Round 2 of the E’stel Tasman Trophy was a great weekend of rugby. While early in the season the standard or the skills can be a little rusty, one can ever question the player’s commitment, desire and passion for the game of Rugby and, most importantly, for their club.
This was evident in Ethan Blackadder (Crusaders - pictured) and Ryan Coxon (Chiefs) returning to play for their local clubs. I love seeing our Super players coming back to the region when they can and being leaders within their clubs.
It is what makes players like Ethan special and why he is an important leader within the Mako team. On Saturday morning having a pre-match meal at Bobby Franks Café with his Nelson team mates, there were four young academy players there too. They were learning from a person who always puts other first, and who enthuses that nothing is gained without dedication and hard work.
This attitude was further evident with Ryan flying back from his Chiefs debut against the Hurricanes to play for Wanderers. He is a key cog in being a leader to a number of young academy players at Wanderers.
It is imperative that the young Mako players playing club rugby provide the leadership that is required and demanded from them in the Mako season as returning Super players. A key learning out of the 2018 Mako season was that the young Mako player had to become senior figures within their clubs and work on their leadership skills.
My favourite activity on a Saturday afternoon is watching a club match and the results of the other matches coming up on the Tribe App or Tasman Rugby App. Last weekend the double header at Trafalgar Park took club rugby back to the 1980’s where we had two club rugby played on the main field. These matches were very close and great spectacles for those who attended with Waimea Old Boys winning late 27-25 against Stoke, and Wanderers defeating last years champions Nelson by 26-22.
I must make a personal mention of Waitohi Rugby Club who have had a very difficult pre-season with the changing of coaches, loss of players to either Super rugby, overseas or in some cases other clubs, but I must congratulate Jimmy Giles who has worked tirelessly to ensure that the club fielded a premiership team despite the rumours of their demise.
Their result on Saturday, a 43-26 victory against Renwick, was most encouraging for the club, the players and the people behind the scenes who have volunteered their time to ensure the club fielded a premiership team. It was fantastic to see last week that not only were they fielding a premiership team but also a division 2 team too. The result on Saturday illustrated that last year’s sub union champions will be competitive in 2019.
The TRU Board and operational staff want all premiership clubs to be competitive, where each week the results are difficult to predict. Personally, I like to see players choose to have one club in the bag. I am not a fan of players changing clubs.
Finally, last Friday night we have three clubs players playing for the Robbie Deans World XV against the Western Force in Perth. Congratulations to Jamie Spowart (Marist), Mike Curry (Moutere) and Wyatt Crockett (Nelson) on their selection and, more importantly, their performance in the game.
#FinzUp
Tony Lewis