Importance of Ranfurly shield to the Community

by **LondonTiger** Sat 01 Sep 2012, 11:05 am

Last season HKC wrote an erudite piece about why Gloucester mean more to him than England, how being more involved with his local club on a daily basis makes them in his blood, wheras England are a far off land.

This club v country emotion was highlighted during the Ranfurly Shield defence by Taranaki today. We were told that success or failure in these matches are talked about for years. How Aucklands record 61(?) match defence is ranked much higher by locals than any S12 title they won in the past. How the Ranfurly shield is more important to the locals than the Bledisloe Cup.

I am so glad that this Shield still exists as one of the major downsides of regional rugby is you tend to lose the local element that has always made the game that of the people. Having a drink after the match with players/fans, seeing your heroes close up has far more of an impact than just seeing them on TV.

I enjoy international rugby, but i love club rugby.