Blame the backs. Otago should have won the Ranfurly Shield in 1967 with a dominant forward pack but the backs kicked away too much possession.
This is the view of former All Black prop Tony Kreft, who was playing in his only Ranfurly Shield match when Hawkes Bay beat Otago 9-8 at McLean Park in Napier.
Kreft (64) played 59 games for Otago between 1966-71.
He reflected on his only Shield match from his transport business in Ranfurly yesterday.
"We were the first Otago team to cross the Hawkes Bay line and score a try that year," Kreft said.
"It was a special game for me. I'd hate to have the Ranfurly Shield lost or downgraded.
It's still a very important part of New Zealand rugby."
Kreft was a key member of a well-drilled pack that got on top of the Hawkes Bay forwards.
"We had the opportunity to win," Kreft said.
"Our forwards took the game to Hawkes Bay and ground them into the ground. But we just didn't get over the line."
Although Otago led 8-6 late in the second half, Kreft never felt confident of a win.
"You never do in Ranfurly Shield games," he said.
"The Ranfurly Shield always brings the best out of the home side, and also the challenging side.
"We felt we had the opportunity to win with the amount of ball we were getting. But Hawkes Bay were a very good side and held on to the shield for a long time."
Hawkes Bay fullback Ian Bishop kept carving off huge distances with his powerful punts.
"Chris Laidlaw and Earle Kirton kept kicking the ball down to him and he returned it with interest," Kreft said.
"They kept popping the ball downfield and he kept carving off these great almighty yards.He had a kick like Don Clarke.
"We spent the rest of the time working our way back up the paddock."
Otago coach Eric Watson always produced good teams and had a big following with Otago fans.
"Most teams that Eric prepared either won or came close to it," Kreft said.
It was late in the game that Aiden Thomas, the Hawkes Bay halfback, broke through the Otago defence and scored the winning try.
But there was still a chance for Otago.
"I thought that if Laidlaw had passed the ball back to Laurie Mains he [Mains] could have potted a goal to win the game for us," Kreft said.
"He had a prolific drop kick.
"But Laidlaw just passed to Earle Kirton and he continued to pop it over the top.
"We certainly had opportunities in the second half to pot a goal, and Eric would have received a knighthood."
Kreft was disappointed after the game but still kept his sense of humour.
"Me and one of the other players pinched a bus-stop pole and we took it up to the hotel and put it in Eric's bed," he said.
"Eric didn't know it was a bus stand because it looked like a body in his bed and he slept on the couch. He wasn't happy when he found out who put it there."
But the nagging thought of what might have happened stayed with Kreft and the team for some time after the game.
"It was a long trip home," Kreft said.
Kreft remains perplexed as to why Otago has not won the Ranfurly Shield in the past 52 years.
"It is quite unbelievable that Otago hasn't had the Shield in that time."
Kreft, who played four matches, including one test, for the All Blacks in 1968, has managed the local transport company at Ranfurly since 1965 and is comments man for Paul Allison in radio rugby commentaries from Carisbrook.
Ranfurly Shield
September 23, 1967
Hawkes Bay 9 (Aiden Thomas try; Ian Bishop 2 penalty goals)
Otago 8 (Warren Townsend try; Laurie Mains conversion, penalty goal)
