Hawke’s Bay will not lose the Ranfurly Shield, but they will have to wait until next season to win it again.
New Zealand Rugby (NZR) is in the process of commissioning an independent investigator to look into the antics that occurred during the Ranfurly Shield festivities in Hawke’s Bay over the weekend.
Whatever the outcome of the investigation, it’s thought that any potential punishments would not involve taking away the Log o’ Wood, which is still broken in half after a player reportedly dropped it on a concrete floor.
With the forthcoming investigation focusing on what was said to be white powder on the shield’s surface, and if anyone at the celebrations was participating in drug-taking, Hawke’s Bay will be denied the typical possibilities that come with hosting the Log o’ Wood throughout summer.
“That’s bloody disappointing,” Hawke’s Bay chief executive Jay Campbell said on Tuesday. “But I understand the reasons for that, and that’s just something that our players will have to accept as a result of their actions.”
“We [usually] get it out to all of our rugby clubs, all of our schools, and all of our community.” It’s difficult to accept not being able to do so.”
The soon-to-be-appointed main investigator for the probe will report to NZR’s integrity unit. The probe has no set timeline.
According to Campbell, the sooner it is done and the conclusions are made public, the better.
“We want answers just like everyone else. People might believe we’re trying to sweep everything under the rug, but that’s not the case,” he added.
“It’s like anything, it’s a bit like if someone has a fight in a pub, you can’t just suddenly throw someone in jail, you have to go through a process to make sure they are guilty, because there’s always two sides to a story.”
The shield was damaged at a player’s flat, where it’s believed up to a dozen Magpies players were present.
Stuff was later emailed a photo of the damaged Log o’ Wood, which looks to be covered in white powder and has a tube attached to one side of it.
The incident happened on Sunday morning, the same day a Magpies player was charged with alcohol driving after allegedly colliding with a Napier property owner’s fence.
Wellington declined to discuss the Ranfurly Shield on Tuesday, saying reporters before to a scheduled news conference with coach Tamati Ellison that they would not be addressing any questions about it.
James Dwan, who has been mending the shield for the past eight years, anticipates receiving the shattered shield on Thursday.
Dwan’s assessment will determine whether a replacement piece of timber is necessary or whether it will be glued.
Regardless, considering that the new shield took nine months to develop, it is not likely to be a quick procedure.
The original Ranfurly Shield, battered by 118 years of use, was recently retired by NZ Rugby Mori cultural adviser Luke Crawford, recognising its position as a rugby taonga.
The new shield, which is substantially heavier, is also fashioned of English Oak from Wellington’s Hutt Valley, which took months to find.
“We’ve reached out to our community partners and spoken with them; they are obviously disappointed with the team’s actions.” But they also recognise that we’ve done a lot of good, particularly in the last six to eight months with what’s happened with the hurricane,” Campbell added, noting that players had raised around $20,000 for the cyclone relief fund. In February, Cyclone Gabrielle damaged areas of Napier and Hawke’s Bay.
“The tide has now turned and these guys need to actually front and put in a performance for the team that is worthy, to show that they don’t actually disrespect our community.”
