Central Vikings Rugby Union
Encyclopedia
Central Vikings Rugby Union was a New Zealand
rugby union
team that played in two seasons of the NPC
from 1997-1998. The team featured current and future All Blacks
, as well as a former All Black in coach Frank Oliver.
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 2 All Blacks
in the team which included Bull Allen and Christian Cullen
as well as featuring various super 14 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 the then Nelson Bays
team, now part of Tasman Makos
. 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 of 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.
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 the 1st of 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.
Frank Oliver was the coach of the Central Vikings in the two seasons they played in the second division of the NPC 1997-98. In 1998 former Manawatu rugby captain and All Black trialist Andrew McMaster joined the Central Vikings as the Assistant coach, after four years of coaching the Monkstown club in Ireland. Former All Black and Manawatu flanker Mark Shaw was set to replace Frank Oliver as the head coach of the Central Vikings, however the Vikings split before playing in the 1999 season so Shaw didn't coach them through the season.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
team that played in two seasons of the NPC
National Provincial Championship
The National Provincial Championship, or NPC, is the major domestic rugby competition in New Zealand. The NPC has seen many alterations to its format and brand. Since 2006 the National Championship has been split into 2 competitions, the ITM Cup and the Heartland Championship...
from 1997-1998. The team featured current and future All Blacks
All Blacks
The New Zealand men's national rugby union team, known as the All Blacks, represent New Zealand in what is regarded as its national sport....
, as well as a former All Black in coach Frank Oliver.
History
The Central Vikings Rugby Union was founded in December 1996 with the merger of the Hawke's BayHawke's Bay Rugby Union
The Hawke's Bay Rugby Union is the governing body of rugby union in the Hawke's Bay region of New Zealand. The union is based in Napier.-Representative rugby:...
and Manawatu
Manawatu Rugby Union
Manawatu Rugby Union is the governing body of the sport of Rugby union in the Manawatu rugby province. The Union is based in the city of Palmerston North but has a catchment area from nearby towns in the province, including Feilding, Rongotea, Linton, Bulls, Pahiatua, Dannevirke and...
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 2 All Blacks
All Blacks
The New Zealand men's national rugby union team, known as the All Blacks, represent New Zealand in what is regarded as its national sport....
in the team which included Bull Allen and Christian Cullen
Christian Cullen
Christian Mathias Cullen is a former New Zealand rugby union footballer. He played most of his rugby at fullback for New Zealand , for the Hurricanes in the Super 12, and for Manawatu, Wellington and later Munster at first-class level. He was nicknamed the Paekakariki Express...
as well as featuring various super 14 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
Northland Rugby Union
The Northland Rugby Football Union is the governing body of rugby union in the Northland region of New Zealand.-History:Rugby was first played in Northland in the 1870s, and the first union was set up in the province in 1895, known as the Marsden Football Union. The Northland union was founded in...
but even if they had won, they weren't allowed to progress into the 1st division. They finished 1st in 1998 when they beat the then Nelson Bays
Nelson Bays Rugby Union
Nelson Bays Rugby Union was a New Zealand rugby union team that played from 1968-2005.Nelson Bays was founded in 1968 when Nelson merged with Golden Bay-Motueka and played until 2005 when they joined with Marlborough to become Tasman Rugby Union in 2006....
team, now part of Tasman Makos
Tasman Rugby Union
The Tasman Rugby Union is the governing body for rugby union at the top of the South Island in New Zealand. It is New Zealand's newest provincial union, founded in 2006 with the amalgamation of the existing Marlborough and Nelson Bays sub unions...
. 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
Hawke's Bay Rugby Union
The Hawke's Bay Rugby Union is the governing body of rugby union in the Hawke's Bay region of New Zealand. The union is based in Napier.-Representative rugby:...
and Manawatu
Manawatu Rugby Union
Manawatu Rugby Union is the governing body of the sport of Rugby union in the Manawatu rugby province. The Union is based in the city of Palmerston North but has a catchment area from nearby towns in the province, including Feilding, Rongotea, Linton, Bulls, Pahiatua, Dannevirke and...
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 of 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.
Controversy
In December 1997 a special meeting of the Hawkes Bay Rugby Football Union was held to decide the future of the Central Vikings Rugby Union. Eight of the Hawkes Bay union's 21 clubs called the meeting to seek agreement for Hawkes Bay to withdraw from the Vikings. A vote on a resolution calling for Hawkes Bay to withdraw from the combined Hawkes 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.1997 Season
The Central Vikings played their first match against Fiji in Palmerston North on June 2, 1997.| Date | Comp | Home team | Score | Away team | Score | |
| 02-05-97 | PS |  |
10 |  FijiWellington Rugby Football Union The Wellington Rugby Football Union is the official governing body of rugby union in the city of Wellington, the capital of New Zealand... |
19 | |
| 06-08-97 | PS | |
38 |  Wellington Rugby Football Union The Wellington Rugby Football Union is the official governing body of rugby union in the city of Wellington, the capital of New Zealand... |
21 | |
| 23-08-97 | NPC | |
72 |  Thames Valley Rugby Football Union The Thames Valley Rugby Football Union is the official governing body of rugby union in the region of Thames Valley in the North Island of New Zealand... |
0 | |
| 30-08-97 | NPC |  Wanganui Rugby Football Union The Wanganui Rugby Football Union is the governing body for rugby union in the Wanganui region of New Zealand. The Wanganui Rugby Football Union was formed in 1888.... |
6 | |
42 | |
| 06-09-97 | NPC |  King Country Rugby Football Union The King Country Rugby Football Union is a constituent union in the New Zealand Rugby Union. It is located in the central North Island of New Zealand... |
35 | |
41 | |
| 13-09-97 | NPC | |
90 |  Nelson Bays Rugby Union Nelson Bays Rugby Union was a New Zealand rugby union team that played from 1968-2005.Nelson Bays was founded in 1968 when Nelson merged with Golden Bay-Motueka and played until 2005 when they joined with Marlborough to become Tasman Rugby Union in 2006.... |
21 | |
| 20-09-97 | NPC |  South Canterbury Rugby Football Union The South Canterbury Rugby Football Union is a rugby province based in the central South Island city of Timaru, New Zealand. The South Canterbury team play from Alpine Energy Stadium located in Timaru.-History:... |
7 | |
87 | |
| 26-09-97 | NPC |  Northland Rugby Union The Northland Rugby Football Union is the governing body of rugby union in the Northland region of New Zealand.-History:Rugby was first played in Northland in the 1870s, and the first union was set up in the province in 1895, known as the Marsden Football Union. The Northland union was founded in... |
42 | |
13 | |
| 03-10-97 | NPC | |
10 |  Bay of Plenty Rugby Union The Bay of Plenty Rugby Union is the official governing body for rugby union in the Bay of Plenty, in the North-East of the North Island... |
31 | |
| 11-10-97 | NPC | |
95 |  Wairarapa Bush Rugby Football Union The Wairarapa Bush Rugby Football Union was formed in 1971 with the amalgamation of the Wairarapa Rugby Football Union and Bush Rugby Football Union.... |
12 | |
| 19-10-97 | NPC | Bay of Plenty Rugby Union The Bay of Plenty Rugby Union is the official governing body for rugby union in the Bay of Plenty, in the North-East of the North Island... |
6 | |
29 | Semi final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25-10-97 | NPC | Northland Rugby Union The Northland Rugby Football Union is the governing body of rugby union in the Northland region of New Zealand.-History:Rugby was first played in Northland in the 1870s, and the first union was set up in the province in 1895, known as the Marsden Football Union. The Northland union was founded in... |
63 | |
10 | Final |
- Note - PS = Pre Season, NPC = National Provincial Championship
- Overall Season standing: 2nd
1998 Season
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.
| Date | Comp | Home team | Score | Away team | Score | |
| 01-07-98 | PS | |
30 |  |
29 | |
| 01-08-98 | PS | |
29 |  Southland Rugby The Southland Rugby Football Union is a provincial rugby union who govern the Southland Region founded in 1886. The headquarters of Southland Rugby are in Invercargill, New Zealand however the Southland Union also covers country teams such as Midlands of Winton and Excelsior Rugby Club of Gore.The... |
31 | |
| 22-08-98 | NPC | |
79 | |
12 | |
| 29-08-98 | NPC | |
43 |  |
11 | |
| 05-09-98 | NPC | |
5 | |
52 | |
| 12-09-98 | NPC | |
18 | |
34 | |
| 19-09-98 | NPC | |
25 | |
12 | |
| 26-09-98 | NPC | |
3 | |
55 | |
| 03-10-98 | NPC | |
19 | |
37 | |
| 10-10-98 | NPC | |
29 | |
8 | |
| 17-10-98 | NPC | |
23 | |
20 | Semi final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24-11-98 | NPC | |
33 | |
18 | Final |
- Note - PS = Pre Season, NPC = National Provincial Championship
- Overall Season standing: 1st
Players
- Mark "Bull" Allen
- Mark Atkinson
- Stephen BachopStephen BachopStephen Bachop is a former rugby player from New Zealand. He is the older brother of fellow All Black Graeme Bachop.-Provincial:...
- Charles Beetham
- Phonse Carroll
- Brad Clarke
- Orcades Crawford
- Christian CullenChristian CullenChristian Mathias Cullen is a former New Zealand rugby union footballer. He played most of his rugby at fullback for New Zealand , for the Hurricanes in the Super 12, and for Manawatu, Wellington and later Munster at first-class level. He was nicknamed the Paekakariki Express...
- Jarrod CunninghamJarrod CunninghamJarrod Cunningham was a New Zealand rugby union fullback, who died from Motor Neurone Disease.Born in Hawke's Bay, Cunningham played for his home town rugby club from 1990 to 1997, during which time he was trialed for the All Blacks in 1993, but was kept out of the side by Andrew Mehrtens...
- Tom Deighton
- Steve Fee
- Greg Halford
- Simon Halford
- Tim Kareko
- Jeff Karika
- Lister Kire
- Potu Leavasa
- Danny Lee
- Horace Lewis
- Tony Maidens
- Mutu Ngarimu
- Brent Oliver
- Murdoch Paewai
- Mark Ranby
- Roger RandleRoger RandleRoger Quentin Randle is a New Zealand rugby union footballer. He played as a wing. He played centre at Rugby Parma F. C. .-Career:...
- Reece Robinson
- Scott Waldergrave
- Dion WallerDion WallerDion Alan George Waller is a former New Zealand rugby union footballer. He played for the Wellington Lions, Hurricanes, New Zealand Maori and All Blacks...
- Dustin Watts
- Julian WhiteJulian WhiteJulian White MBE is an English rugby union footballer who plays prop for Leicester Tigers and England.White is regarded as one of the most powerful forwards in the game...
was set to play in 1997 but was ruled out with a broken leg
- Julian White
Coaches
- Frank Oliver-1997-98 (Coach)
- Andrew McMaster-1998 (Assistant Coach)
- Mark Shaw-1999 (Coach)
Frank Oliver was the coach of the Central Vikings in the two seasons they played in the second division of the NPC 1997-98. In 1998 former Manawatu rugby captain and All Black trialist Andrew McMaster joined the Central Vikings as the Assistant coach, after four years of coaching the Monkstown club in Ireland. Former All Black and Manawatu flanker Mark Shaw was set to replace Frank Oliver as the head coach of the Central Vikings, however the Vikings split before playing in the 1999 season so Shaw didn't coach them through the season.
Sponsors
- Lowe Walker (originally signed a three year contract, however they left the Vikings during 1998)
- Lion Red