The Meads Cup comes home: King Country win their first title, 24-14 over Mid Canterbury

For twenty years the Meads Cup belonged to everyone except the province of the man it is named after. On Saturday 17 October at the Ashburton Showgrounds, King Country finally won it, coming from 14-5 down at half-time to beat defending champions Mid Canterbury 24-14 in the Heartland Championship final.

How it happened

Mid Canterbury, who topped the round robin, were the better side for 40 minutes. Blindside Manasa Samo scored from close range after 18 minutes, King Country wing Styris Harland answered with a try in the corner ten minutes later, and second five-eighth Tom Reekie finished an overlap out wide before the break. Mid Canterbury converted both and led 14-5.

The second half belonged to King Country. Loosehead prop Joe Walsh finished a phase move of about 15 phases to close the gap to 14-10. With 16 minutes left, captain Liam Rowlands drove over from a rolling maul and Hone Mathieson converted to put King Country in front for the first time, 17-14. A Kristian Gent-Standen try was ruled out for a knock-on over the line, but replacement midfielder Josevata Malimoce sealed it in the 75th minute and Mathieson converted for 24-14.

The cup comes home

Sir Colin Meads played 55 Tests for the All Blacks and 139 games for King Country, and the union had never even reached a Meads Cup final before this season. The trophy was presented by Sir Colin's daughter, wearing a King Country jersey. His son Glynn Meads, a life member who played more than 100 games for the union, said the long wait had "added to the pleasure". Fellow life member Max Lamb said "it certainly brought tears to the eyes", calling it the union's best win since promotion to the first division in 1991. Back in Te Kuiti, supporters watched at the Waitete clubrooms, Sir Colin's old club.

Rowlands said his side had backed itself "no matter who we were playing, no matter where we were playing". Coach Aarin Dunster, in his fourth season and himself a King Country centurion with 113 games, now has a team that defends the cup next year.

The other side

For Mid Canterbury, who were chasing back-to-back titles, it was a hard way to finish. "We seemed to run out of ideas in that second half," said coach Matt Winter. "It's a bitter pill to swallow."

The road here

King Country finished third in the round robin, losing their last game 31-21 to Whanganui, then won 36-24 in Oamaru against North Otago in the semifinal, with Kristian Gent-Standen scoring twice. The two finalists had not met during the season.

The Heartland Championship turned 20 this year, and it has not had a better day.