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Waikato loose forward Oli Mathis on where the Crusaders have helped his game
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Openside flanker Oli Mathis celebrated his 21st birthday in Waikato’s Ranfurly Shield challenge against Northland at a sold-out Semenoff Stadium in Whangarei on Saturday.
The All Blacks Sevens representative, from a national and world championship-winning Hamilton Boys’ High School First XV, has already been part of a successful Ranfurly Shield challenge.
On August 23, 2025, he played on the wing in Waikato’s 23-22 win over Taranaki in New Plymouth. He made six tackles, a turnover and two linebreaks in a tight tussle that saw Lima Sopoaga kick a last-play penalty.
“It’s awesome the Ranfurly Shield is alive and well,” Mathis told RugbyPass.
“When we won it last year, it was a “pinch me” moment for Dad, who knew the history better than me. Aaron Cruden had won almost everything in the game, not the Shield until that moment.
“The intensity goes up one hundred per cent in Shield games. We lost it to a bloody good Southland side. They played out of their skins. We’ll have to do the same to beat Northland.
“Credit to Northland, they’ve been building for a couple of years now. They’ve got a really strong team with an experienced nine-ten.”
After six rounds of the NPC, five teams have four wins and four provinces have three wins. Waikato started strongly with a 38-26 win against Bay of Plenty and a 38-32 win in New Plymouth against Taranaki. Their first stumble came in Invercargill to Southland (32-31). Counties Manukau was dispatched 45-12. In the last two rounds, Otago (38-43) and Canterbury (14-36) have had the better of the Mooloos.
“Southland kicked a penalty in the last minute to beat us. For 65 minutes against Canterbury the game was close. I feel like we’ve got to be better at winning the small moments. Teams that win the small moments stack them into big moments,” Mathis said.
“We’ve got a good mix of youth and experience. Nathan Stephens is one of the most on-it young fellas. He’s so keen to learn and be better next week. Then guys like Samipeni Finau add experience and claim. It’s an exciting mix.”
Few players are more exciting in the NPC than Mathis. He covers openside and wing with equal aplomb. He played No.8 against Northland.
He’s scored six tries in his last eight games and has a penchant for doing the remarkable. Remember his outrageous chip-and-chase try against Wellington in the 2024 semi-final?
Conversely, his work rate, physicality and effectiveness on defence are increasingly consistent. He topped the tackle count against Canterbury with 18, made 15 tackles against Otago, 19 against Counties Manukau, 15 against Taranaki and 11 against Hawke’s Bay.
“I felt like I really grew my tackle and jackal game at the Crusaders. I spent a lot of time doing one-on-one work with Matt Todd (All Black),” Mathis said.
“My preference is to play flanker, influence the game more on defence and in the tight stuff. I’ll jump on the wing if I have to but I feel like in the modern game you can find space anywhere. You’ve got props who pass like centres, flankers who run like wingers. It’s a lot more adaptable.”
Waikato has a storied Ranfurly Shield history with 12 successful challenges. Only Canterbury (18) and Auckland (15) have more. Waikato have won 68 of their 113 Ranfurly Shield matches. Only Auckland (158 wins in 204 games), Canterbury (155 wins in 205 games), and Hawke’s Bay (80 wins in 118 games) have a better record.
Waikato ended North Auckland’s first reign with the Ranfurly Shield, mounting their first successful challenge on August 18, 1951, when 17-year-old fullback Don “The Boot” Clarke kicked two penalties in a 6-3 win at Okara Park in Whangarei. The captain was flanker Hugh McLean.
Waikato defended the Shield six times before losing it to Auckland on August 9, 1952, only to win it back from the same opponent a fortnight later and repel another six defences, including a 24-5 hiding of North Auckland in 1953. McLaren scored two tries in a rousing performance. Later that year, the one Test All Black was a controversial omission from the epic 1953-54 tour of the United Kingdom, Europe, France and North America.
Between 1951 and 1957, under the astute tutelage of future All Blacks coach Dick Everest, Waikato won 74, drew nine and lost just 12 games out of 95 games. Their most famous triumph was a 14-10 win against the 1956 Springboks. Ron Hemi, Rex Pickering, Has Catley and Ponty Reid were renowned All Blacks. Don’s brother Ian
Clark was an All Black, and his siblings Douglas, Brian and Graeme also joined him in the senior reps.
When Waikato defended the Ranfurly Shield 21 times between 1997 and 2000, they resoundingly thrashed Northland twice: 63-22 in 1998 and 52-14 in 2000. In each of those games, All Blacks winger Roger Randle scored two tries, and All Blacks centre Scott McLeod crossed the line. In the 1998 game, All Black Matthew Cooper scored 23 points; in the 2000 clash, Maori All Black Glen Jackson scored 22 points.
Hooker Ash Dixon celebrated his 25th birthday on the field when Hawke’s Bay beat Otago 20–19 to win the Ranfurly Shield for the first time in 44 years in 2013. All Black Paul “Bam Bam” Koteka was sent off on his 25th birthday during Waikato’s 22-4 Shield loss to Wellington in 1981. In their 21st year as a provincial rugby union, North Harbour finally won the Ranfurly Shield by beating Canterbury 21-17 in Christchurch.
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