Two teams, two trophies: Re-emergence of long-lost cup means winning North v South side will be seeing double
Two trophies of different eras and origins will be up for grabs during the North v South match with the Te Matau a Maui – The Fishhook of Maui – unveiled in Wellington today.
Te Matau a Maui, a carved rimu fish hook on a kauri base, will be presented to the winning team at Sky Stadium on Saturday night alongside the recently discovered Loving Cup, a trophy first presented to the 1924 All Blacks nearly a century ago.
Designed and carved by Ngai Tahu father and son, John and Dave Burke, Te Matau a Maui celebrates the M?ori creation story of New Zealand’s two main islands Te Ika a Maui and Te Waka a Maui.
The Burkes, originally from Otepoti in Dunedin and now resident in Tauranga, were invited to create a new trophy after a New Zealand Rugby (NZR) search for the Loving Cup initially failed to find a piece of silverware first contested during the North v South match in 1932.
New Zealand Rugby Maori Cultural Advisor Luke Crawford said it was serendipitous that as the carver was finishing Te Matau a Maui for a new generation of players, the Loving Cup was suddenly rediscovered in the bowels of Eden Park after being lost for 88 years.
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“The Steinlager North v South Match has a long and rich tradition and both trophies pay homage to what the rivalry is all about, albeit representative of different eras. It’s fitting that they will be side-by-side as this traditional contest is revived in 2020.”
In Maori mythology the demi-god Maui-tikitiki-a-Taranga fished up Te Ika a Maui (the great fish of Maui) from his canoe Te Waka a Maui (the canoe of Maui) so was ideally fitted for a contest between Aotearoa’s two main islands, Crawford said.
“The story of Maui recounts the battle between a fish and a fisherman where the strategies and tactics employed by both sides eventually led to the formation of Aotearoa, so similar to the sort of contest we will see at Sky Stadium on Saturday.
“When thinking about what connects a fish to the fisherman, the obvious answer was the hook and line and thus Te Matau a Maui took shape.”
Te Matau a Maui also features three pieces of pounamu depicting the North Island, South Island and Stewart Island, which is seen as the anchor of Maui’s canoe.
A graphic design includes the historical black and white colours of the North and South teams, while a taura (rope) features a rugby ball shaped toggle with the date 1897, the year the North v South match was first played.
The 60-centimetre tall sterling silver Loving Cup was discovered in August this year after historian Ian St George went public with his search for the old cup while working on a book about a Kiwi silent film star living in London.
If the 2020 Steinlager North v South Match is drawn, as has been the case on three previous occasions, both trophies will be shared by the two teams.
Comments on RugbyPass
The shoulder is a “joint” with multiple bones. You don’t “fracture” a shoulder, you fracture any one or more of the bones that make up a shoulder.
2 Go to commentsOh dear, bones too suspect to continue?
2 Go to commentsBold headline considering the Canes and Blues are 1 and 2 and the Brumbies were soundly beaten by the Chiefs and Blues. Biggest surprise is Rebels 4 Crusaders 12 - no one saw that coming. If Aus are improving that’s great 👍
1 Go to commentsAnna, You are right, we need to have patience whilst the others catch up to England and France. Also it is the PWR that has been the game changer for England. the RFU put money into that initially at the expense of the Red Roses. I was sceptical at first but it has paid off in spades.
1 Go to commentsI think Matt Proctor became a 1 test AB in the same fixture. Cameron is quality and has been great this season, can’t believe’s he only 27. Realistically how would he not be selected for ABs squad this year. Only Dmac is ahead of him as a specialist 10. With Jordan out, it will come down to where and when Beauden Barrett slots back in, and where they want to play Ruben Love. Cameron seems an absolute lock in for the wider squad though. Added benefit of TJ-Cameron-Jordie combination at 9, 10, 11 too.
1 Go to commentsFarcical, to what end would someone want to pay to keep this thing going.
1 Go to commentsHavili, our best 12 by a mile, will be in the squad, if he stays fit. JB is the most overrated AB in the last 50 years.
61 Go to commentsWe had during the week twilight footy, twilight cricket, tw golf plus there was the athletics club. Then the weekend was rugby 15s plus the net ball, really busy club scene back then but so much has changed and rugby has suffered. And it was all about changing lifestyles.
6 Go to commentsIn the 70s and 80s my club ran 5 Senior sides plus a Vets. Now it is 2 sides with an occasional 3rd team. Players have difficulty getting to training now, not sure why and the commitment is not there. It seems to me more a problem of people applying themselves and not expecting to turn up and play whenever they want to.
6 Go to commentsROG’s contract is until 2027. The conversation about a successor to Galthie after RWC 2027 may be starting now. We can infer that Galthie’s reign stops then. He is throwing the Irish Coaching Job angle in because he is Irish. The next Irish coach MUST be Leo Cullen. As well as being the best coach available, coaching the vast majority of Irish Internationals week in week out, he has shown incredible skill at recruiting the best coaching staff for the job in hand. That was a failing in France. Cullen is a shrewd guy and if there is a need for foreign coaches underneath him he won’t hesitate. Rightly so. Ireland does need to start to bring Irish coaches through. Not just at the professional level but we need to train coaches to man new pathways for developing kids from schools/clubs up through the divisions.
8 Go to commentsNo Islam says it must rule where it stands Thus it is to be deleted from this planet Earth
18 Go to commentsThis team probably does not beat the ABs sadly Not sure if BPA will be available given his signing for Force but has to enter consideration. Very strong possibility of getting schooled by the AB props. Advantage AB. Rodda/Skelton would be a tasty locking combination - would love to see how they get on. Advantage Wallabies. Backrow a risk of getting out hustled and outmuscled by ABs. Will be interesting to see if the Blues feast on the Reds this weekend the way they did the Brumbies we are in big trouble at the breakdown. Great energy, running and defence but goalkicking/general kicking/passing quality in the halves bothers me enormously. SA may have won the World Cup for a lot of the tournament without a recognised goalkicker but Pollard in the final made a difference IMO. Injuries and retirements leave AB stocks a bit lighter but still stronger. 12 and 13 ABs shade it (Barret > Paisami, Ione = Ikitau, arguably) Interesting clash of styles on the wings - Corey Toole running around Caleb Clark and Caleb running over the top of Toole. Reece vs Koro probably the reverse. Pretty even IMO. 15s Kelleway = Love See advantage to ABs man for man, but we are not obviously getting slaughtered anywhere which makes a nice change. Think talent wise we are pretty even and if our cohesion and teamwork is better than the ABs then its just about doable.
11 Go to commentsCompletely agree. More friday night games would be a hit. RFU to make sure every club has a floodlit pitch. Club opens again Saturday to welcome touch / tag. Minis and youths on Sunday
6 Go to comments1.97m and 105Kg? Proportionately, probably skinnier than me at 1.82 and 82kilos. He won’t survive against the big guys at that weight.
56 Go to commentsThe value he brought to the crusaders as an assistant was equal to what he got out of being there. He reflected not only on the team culture but also the credit he attributed to the rugby community. Such experience shouldn’t be overlooked.
8 Go to commentsGood luck Aussie
11 Go to commentssmith at 9 / mounga 10 / laumape 12 / fainganuku 14
61 Go to commentsBar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
11 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to comments