We hope you enjoy this look back as we look forward to many more years of recording the history of Buller Rugby Union.
We acknowledge all the information from the NZ “Rugby Almanack” Series since 1934 and appreciate their hard and dedicated work in providing this detailed history. – Web Admin

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Results

Sat 03 Jun	2:30 pm	H	Div3 - NPC	West Coast	13 - 04	Match Center
Sat 24 Jun	2:30 pm	H	Div3 - NPC	Nelson Bays	06 - 10	Match Center
Sat 08 Jul	2:30 pm	A	Seddon Shield	Marlborough	39 - 06	Match Center
Sat 12 Aug	2:30 pm	A	Div3 - NPC	North Otago	13 - 19	Match Center
Sat 19 Aug	2:30 pm	H	Div3 - NPC	South Canterbury	06 - 42	Match Center
Wed 06 Sep	2:30 pm	H	Div3 - NPC	Horowhenua Kapiti	19 - 15	Match Center
Sat 09 Sep	2:30 pm	A	Div3 - NPC	East Coast	03 - 12	Match Center
Wed 13 Sep	2:30 pm	A	Div3 - NPC	Whanganui	58 - 15	Match Center

THE 1989 SEASON:

The 1989 season was quite a bright period for Buller Rugby. The team achieved a 50 per cent record winning four and losing four of the eight matches played, a better record than might have been expected given the small number of Senior players available to be chosen for Representative honours.

Buller was finding that while it had very competent first choice players, the depth available to other Unions was simply not there and in the event of unavailability or injury, some heavy defeats might be incurred.

Nevertheless, the team played some bright, attractive football, attacking whenever and wherever possible.

The forwards were well led by Glenn Elley and Thomas Stuart in the loose and Richard Banks and Murray Dickson in the tight but the harsh realities of modern day commercial Rugby became apparent when Shane Kennedy a very promising newcomer to the Buller team received a very attractive offer to play in another Union across the Alps and disappeared from the Buller scene.

Andrew Slee remained a member of the NZ Divisional team squad, as a reserve, but he did not get on to the field. Sadly, Slee too, was shortly to be lost to the Buller scene.

He was again selected for the Division team in its 1990 early season internal tour but he then left for Wellington and did not play again for Buller after 1989.

There were two major personal highlights during this season. The first game of the season against West Coast saw Murray Dickson bring up his 50 games for Buller while Richard Banks became a Buller centurion in the North Otago fixture.

The Seddon Shield was retained by Marlborough 35-0 but the Buller players may well remember the fixture not so much for the score as for the refereeing by the extrovert Welsh Test referee, Clive Norling.

Matches played were:-

v West Coast at Westport Won 13-4
v Nelson-Bays at Westport Lost 6-10
v Marlborough at Blenheim Lost 0-35 {Seddon Shield}
v North Otago at Oamaru Won 19-13
v South Canterbury at Westport Lost 6-42
v Horowhenua at Westport Won 19-15
v East Coast at Tolaga Bay Won 12-3
v Wanganui at Wanganui Lost 15-58

Scorers were:

v West Coast: Kerry Daily (try), Graeme O’Dea (try), David Baird (conversion, penalty)
v Nelson-Bays: David Baird (2 penalties)
v Marlborough: No scorers.
v North Otago: Thomas Stuart (2 tries), Glenn Elley (try), David Baird (2 conversions, penalty)
v South Canterbury: David Baird (2 penalties)
v Horowhenua: Tony O’Dea (try), David Baird (try, conversion, 3 penalties)
v East Coast: Roger Gibson (try), David Baird (conversion, 2 penalties)
v Wanganui: John Brazil (try), David Baird (conversion, 3 penalties)