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Otago Daily Times
07-07-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Heavenly kicks and the names we give to teams we love
Forget the French. This season's great moment in rugby was seen by only a handful of spectators, and I was one of them. Underdogs Maniototo were playing Alexandra on a sun-filled ground at Ranfurly and with minutes on the clock they hammered away at the opposition line and finally fullback Daniel Adam crashed over for a try in the corner which put his team ahead 16-15. But wait. There's more. Ben Maxwell's sideline conversion added the extra couple of points. But what a kick that was. The ball hit the righthand upright, bounced back to connect with the other upright, then hit the crossbar before going over so the locals notched a win by 18-15. There's probably no video of that great moment, so it lives on only in Maniototo memory, although the scoreboard still shows the score two weeks later. Of course, I talked about the conversion all the next week but those who hadn't been there just shrugged it off with "aww, that happens all the time". It doesn't. Sometimes a kick comes close enough to such immortality and gets a headline. In April one kick almost surpassed that Ben Maxwell Ranfurly triumph. England international, Philippines-born Marcus Smith, playing for Harlequins, tried a sideline conversion. The ball clipped one post, bounced down, smacked the opposite upright, ricocheted back on to the first post again and had a fourth touch, this time on the crossbar, before dropping back into the field of play. No points. To match his kick, we go back to 2013 and a game between Newcastle and Bedford when New Zealander Jimmy Gopperth, playing for Newcastle, took a penalty kick which also hit the post, the crossbar and the other post before going over. Sadly, I wasn't there so the Maggots' kick is the one I cherish. The Maggots? In this sheep-farming country everyone knows maggots are pests which feed on sheep's flesh and cause severe tissue damage. Only the laid-back, dry humour of Maniototo could produce such a nickname for a rugby team. Nicknames for sports teams are nothing new, All Blacks, Wallabies and Springboks have been around for years and even Japan's moniker, the Brave Blossoms (once the Cherry Blossoms) is gaining traction as that country's rugby improves. Locally, I'm coming to grips with the nickname business. I didn't have too much trouble with a recent ODT item about Green Island being beaten by Harbour which told me that "the Hawks beat the Grizzlies" but it's the lively weekly column Club Rugby Chat by the irrepressible Paul Dwyer which often has me flummoxed. When Paul writes stuff like "Macca Palmer is set to play his 100th game this weekend for the Magpies against the Eels out at the Eelpit and the Prison Guards are back on the Prison Square facing off against West Taieri but I think Toko will have their hands full against the Pigs", I realise I'm out of touch with what's happening in other parts of the province. The same goes with sports names on a wider stage: in Australia there's a backlash against these artificial brands which proliferate in professional sport. There has been a move back to animal names after years of names like Glory, Power and Storm and now the likes of Perth Bears and Tasmanian Devils are finding favour. The T20 games polluting the cricket landscape have produced stuff like Brisbane Heat, Sydney Thunder, Hobart Hurricanes and Perth Scorchers but at least Cricket Australia insist the place name remains part of the nickname. And there lies the nub of the issue. Supporting a team is easier if you know where they come from. When players actually came from a province loyalty needs no public relations and fancy nicknames. Otago teams are almost always mainly locals and even the Highlanders are predominantly from Otago and Southland. The made-up names rarely have the same magic, although the Auckland Blues is probably a fair reflection of the mood of that benighted metropolis. If the Crusaders would kindly stop winning then the Lambs would suit their Canterbury base perfectly, reflecting the province's most famous export. There's history, too, in some English football team names. That Arsenal, founded by munitions workers at the Royal Arsenal in Woolwich, are called The Gunners makes sense and Sheffield Wednesday reminds us that the club grew out of a cricket team which was formed when Wednesday became a half-holiday to be filled in with recreation. As an aside, I always look forward to the St Kevin's College/Waitaki Boys' High School rugby game when over the hill from the college comes a band of supporters bearing the placard "up the Doolies!". Perhaps not a good nickname in these politically correct times but, in the meantime, the Maggots can remind us that the team, locals to a man, come from sheep country. ■ Jim Sullivan is a Patearoa writer.
Otago Daily Times
22-06-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Maniototo score late in upset
The charge for top spots in the Central Otago premier club competition intensified after Maniototo pulled off an upset 18-15 victory over Alexandra at Ranfurly on Saturday. Alexandra racked up 50 points when the sides clashed earlier this season. On Saturday, as they trailed 15-11 with time running out, Maniototo threw everything at the visitors, securing victory when fullback Daniel Adam crashed over in the corner. That put the Maggots ahead 16-15 with drama added to the occasion when Ben Maxwell's sideline conversion bounced off both uprights and the crossbar before going over. Maniototo coach Ken Wills lavished praise on blindside flanker Sam Jopp, who scored a vital try and provided inspiration for his team-mates. "We rested him against Wakatipu after he'd taken a head knock," Wills said. "He wanted to go on, but we thought it wiser to keep him sidelined with important contests coming up. And it paid off." This was only Alexandra's third defeat of the season, the other two being to Wakatipu, with whom they are in a desperate battle to claim a home semifinal. Alexandra captain Tyler Ford kicked two goals to become the first player to crack a century of points for the season. However, it is advantage Wakatipu now, after they put away Arrowtown 29-5 at Jack Reid Park, though both teams have to play competition leaders Upper Clutha over the next fortnight. Alexandra will host Upper Clutha at Molyneux Park this Saturday with Wakatipu challenging Upper Clutha for the White Horse Trophy at Wanaka in the final qualifying round on July 5. Wakatipu took an awfully long time to exert control in their derby clash against Arrowtown, finding themselves 5-3 down with halftime approaching. The locals, inspired by two of yesterday's heroes, Malcolm Sutherland (who began the season as assistant coach) and the indefatigable Aidan Winter (now into his 40s and who finished up playing 75 minutes as a sub), pinned Wakatipu deep in their territory for much of the first half. But in the four minutes remaining after Sutherland scored a cracking try, Wakatipu exploded into life, claiming two converted tries, the first to lock Toby Higgins, the other to winger Jamie Natapu after a scorching 50m burst by Rube Peina. Wakatipu had things under control in the second half, adding two more tries to clinch an important bonus point. Cromwell needed a 77th-minute penalty goal from Rhys Harold to register their second victory of the season, 22-20 against Matakanui Combined at Omakau after leading 12-10 at halftime. Cromwell's heroes were tight forwards Stefan Blakeborough, Alex Chubb (who both scored tries) and man of the match, lock Reon Buchanan, plus midfielder Charlie Tiko, who recently recorded his 100th appearance. The victory allowed Cromwell to retain the Travis Hamilton Memorial Trophy. By Bob Howitt
