Ranfurly Shield safe as Magpies play out high-scoring win

The Ranfurly Shield remains in Hawke’s Bay hands after a night of more than a point-a-minute pure rugby spectacle at McLean Park.

Twelve tries were scored across the teams as the Magpies ran out comfortable winners 55-30 over a free-running Northland Taniwha.

The Taniwha will rue another one that got away, leading 9-0 early with three penalty goals, but the crucial period came when they shipped two quick tries before halftime.

That forced them to play catch-up second-half rugby and that had some success at the attacking end, but left them exposed on the flanks at the other and Hawke’s Bay’s outstanding outside backs took full advantage.

Hawke’s Bay, the third-most-successful union in Ranfurly Shield history, has now played 117 matches for the trophy since its first in 1905, and has won seven challenges.

The last 11 seasons have featured 36 matches for 31 wins, including a 2013 win over Otago to end a 44-year shield drought in Hawke’s Bay and other successful challenges since then have been against Counties Manukau (2014), Otago again (2020) and Wellington last year.

In that time there has been one draw (against Southland in 2014) and one of the successful defences was a fulltime draw against Bay of Plenty in a 2021 match that became the first Ranfurly Shield match decided under new NPC provisions for extra time.

The three losses were to Counties Manukau (2013), Waikato (2015) and Wellington (2022).

The referee was Auckland official Marcus Playle, who has refereed Hawke’s four times, including Ranfurly Shield defences against South Canterbury in 2022 and last month against Whanganui.

For the Magpies it’s the start of storm week, with matches against Canterbury in Christchurch on Wednesday and Manawatu in Palmerston North four days later, ahead of the next Shield match against Tasman in Napier on September 7.

Northland’s next match is against Southland in Whangarei next Friday.