Tui, Stags keep fans happy
-The Southland Times - Monday, October 26, 2009 2:06 PM
THE Fijian-born Tuineau has made the position his own and should be one of the first names read out in Glenn Moore's Highlanders squad.
SOUTHLAND’S Ranfurly Shield heroes were back to work yesterday with a semi-final date against Wellington looming on Saturday night.
The Stags have been in celebratory mood during the weekend after luring the Ranfurly Shield back to the deep south for the first time in 50 years.
Yesterday, the drinking glasses were put down, though, and it was back to the training paddock as Southland begin preparations for Saturday's do-or-die semi-final in the capital.
Some people have said Southland will struggle to get up for a semi-final after all the euphoria of the Ranfurly Shield, but Stags lock Joe Tuineau rubbished those suggestions.
"If things work out, we could end up with a home final down here. That's one big thing everyone is focused on. We want to try and get that home final and make the fans happy."
In the dying stages of Thursday's Ranfurly Shield challenge, Sky Television's cameras frequently cut to shots of Tuineau on the Southland bench.
The giant lock, who had been replaced by Dave Gannon in the second half, appeared to be the most nervous man in the stadium. He was up off the pine, chewing his fingernails, and willing on the final whistle with Canterbury hot on attack.
"I was giving all my energy to the boys," Tuineau said, laughing, yesterday.
"It's been 50 years since we last won the Ranfurly Shield. Imagine the feeling if we didn't do it. The boys would have been absolutely gutted. It would've felt like death in the changing room if we didn't do it."
When the fulltime siren went and Robbie Robinson booted the ball into touch, the Stags reserves surged on to the field to mob their team-mates. Tuineau headed in the opposite direction, straight to the fans, though.
"All I could think about were the fans," Tuineau said.
"All the boys ran to the middle of the field and I ran around the stadium. The fan support was great; it blew my mind."
Tuineau has been one of the real success stories in the Stags side this season.
The former South East Missouri State University tight end American football player featured in only two matches for the Stags last year, but has starred for Southland in this year's NPC.
The Stags were expected to struggle at lock this season without Daniel Ramsay and Hoani Macdonald, but the Fijian-born Tuineau has made the position his own and should be one of the first names read out in Glenn Moore's Highlanders squad
He said winning the Ranfurly Shield topped anything he had accomplished in American football.
"It doesn't even come close the feelings of winning the Shield. I wasn't born in New Zealand, but I was brought up here. All you hear about is the Ranfurly Shield in New Zealand rugby and it's sublime to get your hands on it. There's not many people that do ...
"It's the best-ever feeling I've had in my life."
Meanwhile, Southland No8 David Hall looks set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines. He ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament in the 23rd minute of the Ranfurly Shield challenge and was taken from the field.
He will meet with an orthopaedic surgeon this morning and could be out for as long as nine months, which would rule him out of the Super 14 and the start of the Air New Zealand Cup next year.
Hua Tamariki is expected to replace Hall in the starting lineup for this weekend's semifinal, with hooker Brayden Mitchell coming on to the bench.
Saturday's semifinal in Wellington will be played at the slightly earlier time of 7.05pm, with the All Blacks taking on Australia in Tokyo immediately afterwards, at 9.30pm.
AIR NEW ZEALAND CUP SEMIFINALS:
Friday, 7.35pm 1 v 4: Canterbury v Hawke's Bay in Christchurch
Saturday 7.05pm 2 v 3: Wellington v Southland in Wellington
