I'm a Hawkeye Guy

After a gap of 13 years, the Waikato Rugby Football Union again had the pleasure of welcoming a Ranfurly Shield challenging team to Hamilton. Very much in a rebuilding stage, the province had most certainly had their ups and downs throughout the 1966 representative season, but the somewhat surprise 15-11 victory over Auckland (the Auks without Mac Herewini, Ron Rangi and Waka Nathan, on test duty with the All Blacks in Christchurch) had restored the balance and given a degree of hope to their faithful supporters.

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The season had begun full of promise, with consecutive home victories against Counties (12-8), Auckland (16-11), Thames Valley (16-14) and North Auckland (16-13), bringing with the win, the Coronation Shield. Three defeats on the road followed; King Country-Wanganui (6-10, Te Kuiti - the combined unions then defeating the British Lions by 12-6 the following week), Taranaki (3-6, New Plymouth) and Bay of Plenty (6-19, Whakatane) and with the loss, the surrender of the Coronation Shield in defence one.

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Even without their All Blacks, Auckland were expected to hold the shield, as the opinion was that this was not a great Waikato side in the circumstances, bereft of former stars the likes of Don and Ian Clarke, Rex Pickering or the current selector-coach, Ponty Reid. The relative ease with which Bay of Plenty had put Waikato away, did not install much faith in the Mooloo supporter and it was only the solid core of supporters that travelled to Eden Park who were rewarded with a thrilling game and a well deserved Waikato victory.

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The challengers tore into their work with great enthusiasm and proved themselves capable of rising to the big occasion. The forwards won some good ball and the backs used it freely. When passing was not desirable, Dave Wood kicked with great precision and judgement and on the day, dictated terms most admirably. With a little more luck and more desire to finish, Waikato could have had an almost impregnable lead at half-time and even then, the game could have been safely sewn up some time before the end of the second spell. Auckland, allowed to stay in the game, made a barn-storming but unsuccessful late bid to hold the shield.

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Shield success was blunted seven days later, when the British Lions turned in one of their best tour performances and ripped Waikato apart. The 20-9 win is attributable in large part to the legendary Irish midfield back, Mike Gibson, who scored one of the five tries scored by the Brits, Welshman, Dewi Bebb scoring a brace.

The defeat was decisive. The trouble for Waikato was simply this; they'd be on the road for a month in the South Island, before returning to Hamilton, where they would have to put the shield on the line just once for the remainder of the season, against the high-flying Hawkes Bay side, in some circles considered the best provincial outfit in New Zealand.

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Waikato rallied and fought out a meritorious 0-0 draw with Wellington on Athletic Park. The verdict was still out, but a glimmer of hope was restored. Nothing much could be read into a 23-11 over Golden Bay-Motueka, but another large defeat, this time to Canterbury (0-17, Christchurch), put the wobbles back in the Waikato wheel. This was very much juxtaposed with victory by 13-9 over Southland, who after all had defeated the Lions in their tour opener, momentum lost again with an 8-17 loss to Otago on Carisbrook.