Back Issues: Manawhenua rugby – when Manawatū and Horowhenua held the Ranfurly Shield

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Just over a century ago in 1922, rugby administrators from Horowhenua and Manawatū were negotiating a merger.

It was only the previous season in 1921 that a combined Manawatū-Horowhenua team thrashed a Wellington B team in a warm-up before narrowly losing 3-nil to South Africa.

Individually, the Manawatū and Horowhenua rugby unions were among the smallest in the country at the time and were only moderately successful. Touring teams from the larger provincial unions rarely visited.

Those first negotiations stalled, but perseverance paid off and in 1925 it was announced that the two unions would merge. However, the new Manawatū-Horowhenua merger was for the purposes of the rep team only.

The Manawatū union became the Manawatū Rugby District Council and continued to administer the rugby club competitions. Similarly there was a Horowhenua Rugby District Council.

The Manawatū Times, March 10, 1926 reported on the Manawatū district council annual report that they had “placed 37 teams, containing 684 players into the various competitions”. The Horowhenua Chronicle March 15, 1926, reported “… the Manawatū-Horowhenua Union will hold its own with the larger unions in the Dominion”.

Manawhenua rugby representatives, 1927.

D Low/New Zealand Rugby Museum

Manawhenua rugby representatives, 1927.

The selectors chosen for 1926 were Bill Dustin, a veteran of 98 first-class games for Wanganui and Manawatū, and Martin Te Whiwhi Winiata, 79 first-class games for Horowhenua and NZ Māori. The combined team’s jersey colours would be pale blue with a narrow red and white stripe.

1926 results saw the newly named Manawhenua union play only four games but with three wins and a draw against Ranfurly Shield holders Hawke’s Bay. It looked like a decision to merge was going to be successful.

Manawhenua could boast two All Blacks with Arthur Law (Manawatū) and captain Hohepa “Harry” Jacob (Horowhenua).

Harry Jacob was the outstanding leader of the Manawhenua team. When first selected as an All Black in 1920 he had scored seven tries in his eight tour games.

At 32 years of age and with 23 games for New Zealand Māori and a Military Cross for service in the First World War, he was widely admired. Arthur Law was a Palmerston North Boys’ High School prodigy, dominating athletics events.

The 1927 season would see a surge in interest with six home games and six away games. The Manawhenua Union produced a schedule that took the team to King Country, Auckland, and Waikato, then down to Wellington over 10 days in August.

Harry Jacob chats with Auckland captain Fred Lucas as they lead their teams onto Eden Park, August 20, 1927.

New Zealand Rugby Museum

Harry Jacob chats with Auckland captain Fred Lucas as they lead their teams onto Eden Park, August 20, 1927.

However, before that trip a match was scheduled against Wairarapa in Carterton. Manawhenua was about to surprise everyone.

Hawke’s Bay was the dominant provincial rugby side in New Zealand. They had held the Ranfurly Shield since 1922 and in 1926 had crushed all challengers, notably the famous 58-8 hiding of Wellington.

However, Wairarapa down the road had Ted McKenzie as coach, brother of Hawke’s Bay coach Norm McKenzie.

Ted had built up the Wairarapa side; they had a number of All Blacks in their pack and Bert Cooke, who had defected from Hawke’s Bay, in the backline. On June 3, 1927, Wairarapa defeated Hawke’s Bay to finally end their record run of 24 shield matches.

Remarkably, Wairarapa had a scheduled home game with Hawke’s Bay a month later. Their first true test would be against the same side they had just defeated. The game was played at the Solway Showgrounds in Masterton, July 9.

The referee was Bert McKenzie, another brother of the coaches. Hawke’s Bay welcomed back their regular mid-fielder and New Zealand Māori captain Wattie Barclay from Auckland. The McKenzie coaches even met to discuss Barclay’s eligibility.

The match, now known as the ‘’Battle of Solway’’, was hard fought with two All Blacks being sent off (with yellow cards not around, the sending offs were permanent).

Eventually Hawke’s Bay triumphed 21-10. However, immediately after the match a suggestion was given to the Wairarapa union that Wattie Barclay had not in fact met the eligibility criteria, which was three weeks living in the Hawke’s Bay.

Manawhenua 1926 match programme from the drawn game against the outstanding Hawke’s Bay team.

New Zealand Rugby Museum

Manawhenua 1926 match programme from the drawn game against the outstanding Hawke’s Bay team.

While Hawke’s Bay took the shield home, before the week was out an appeal had been lodged with New Zealand Rugby. While the question of who held the shield was being decided both Wairarapa and Hawke’s Bay were told that they were playing provisional shield matches for home games.

On August 6, 1927, with the Ranfurly Shield still in Hawke’s Bay, a small crowd of 3000 turned out at the Showgrounds Oval in Carterton. Manawhenua defeated Wairarapa 18-16, four tries to three.

By now the matter rested with the New Zealand Rugby Appeals Council, and their decision, announced August 19, awarded the shield to Wairarapa, which meant it was now Manawhenua who were the new Ranfurly Shield holders.

The Manawhenua team were away on tour, somewhere between Ohakune and Auckland, when the shield was delivered by a Hawke’s Bay representative to Palmerston North. There was no glorious welcoming with the shield held aloft.

Instead, at the first defence on August 31, Manawhenua Rugby president Arthur “Joe” Ongley presented the Ranfurly Shield to Harry Jacob on the halfway line prior to the match.

Ongley Park, Palmerston North was named after Joe.

Every man and his bicycle wants a picture with the Ranfurly Shield, in Shannon, 1927.

New Zealand Rugby Museum

Every man and his bicycle wants a picture with the Ranfurly Shield, in Shannon, 1927.

The Manawhenua shield tenure was brief. They successfully beat Taranaki 9-3. Three days later they defeated Wanganui 25-6. But four days after that they lost to Canterbury 6-17. Three defences in eight days was always going to be difficult, and Canterbury had a side in which every back was a current or future All Black.

Harry Jacob retired at the end of the season.

The combined Manawhenua union continued until 1932. Clive Akers wrote in “Manawatū Rugby, the first hundred years”, “the record of the Manawhenua team since the retirement of the great Harry Jacob was very poor. In the five seasons 1928-32 the team won only nine of its 38 games.”

At the AGM in 1933, the Horowhenua delegates moved that the union be abolished. The funds of the old union were equally divided between the two re-established unions. “So ended the brief eight-year marriage of two of New Zealand’s smallest Unions.”

Stephen Berg is director of the New Zealand Rugby Museum.

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