Regional rugby

The Poverty Bay Rugby Football Union was formed in 1890. Like its neighbours East Coast and Bay of Plenty, Poverty Bay has made a significant contribution to Māori rugby.

Poverty Bay has enjoyed some success in the lower levels of New Zealand’s provincial rugby championships, winning third division titles in 1987 and 2004. Following a revamp of New Zealand’s domestic competition in 2005 Poverty Bay was placed in the semi-professional Heartland Championship. Poverty Bay won the Lochore Cup, awarded to the fifth-best team in the Heartland Championship, in three successive years from 2006, and again in 2011. Along with Wellington, Wairarapa Bush, Wanganui, East Coast, Hawke’s Bay, Manawatu and Horowhenua-Kapiti, Poverty Bay is part of the Hurricanes Super 14 franchise.

Poverty Bay and the Ranfurly Shield

Poverty Bay has challenged – unsuccessfully – 16 times for the Ranfurly Shield. In recent times there have been a couple of 100-plus hidings at the hands of Auckland. Yet it was against Auckland in 1980 that Poverty Bay came closest to shield glory. Led by veteran front-rowers Wilton McFarlane and Robbie Newlands (Poverty Bay’s record-holder for most appearances), the Bay forwards took it to their big city opponents. A John Whittle penalty saw the Bay close to 12–15 with 20 minutes left. Poverty Bay fans and players alike wondered whether an upset of Marlborough proportions (in 1973 Marlborough caused one of the great Ranfurly Shield shocks by defeating Canterbury) was about to occur. It was not to be. A try to Tim Twigden following some impressive play by Auckland and New Zealand great Bryan Williams earned Auckland a 19–12 victory. Given the difficulty small unions such as Poverty Bay have in retaining their players in the professional era, this will probably remain Poverty Bay’s closest brush with the Log of Wood.

Scarlet and black

Six Poverty Bay players have pulled on the black jersey of New Zealand while playing for the Bay. Richard (‘Tiny’) White was one of the greatest All Black forwards of the 1950s and one of New Zealand’s greatest-ever locks. He was a standout in the 1956 series against the Springboks, scoring tries in the first and third tests. It is a measure of how much test schedules have changed in recent times that over eight seasons White played in only 23 tests despite being one of the first names pencilled in on the team sheet. This was still enough for him to set a record for the most test caps at that point. Today a first-choice All Black plays more tests in two years.

One of the All Black stars for a decade from 1967 was flanker Ian Kirkpatrick. Born in Gisborne, he made his debut for Poverty Bay as a 20 year old in 1966 and later that year played for a combined Poverty Bay–East Coast side against the touring British Lions. Kirkpatrick then moved to Canterbury, from where he was first selected for the All Blacks in 1967. He made his mark on the international game in the first test against Australia in 1968. Kirkpatrick was a reserve for this match, the International Rugby Board having recently changed the rules to allow injured players to be replaced. When Brian Lochore broke a thumb, Kirkpatrick came off the bench to score three tries. Kirkpatrick played 113 times for New Zealand, including 39 tests in which he was captain nine times.