Also went to the 81 Springboks game. Hika the hooker had a great game and Gordon Tietjens went agonisingly close to scoring a try that would have given us a famous victory.

The 96 shield loss will live long in the memory. I was sitting in the south stand on the halfway mark. I've still got a contract out on referee Alan Riley. He missed so much in that last play...the ball kicked out of the late Joe Tauiwi's hand as he went to feed the scrum, Romi Ropati in front of Eroni Clarke as Clarke grubbered the ball and Ropati regathered etc etc...

However the win last year erased some of those disturbing memories.....a great win. I took my 6 yr old son to the game. We've lived in Auckland for years so he's an Auck fan. He wore his Auckland jersey to the match, was kidnapped by Hori Bop and had a great day watching the game on Hori's couch. Almost won him over....as you'll see from the attached photo he now has a Bay scarf!!!

Sorry, but can't bring myself to support the Chiefs...too many years of the Chiefs being called the Waikato Chiefs. Have always has a hatred of the Mooloo men.....although I must say I've taken great delight in telling my Waikato mates that the Bay scored 14 pts in the win over the Hurricanes. Give it a couple of years and maybe the team will be called the BOP Chiefs!!