• Source: Central Vikings Rugby Union

Central Vikings Rugby Union was a New Zealand rugby union team that played in the second division of the NPC for two seasons in 1997 and 1998. The team, formed from the merger of the Hawke's Bay and Manawatu unions, featured current and future All Blacks and a former All Black in coach Frank Oliver. It came second in its division in 1997, and first in 1998, and would have progressed to the first division. However, following financial trouble it split back into the two separate unions.
Reviving the Central Vikings as a Super Rugby team was floated in 2016, but this did not occur.




History


The Central Vikings Rugby Union was founded in December 1996 with the merger of the Hawke's Bay and Manawatu unions. The Vikings were formed with the hopes of lifting themselves out of the 2nd division and to be competitive in the 1st division. The Central Vikings had two All Blacks in the team which included Bull Allen and Christian Cullen as well as featuring various Super 12 players such as Chiefs star Mark Ranby who later became an All Black himself. The Central Vikings finished 2nd in 1997 when they were beaten 63–10 by Northland but even if they had won, they weren't allowed to progress into the 1st division. They finished 1st in 1998 when they beat Bay of Plenty. They were subsequently allowed to progress to the 1st division. The Vikings however got into financial trouble and they split back to Hawke's Bay and Manawatu for the 1999 season.
The Vikings were largely hindered in their second season after not only losing All Black legend Christian Cullen but also losing the then All Blacks Coach John Hart after Hart was advised he could not coach NPC, Super Rugby and All Black teams at the same time. Despite these disadvantages the Vikings went on to win the second division and were picked to be a major force in the first division before financial problems prevented them from advancing and ultimately caused the end of the Vikings.
With the announcement that New Zealand might receive a 6th Super Franchise in the SANZAR Super Rugby competition beginning 2016, the Hawke's Bay union announced its interest in forming this franchise together with Manawatu, effectively resurrecting the Central Vikings brand as a Super Rugby franchise. This never came to fruition and instead Super Rugby added the South African Southern Kings, the Argentinian Jaguares and the Japanese Sunwolves.




Controversy


In December 1997 a special meeting of the Hawke's Bay Rugby Football Union was held to decide the future of the Central Vikings Rugby Union. Eight of the Hawke's Bay Union's 21 clubs called the meeting to seek agreement for Hawke's Bay to withdraw from the Vikings. A vote on a resolution calling for Hawke's Bay to withdraw from the combined Hawke's Bay–Manawatu team was lost, 7–12, in a secret ballot. Once the resolution was lost, HBRFU president Tom Mulligan said there was no reason for the meeting to continue. The Vikings were then given the all-clear to continue as an NPC second division rugby team.




Fixtures and results






= 1997 Season

=
The Central Vikings played their first match against Fiji in Palmerston North on June 2, 1997.

Note - PS = Pre Season, NPC = National Provincial Championship
Overall Season standing: 2nd




= 1998 Season

=
Former Manawatu rugby captain and All Black trialist Andrew McMaster returned from Ireland, where he had four years coaching the Monkstown club, to join the Central Vikings as the new Vikings assistant coach. The Central Vikings had a non-championship match against Southland on 1 August 1998. Southland only just managed to hold on to the game, although they scored five tries to the Vikings two.
Southland 31 (P Taylor 2, P Alatini, B Leckner, P Miller tries; A Kimura 3 cons)
Central Vikings 29 (A Powdrell, D Bellamy tries; J Cunningham 2 cons, 5 pens). Halftime 19-13 to Southland.

Note - PS = Pre Season, NPC = National Provincial Championship
Overall Season standing: 1st




Players


Mark "Bull" Allen, University PN
Mark Atkinson, Havelock North
Stephen Bachop, Te Kawau
Damon Bellamy, Taradale
Charles Beetham, Dannevirke & Hastings Sports
Aaron Britten, Havelock North
Hugh Brown, Havelock North
Alphonse Carroll, Te Kawau
Michael Chaffey, Taradale
Roger Chappell, Napier Tech Old Boys
Bradley Clarke, Havelock North
Orcades Crawford, Colenso-Pirates
Christian Cullen, Kia Toa
Jarrod Cunningham, Havelock North
Chresten Davis, University PN
Tom Deighton, Dannevirke
Steve Fee, Napier Old-Boys Marist
William Furnell, Marist PN
Simon Gibbs, University PN
Greg Halford, Havelock North
Simon Halford, Oroua
Andrew Harris, Te Kawa
Tim Kareko, Linton Army
Jeff Karika, Hastings Sports
Glenn Kenworthy, Taradale
Lister Kire, Clive
Potu Leavasa, Taradale
Danny Lee, Havelock North
Horace Lewis, Hastings Sports
Tony Maidens, Havelock North
Andrew Natusch, Havelock North
Mutu Ngarimu, Taradale
Brent Oliver, Harlequins (Wellington)
Murdoch Paewai, Havelock North
Mark Ranby, Harlequins (Wellington)
Roger Randle, Hastings Sports
Reece Robinson, Napier Old-Boys Marist
Derek Rowse, Marist PN
Trevor Savou, Queen Elizabeth College Old Boys
Paul Schmidt-Uili, Marist PN
Anthony Stephenson, Feilding
Scott Taylor, Napier Old Boys Marist
Scott Waldergrave, High School Old Boys PN
Dion Waller, Marist PN
Dustin Watts, Napier Tech Old Boys
Karl Williams, Marist PN
Andrew Willock, Wellington
Julian White was set to play in 1997 but was ruled out with a broken leg




Coaches


Frank Oliver was the coach of the Central Vikings in the two seasons they played in the second division of the NPC 1997–98.
Andrew McMaster, a former Manawatu rugby captain, Canterbury representative and All Black trialist, joined the Central Vikings as the Assistant coach after four years of coaching the Monkstown club in Ireland.
Mark Shaw, a former All Black and Manawatu flanker, was set to replace Frank Oliver as the head coach of the Central Vikings for the 1999 season, however the Vikings were disbanded so Shaw did not coach them through the season.




Sponsors


Lowe Walker (originally signed a three-year contract, however they left the Vikings during 1998)
Lion Red




References


Highbeam Research
fijirugby.com

Kata Kunci Pencarian:

• Inggris
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• Central Vikings Rugby Union
• Widnes Vikings
• Manawatu Rugby Union
• List of rugby union clubs in Australia
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• Steve Anderson (rugby union coach)
• ACT and Southern NSW Rugby Union
• Reece Robinson (rugby union, born 1977)
• List of defunct New Zealand rugby union teams