Ranfurly Shield Returns to Wellington After 14-Year Drought

Arguably the most prestigious trophy in New Zealand Rugby, the Ranfurly Shield has returned to the capital after a 14-year wait, the Lions denying Hawkes Bay a 15th successful defence in Napier last weekend. 

The Lions hit the road for Napier on a four-match winning streak and in some of the best form the team has seen in recent years. One of the key factors to success this season has been the defensive effort from the team, having one of the best defensive records in the competition.  

The first half was true Ranfurly Shield rugby, an intense affair with teams settling for points in the form of penalty goals, with Aidan Morgan slotting his third on halftime as the teams headed for the sheds with nothing between them, at 9-all.  

The Lions came out firing in the second half, it took just two minutes for the only try of the match to be scored. Peter Lakai broke the line off the back of the ruck, before finding TJ Perenara with an offload to send him over and put the Lions in front 16-9. 

A fourth Aidan Morgan penalty pushed the lead to 10 points in the 52nd minute before defense became the name of the game again, holding out some relentless Hawkes Bay attacks. The hosts added a penalty to narrow the gap to 19-12 but that is all they could do, as the Lions defense held out the final 10 minutes to secure a famous victory.  

The win came in Wellington’s 100th Ranfurly Shield match, and now sees the team hold the Log o’ Wood for the 11th time, first winning it in 1904. The first and only shield defence of the 2022 season is this coming weekend when Waikato come to town, a win would lock up the shield for the summer.