Mako contingent honoured in Marlborough

New Zealand provincial rugby’s ultimate prize, the Mitre 10 Cup, was on show in Marlborough today.

David Havili, skipper of the Tasman Mako side who defeated Auckland 13-12 in the recent premiership decider, plus several of the players involved in the final and some members of the management crew, were officially congratulated by Marlborough Mayor John Leggett in council chambers.

The team was also presented with the District of Marlborough Award, in recognition of their achievement of becoming back-to-back champions.

Havili was thrilled to bring the trophy to Blenheim.

“Two provinces came together back in 2006 and I guess for us to bring two premierships to our region is pretty special … plus the way that it happened this year is pretty special as well.

“It is awesome to have some of the local lads here today too … it’s great to be able to share [our success] with them and their families over here.”

Havili said it was particularly satisfying to win the premiership at Eden Park.

“It’s still a bit surreal actually … it just felt like we were not going to lose that game.

“There was a different agenda this year, we had to use our whole squad depth. It was about building a culture where we believed in ourselves … creating that bond between each other where you know that when you get to the back end of the season, although you are tired and your body has been through a lot, you have just got to dig deep and you know your mate has got your back.

“It’s been a credit to our team and our coaches, with the way they have driven that [ethos] over the last couple of years.”

Despite talk of a Mako “three-peat” being bandied about, Havili, as usual, was keeping his feet firmly on the ground.

“We will just enjoy this one over the summer, it’s special to have locked [the trophy] away … as for next year, I’ll let Goody [co-head coach Andrew Goodman] and the coaching staff take care of that side of things.”

After back-to-back premierships, the only thing missing from the Mako CV is the Ranfurly Shield, a trophy close to Marlborough hearts after their historic 1973-74 reign.

“It’s a bit of a rarity that we do get a Ranfurly Shield challenge but hopefully in the next couple of seasons we will do that because I have never played for the shield and would like the chance to get my hands on it … I’m sure it would bring another real buzz to the region.”