Hawkes Bay Win the Ranfurly Shield!

The Bay are Shield holders once again!

It lasted only 10 days - even if those 10 days seemed like 10 years - but the Ranfurly Shield is no longer Otago's with Hawkes Bay deservedly winning to take the Shield back to the North Island and for the first time in the sunny Hawkes Bay since the 1960s.

Oh well, at least it's better to have loved than never loved at all, and Otago can at least say they've won the Shield this century.

And with the talent coming through the province and Tony Brown at the helm, bright times are ahead for a once proud province that hasn't really seen much good days until this year in the last 5 years.

Hayden Parker is part of Tony Brown's revival in the Deep South

The likes of Liam Coltman, Paul Grant, Gareth Evans, Hayden Parker, Willis Scott, Michael Collins and Jayden Spence are set for long careers and will be better for the experience of losing the shield today. Coltman and Parker can look forward to bigger roles in the Highlanders while Grant, Evans and Spence need to continue playing as well as they have to get a Super Rugby contract somewhere.

As for Hawkes Bay, this day has been one that the province has deserved since it was given a new lease of life by the NZRU in 2006. The Magpies have been one of the darlings of New Zealand provincial rugby since they were included in an expanded Air New Zealand Cup back then, particularly after that epic upset 7-6 win over Wellington back in 2007.

Hawkes Bay have always been a well of talent for New Zealand rugby producing the likes of current All Black, Israel Dagg, and recent ABs like Zac Guildford, Bryn Evans and Hika Elliott. That well of talent looks to have produced another potential future AB in Ihaia West.

Ihaia West - New Zealand rugby's new rising star

West was Hawkes Bay's star in their Ranfurly Shield win scoring a superb solo try. That performance must surely get the likes of Mark Hammett and Jamie Joseph up their seats and ringing around to get him signed to a Super Rugby contract for 2014 - a season as a third-choice first five would do the current New Zealand Sevens star no harm whatsoever.

Hawkes Bay were littered with Super Rugby regulars like Ged Robinson, Alby Mathewson, Richard Buckman and Telusa Veainu and their class showed throughout the game.

Chris Eaton lost his wife, Hannah in a car accident this year while he was playing for the Western Force

Finally a heads up to one of those Super Rugby regulars, Chris Eaton, who tragically lost his wife in a car accident earlier this year - http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/8494659/Former-Hurricane-mourns-wifes-death-in-crash. Eaton was magnificent as a sub coming on for Mathewson and I think everyone in rugby is glad that he gets to enjoy this positive moment even if it'll never bring back his wife.

So well done Hawkes Bay, and good luck against Counties next weekend. And it's sure good to see the Shield back amongst the provinces.

And the 20,000 crowd in Dunedin is testimony that the Log of Wood is still very much relevant to New Zealand culture.

Good stuff Otago and Hawkes Bay!