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History repeats! Otago lose Ranfurly Shield to Hawke's Bay after one-week reign

By Online Editors
Ash Dixon. (Photo by Joe Allison/Getty Images)

As was the case in 2013, Hawke’s Bay have travelled to Dunedin and snatched the Ranfurly Shield from Otago just a week into the southerners’ reign.

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While that match ended with just two points separating the sides, Hawke’s Bay victory this year was much more convincing, with the Magpies triumphing 28-9.

The Magpies scored the only tries of the match, with Lolagi Visinia, Folau Fakatava, Isaia Walker-Leawere and Kurt Baker all touching down for the visiting side. While Visinia’s score was an absolute pearler of a team effort, Fakatava and Walker-Leawere’s were exceptional individual efforts.

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The panel from Sky Sports NZ’s The Breakdown talk all things rugby down under as the New Zealand provincial competition continues and we draw one week closer to the Bledisloe Cup test matches.

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The panel from Sky Sports NZ’s The Breakdown talk all things rugby down under as the New Zealand provincial competition continues and we draw one week closer to the Bledisloe Cup test matches.

Otago banked the early points through two quick Josh Ioane penalties but everything fell the Magpies’ way after that.

Visinia and Fakatava scored before halftime, then Otago fullback Vilimoni Koroi was sin-binned for recklessly taking out Hawke’s Bay’s replacement flyhalf, Caleb Makene late in the second stanza.

Ioane had kicked a third penalty shortly before Koroi’s yellow card but any hint of a fightback from the Shield holders was quickly snuffed out by Walker-Leawere’s 50-metre solo effort.

Adding further insult to injury, Otago flanker Slade McDowall was then sent off for a swinging arm in the tackle.

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Experienced fullback Kurt Baker touched down with minutes remaining in the match to well and truly seal the result, but the writing had been on the wall for some time already.

Hawke’s Bay’s victory marks the third time that the Shield has changed hanged this year – and the third time in as many weeks. Otago won the Shield off Taranaki last weekend after the Bulls dominated traditional powerhouses Canterbury a week prior.

The Magpies, at least, have a week off before they’ll have to put the Ranfurly Shield up against Northland in two weeks’ time. Otago, meanwhile, must travel to Wellington next weekend.

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Bull Shark 4 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

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