magpies, logs of wood and an upset

I’m in a lull before the rugby world cup tournament begins next month. Not being a provincial rugby supporter of sorts, I was still interested and pleased for the Hawkes Bay Magpies defeating a Wellington Lions outfit that would have been expecting to walkover the boys from the East Coast. Good on the Magpies for showing that even though the provinces may lose all their stars to the bright lights and ‘big city’ franchises – they can still mix it up with the big boys.

The same can’t be said for my spiritual home team – Taranaki. Although the men from under the mountain put up an excellent fight against North Harbour on Saturday for the log of wood, it was Harbour that retained the shield by a slither of a score (six points in fact). Better luck next time the ‘Naki.