Is This The Greatest Ranfurly Shield Season Ever?

2013 will be remembered as one of the most thrilling Ranfurly Shield seasons ever - 4 holders in just the space of 4 games.

The last time the season saw 4 different Ranfurly Shield holders was back in 2007 - although that was over one season when North Harbour, Waikato, Canterbury and Auckland all held the shield at some stage of the season with Auckland nicking the Shield off Canterbury in their final game of the season.

Before 2007, there was the 1996 season when Taranaki, Waikato and Auckland all held the shield, and 1974 when South Canterbury, Wellington and Auckland all held the shield.

Indeed the last time the Shield was held by 5 different unions in one season was 1950 when Canterbury, Waiarapa, South Canterbury and Northland (then North Auckland) all held the shield - the first three mentioned unions actually failed in their first defences of the shield which is not dissimilar to the fate that has befallen Otago and Hawkes Bay.

1950 South Canterbury Ranfurly Shield winning team

With the ITM Cup now effectively a support competition to Super Rugby, it means that the quality of teams is fairly even now and it is perhaps not surprising to see unions that haven't held the Shield for so long having their time in the sun - personally, this is exactly what the provincial game needs in the light of declining media coverage and crowds.

So what chance of Counties winning and losing the Shield in the space of a week like their predecessors. Well given what has happened this season, anything is possible - let's not forget that Counties had lost two in a row going into their match against the Bay on Saturday, so if anything, the Shield could be the boost that the Naki needs to get its season - and Premiership survival campaign - back on track.

Can the Shield revive the Naki's flagging season?

Indeed, it is very conceivable that the holders at the start of the season - Waikato could very well get back the shield in the same season they lost it. That is if Counties can finally break the Shield defence hoodoo this season against Taranaki, but lose it in their next home game against their Chiefs Super Rugby partners.

As they say though, It is better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all.

Counties Manukau Win the Ranfurly Shield!

In the most thrilling Ranfurly Shield season in years, the challenger has yet again won the right to drink lots of beer and hoist the famous Log of Wood around its neighbourhood - for the 3rd time this season which is above the average!

Indeed, at this rate, they may need a new shield as there won't be enough room on the trophy to write down the number of holders of the shield this season - Waikato, Otago, Hawkes Bay and now Counties Manukau.

If there was any doubt about the relevance of the Ranfurly Shield in today's society, that has well been doused, and buried 50 m in the ground now especially with two of the last holders having ended long droughts without the Shield (Otago at 56 years, Hawkes Bay at 44), and one of the last holders a new name to the Shield.

Beaver was a Counties boy before moving down south to Mooloo country

Yes, Counties Manukau may have been around for just 2 years more than the number of years Dunedin didn't see the Shield, and produced many of New Zealand rugby's household names, e.g. Duncan Robertson, Joeli Vildiri, Jonah Lomu, Sitiveni Sivivatu, Stephen Donald, Kieran Read, Leila Masaga and Frank Halai.

However, when it came to the Shield, the team which encompasses some of the roughest parts of South Auckland (Papatoetoe, Papakura & Manurewa), and the farmland between metropolitan Auckland and the Bombays (Pokeno, Mercer, Pukekohe, Hunua Rangers), had no heritage whatsover. They had had plenty of Shield challenges but never really came close to getting their hands on the log of wood.

So on Saturday afternoon, when Tana Umaga's men arrived in Napier for their latest Ranfurly Shield challenge on the back of just one win in the last 3 games, Counties fans were hopeful rather than expectant about a win for their side even if they played competitively.

But against a top Hawkes Bay side, they muscled up front and a scintillating performance by Sherwin Stowers was a great response to the form showed by the Bay's Ihaia West in attack. Stowers was unplayable on the day and even with Counties down 24-17 with 10 minutes left on the clock, having blown a chance of closing the gap not too long ago by going for a scrum that went completely awry, you knew that there was still plenty of time for Counties to win the game.

And they did. And what a boost it'll be for the most impoverished part of New Zealand (Manukau) and the most forgotten part of New Zealand (Franklin counties).

Now it's up to them to end the curse that has befallen the defenders of the shield this year. Next up, Taranaki.

But for now, it's better to have loved, than never have loved at all as Otago and Hawkes Bay fans will say!

Enjoy it while it lasts Counties!

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!