Southbridge Shield tales
The Southbridge Shield is a special taonga for Canterbury Country Rugby, and entering into it’s 100th year, it is as important now as it has ever been.
Throughout the years it has been put on the line, a number of players have gone to battle for the Shield, putting their club allegiances behind them to join together as a sub-union and look to take bragging rights for the year, something that will live long in the memory as this story will tell.
We talked to four former players around the memories they hold in playing for the Southbridge Shield, which one hangs in the memory the longest, and what the Southbridge Shield means to them.
What year’s have you been involved in the Southbridge Shield?
Mark Maitland (MM) – Ellesmere: I played from 2009 till 2017.
Graeme Bennie (GB) – North Canterbury: I came to Rangiora in 1965 and I actually made the North Canterbury side the next year in 1966, so I played in the Southbridge Shield for four years until 1969. I then coached in the 1980’s for five years and then until recently, was the team masseur for North Canterbury.
Scott McIlroy (SM) – Ellesmere: My first Southbridge Shield game was Ellesmere’s centenary year in 2005, and that was played at the Rangiora Showgrounds too. I played about 20 games total for Ellesmere, so I would have played in 8 to 9 Southbridge Shield games.
Matt Newton (MN) – North Canterbury: I got called into the team in 2000 just for the Southbridge Shield game. How long did I play? That's the master question about how long I went for, probably too long if you ask my wife, but 2012 keeps ringing a bell to me. I then spent another couple of years coaching too, so got to see it in another form too.
What is your best Southbridge Shield memory?
MM: My last game when we went back up to Ashley and won it back off them was pretty special. I had to re-win it twice and probably winning it when you've lost it is probably the best, yeah.
SM: We had been on a run of wins, six in a row, and then North Canterbury won it at Waihora with a penalty on fulltime to stop us getting to seven. To go north and win it back was a big highlight.
GB: It was always a combative meeting the Southbridge Shield, and as time went on, you got to know the Ellesmere guys you were playing. In those days, we didn’t have a combined competition, so this was a chance to get to know the guys you were playing, particularly the ones who would go on to play Canterbury Country with you.
MN: Well, there's winning, it always makes it a lot easier or nicer to remember. I was probably lucky or unlucky enough that when I first made the North Canterbury side, we were on the end of like a really strong period and then it sort of did a bit of a swing when Ellesmere had a lot of young up and coming guys that went on and played a lot of high level rugby like Billy Fulton, Joe Maddox, Sam Broomhall.
It was special that I got on to play with, you know, some legends in North Canterbury, guys like Andrew Dunbar and particularly people like Karl Perkins. That guy was driving probably something ridiculous like 200k round trips to just to get to trainings and games from the back blocks of Kaikoura.
What’s your best Southbridge Shield Story?
MM: We played in Leeston, which they call Bulldog Oval, and our first five went down in the warm up. I ended up playing first five and we had a kick from about 45 metres out and there was no way I was going to kick it! It was a pretty crucial kick in the game and old Scott McIlroy has come up and said I'll slot it, and he did!
SM: We won a penalty around the 10 metre line, and they were going to kick it out because we needed three points to win, so the plan was to kick it out and drive it over. But I said I reckon I would be able to get over from here, and I did! The loosehead prop managed to get it over the posts to get the team in front.
MM: It was a real momentum swing for the game, it put us in front and we managed to hold on.
GB: I was a second five eight, and unfortunately for me, Roddy Wards used to play on the wing for Ellesmere. He was a great big fellow and he liked running off the 1st 5/8 or at first receiver from scrums, God knows what not. Unfortunately for me, I was the poor bugger on the end of it, trying to tackle him! You can imagine my relief when we played Canterbury Country on the same team! He was a force to be reckoned with in every country game but was a lovely, quiet, pleasant man off the field.
MN: I certainly remember a Jamie Nutbrown try where I called for him to dummy cut me and then go himself and score. I think if he had given me the ball, I would have run over untouched, but he carried three over the line to win the game, that’s a memory I'll never forget.
One thing I do remember was 2013’s Southbridge Shield. I had not long been out of the team and I got called in to give the fellas a speech, it was actually at the Kaikanui Tavern. And I felt that was really difficult, not long removed as a player for North Canterbury, still playing club rugby against some of these guys and to try and find the words.
What I sort of linked it back to was who they are representing, you know, they go back to the club and they have the same sort of people that are really interested in what they're up to, family and that sort of thing. So, you know, I just sort of spoke about reminding them who they're representing. And, you know, they're the why.
The job I work, I do some weekends, so maybe that was the reason why I didn't make the actual game, I can't quite remember, but Sean Thompson was playing that game and kicked quite a few points as they went on to win for the first time in a while. I happened to be at the Kaik when they came back. It was pretty cool to hear the stories and see how proud they were of getting it done and realizing that, you know, they were representing not just themselves and their families, but you know, the region and their clubs.
What does the Southbridge Shield mean to you?
Graeme Benny – North Canterbury: Oh look, apart from club rugby, which you know I'm still heavily involved with Saracens, the Southbridge Shield is, it's our Ranfurly Shield, no doubt about that and all my time that I've been associated with North Canterbury, it's never been a problem to get the team up for the Southbridge Shield challenge.
Scott McIlroy - Ellesmere: It’s what we strive for. When I first started playing, you worked so hard to play in that game for the Ellesmere Seniors, it’s the biggest game of the year. You're representing the whole area, all of our clubs, and people.
Matt Newton – North Canterbury: It's just a symbol of club rugby and regional supremacy, it’s where the stronghold of club teams are at that at that one time, I feel.
Mark Maitland - Ellesmere: For me, it's a lot of things. I love the history of it but a big, big part of it when I was playing was about building on that history.
It allows you to play with other players within the region, you sort of get to play with the best of the best. It was a great pathway game... it definitely was a good opportunity to play and be recognized. It's so unique, it's pretty special.
Written by Josh Bamber