October 19, 2021
Culture key to Ngāti Porou East Coast Rugby team success
A supporter of Ngāti Porou East Coast Rugby says even though All Blacks legend Ma’a Nonu only spent the last quarter on the field, his presence alongside player-coach Hosea Gear was the sort of inspiration the perpetual underdogs needed.
The team broke an eight-year losing streak against Buller on Saturday with a 50-26 victory at Whakarua Park in Gisborne.
Campbell Dewes says a bit of international experience can go a long way at the provincial level.
“Our guys aren’t professional rugby players. In Heartland Rugby, they’re tradies who play a bit of rugby. They’re foresters who play a bit of rugby. We’ve even got a couple of single dads who play a bit of rugby. We’re all sorts but we’re not full-time rugby players like those guys are but we’re the grassroots of rugby and we’re community rugby,” he says