Country rugby: 'It is the essence of rural life in New Zealand'
"Our support this year has been fantastic, but every club we’ve been to the clubrooms have been packed. So that tells me rugby in the country is in really good heart.”
Plenty of obituaries have been drafted in readiness for the supposed death of rural rugby over the years.
In Southland, there’s a well-worn comment that the province has too many rugby clubs for the size of its population.
Most towns still have a rugby club. Some suggest it’s a case of clinging onto the past glory when young men played rugby and rugby only on Saturdays.
In some part, there’s some merit to the questions that get raised about the survival of rugby in rural Southland.
Although has the supposed death of rugby in rural Southland been overstated over the years?
For many towns, at this point in time, the rugby club very much still remains the heartbeat of the community.
Try telling the good folk at Tokanui that rugby is on life support in rural Southland.
Mal Dermody played his first game of rugby at Tokanui as a kid in 1972.
“I remember being picked up on the bus by Stan Todd and taken into town.”
51 years on Dermody remains involved with the club as coach of its senior team.
His surname highlights that Mal comes from Southland rugby royalty - the Dermody family.
He has also spent some time coaching at Marist in Invercargill, as well as with Southland representative teams, before returning home to the Tokanui Rugby Club.
He believes rugby in the country is very much holding its own and still attracting interest.
“Every club we go to the clubrooms is full afterward. Our support this year has been fantastic, but every club we’ve been to the clubrooms have been packed. So that tells me rugby in the country is in really good heart.”
“It is the essence of rural life in New Zealand isn’t it, the rugby club.”
The Tokanui Rugby Club has this year reached the 100-year milestone and Dermody said they have consistently been getting close to 30 players at training.
The club is running two senior teams this year alongside its junior teams.
“We’ve benefited from a whole heap of kids who have been on OEs and have come home and have established themselves on family farms.
“And a whole heap of kids who have come home from Lincoln and bits and pieces, who are working in the district. There’s a good number of dairy farm workers and contract milkers. Sometimes you take that luck.”
“You talk to any rural club in Southland and Otago, you have your good years and bad years, and it’s been a good year for us.”
On Saturday Tokanui will host Southland’s Division One club final when it takes on Wyndham. It’s a big day for the proud rugby district.
“It’s a community thing. The pub is all decked out in green and black and gold balloons for this weekend. And they’ve got sign-making classes down there tomorrow night.
“So, the whole district is behind us, and the boys all know that and appreciate it,” Dermody said.
Tokanui finished the round-robin as Division One top qualifiers only losing two games to date in 2023.
Those two losses just happened to have both been against Wyndham.
Third time lucky?
Dermody took a simplistic approach when asked what they need to do topple Wyndham on Saturday in front of what is expected to be a big crowd.
“We just have to be one point ahead at 80 minutes,” he said.
Tokanui has built up an experienced team over the years, led by the likes of flanker Jamie Callaghan and hooker Josh Leith.
Tokanui has been bolstered by midfielder Todd Wells who has previously played in the premier grade for the Eastern-Northern Barbarians.
Flanker Alasdair O’Reilly has been another standout for Tokanui.
Saturday’s final will kick-off at 2.30pm with the Ack Soper Shield up for grabs.
The Gerald Dermody Shield will also be played for on Saturday with Pioneer hosting Drummond-Limehills-Star at Newman Park in Gore.