Sid Going hands over the Ranfurly Shield to Auckland

North Auckland (Northland) captain Sid Going hands over the Ranfurly Shield to the Auckland captain, Neil Callimore, at Whāngārei’s Okara Park in 1972.

Northland had lifted the shield from their big city cousins in 1971 with a 17-12 victory at Auckland’s Eden Park in front of 47,000 fans. Crowds of this size – now seen only at test matches – were commonplace for big shield matches in this era. 40,000 people squeezed into Okara Park for this 1972 rematch. With Whāngārei’s population just 34,000, this was clear evidence of the significance of both the shield and the rivalry with Auckland. Though they lost 15–16, the game was one of Northland’s finest rugby moments.