Regional rugby

In 2001 East Coast, New Zealand’s smallest rugby union, captured the hearts of rugby supporters throughout the land with a fairytale run to the final of Division Two of the NPC. While the resident population of the East Coast is small, its rugby team draws on the support of more than 70,000 people of Ngāti Porou descent scattered across the country. During the team’s dream run in 2001 many of these supporters returned to Ruatōria to cheer on ‘Ngāti Porou East Coast’ at Whakarua Park. Some saw East Coast’s secret weapon as its ‘whanau spirit’. Orcades Crawford, the Coast’s inspirational prop forward, added that ‘when you put on a sky blue jersey it’s totally different to anything else – it’s probably better than the All Blacks [jersey]’.

The East Coast Rugby Football Union was established in 1922 and joined the national body a year later. Always one of the minnows of New Zealand rugby, East Coast competes in the semi-professional Heartland Championship, which it won in 2012. Along with Wanganui, Poverty Bay, Hawke’s Bay, Wairarapa Bush, Manawatu, Horowhenua-Kapiti and Wellington, East Coast is part of the Hurricanes Super Rugby franchise.

Great players