Quentin MacDonald would have accused you of having a laugh if you’d approached him in 2012 and said it would be nine years before Tasman had another crack at the Ranfurly Shield.
The 33-year-old hooker played in the Mako’s only two previous challenges, and is desperate to make it third time lucky against Hawke’s Bay in Napier on Saturday afternoon.
He’ll come off the bench in the province’s third challenge since they were founded in 2006, one some Mako fans thought would never come.
MacDonald felt their pain as the years ticked by, all while some teams had a stack of challenges, including Otago’s 10 since 2009.
“That’s what I mean, it seems like they get a challenge every other day. It’s weird.”
MacDonald is the only player on the roster to have featured in the previous two challenges, although coach Andrew Goodman also played in the 26-20 defeat to Wellington in 2008, and the 49-40 loss to Taranaki in 2012.
“I was pretty young in that 2008 game. I remember we were right in the mix until the last 10 minutes…I think we had a yellow card, which was pretty controversial at the time,” MacDonald said.
“In the 2012 one, we thought we had a real good crack at that, but then one Beauden Barrett didn’t make the All Blacks and came back and scored 30-odd points.”
Barrett scored a try, and slotted six penalties and three conversions in his 29-point haul, burying the Mako in a match MacDonald scored a try and Goodman kicked 15 points off the tee.
“Both those games we were right in the mix. It’s just about taking our chances…but, obviously, I’m 0-2, so I’m not the expert,” MacDonald quipped.
Having debuted for Tasman in 2007, Saturday’s match will be his 95th game for the back-to-back NPC champions across multiple stints.
He’s played for the Crusaders, Blues and Chiefs, the Māori All Blacks, Munster and French side Oyonnax.
So, where would it stack up if Tasman became the 18th provincial union to win the treasured Shield?
“It would be huge. For the top of the South Island it would be unreal. Obviously, Marlborough had the 1973 Shield challenge win. Being a Marlborough boy myself, they are living icons, one of the biggest things to happen in Marlborough.
“For us to win the Shield, it would be huge. Personally, it would be the crowning glory.”
Hawke’s Bay are seven successful defences into their sixth Shield tenure, which kicked off when they raided the Log o’ Wood from Otago in 2020.
The Magpies needed golden point to see off Bay of Plenty and hang on to it last month, and don’t need told they’ve won just two of 11 games against the Mako, most recently in 2009 (28-26).
The Mako have won the last eight matches between the sides, including the 2013 championship final (26-25), a 47-28 pasting in 2019, and a 29-0 shutout in 2018.
“It is one of those special things, as a player sometime you only get one chance at it, or not even a chance at all. We feel really lucky as a group, especially in the times we’re going through now, to have the excitement of the build up to it, and the energy that comes with it,” Goodman said.
“You’ve got to talk about it, you’ve got to acknowledge it. It’s not another game, it’s a Shield game, the little moments are going to count a bit more.”
