Forty-eight years: the Ranfurly Shield is coming to Northland

Forty-eight years.

Northland last held the Ranfurly Shield in 1978, when they were still North Auckland. Since then there have been challenges, near misses, and a lot of long drives home. On Thursday night in Christchurch they went and took it, and they did not do it narrowly.

Northland 36, Canterbury 12.

What happened

They led 21-12 at halftime, which was remarkable enough. What came after was the part nobody will quite believe. Canterbury did not score again for the final 63 minutes. Not a try, not a penalty, nothing.

The Taniwha scored five tries. Rob Rush got two of them, on the night of his 50th match for the province, and he was everywhere: 17 carries for 57 metres, 18 tackles, two turnovers forced. James Mullan crossed, so did Marcel Renata, so did Sam Nock. Rivez Reihana kicked four conversions and a penalty.

If those names look familiar, they should. It is largely the same group that put 42-0 on Taranaki the week before.

Canterbury got tries through Tahlor Cahill and Jone Rova. It was, by most accounts, their heaviest home defeat since 2014.

The numbers behind the drought

The records this ended are worth listing properly, because they explain the noise at the airport:

• First Ranfurly Shield since 1978, a 48-year wait
• First win over Canterbury since 1999
• First win in Christchurch in 39 years

Spare a thought for Canterbury, who had the thing for eleven days. They took it off Otago 19-15 on 9 August to begin a record 18th tenure, defended it once against Bay of Plenty, and then lost it.

Rob Rush said it best

There is a quote from Rush afterwards that gets at why this competition still matters:

"It feels unreal. I've been on the back end of some of these games, getting bloody hidings, and it's unreal that I get to get a Shield challenge, win it, and it's my 50th."

And later, more simply: "I can't even describe it, it's bloody surreal."

That first line is the whole thing. He has been in the teams that got beaten. Fifty games of it. Then this.

Canterbury captain Brodie McAlister was gracious: "Shield footy is different footy. Credit to Northland, they really brought it tonight. We just couldn't get the momentum back."

Then they flew home

Hundreds of people packed Whangārei Airport on Friday to meet the plane. The carpark filled and closed, and cars queued out onto the road.

The Shield is now touring the region: Kaitāia, Kaikohe, Hokianga, Dargaville, Whangārei, Kaiwaka and Wellsford, through pubs and rugby clubs, so people can actually stand next to it. That is what the Log o' Wood is for.

There is a public parade on Saturday, leaving Semenoff Stadium at 11am and reaching the Whangārei CBD around 11:45.

Captain Rivez Reihana's message was short: "Everybody, get down there, we need you." Mayor Ken Couper: "The stadium is going to be packed and we want everybody there to back the boys."

Now they have to hold it

The hard part starts immediately. Northland's first defence is against Tasman at Semenoff Stadium on Sunday 30 August, 5.05pm.

Canterbury will tell them how quickly it can go.

But for a few days at least, in a province that has waited since 1978, none of that matters. The Shield is in Northland, it is being driven around the Far North so people can touch it, and Rob Rush got to win it in his fiftieth game.

Taniwha weather.