Coaches Corner
The game of rugby is at the heart of just about every community in New Zealand. This is no truer than here… Buller. The proud wee union with two lions, a pick, a banjo, a gold bar and a gold pan on the emblem.
Things that recognize our tenacity, perseverance, and willingness to work harder than most.
The thing about rugby is that it’s made possible through volunteers.
Volunteers who willingly give their time for the greater good.
Robert Hutt of the Westport club. The first one to answer his phone and complete a job or help a mate.
Glenn Elley of the White Star club. The first person to serve you a beer in the clubrooms after a game. Pretty sure he’d be the one taking the empties to the dump the next day too.
Stu Anderson from Reefton. He should be nicknamed the Phoenix because he rose the clubs senior team from the ashes. An extremely difficult task at a time when populations in the regions were declining.
Graeme Pratt of Old Boys. Found in his overalls outside George Craddock after repainting the posts or doing one last tidy up.
Although, not with a senior team, the Ngakawau club seems to be going from strength to strength at a junior level and one cannot look past Alan Ireland for contributions to a club. Actually hard to imagine if there’s anyone in the NZ rugby community that would have done more for one club!
The thing is these people enable our game to thrive.
It thrives but we want it to live in the hearts of our people and the community!
For that to happen, we need you.
What we are asking from you is your support.
We have four home games this year. Four games where we need you. Victoria Square, a glorious ground surrounded by an old school cycle track. A ground we want to fill.
We are not fussy about where you go… crank up Stiffy’s Corner again, let the wind sail through your hair in Stars Corner, enjoy halftime entertainment at the croquet corner, do a kick flip in the skatepark when there’s an injury or simply sit the stand. The main thing is, at our four home games, get to Victoria Square.
We are the smallest union in the country. We pull our players from just four senior teams.
Our population is dwarfed by the likes of South Canterbury and Horowhenua Kapiti and Whanganui.
But with your support and the backing of our community we plan on getting out on the country’s best rugby grounds and competing with all of these unions.
We (the coaches) know this because this week we had our first wider training squad training. And if the lads are half as determined, committed and willing as they were on Monday, the world is their oyster (or simply an oval shaped ball).
We are proud.
We are Buller.
We need you.
Buller Heartland Management Team.
