking for sponsors – like any team we need gear, cold beer and any help we can get. If you interested please get in touch. (TIM KERR) PN M: 021 985 454; E: tim.kerr00@gmail.com www.ponsonbyrugby.co.nz
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116 PONSONBY NEWS+ April 2013
PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)