TOYOTA CLUB OF THE WEEK
RATANA - August 17th - Rugby News


RATANA SPIRIT RUNS DEEP

After visiting a unique rugby club in the hills south of Wanganui, Campbell
Burnes can see why small does not mean weak.

Photos: Campbell Burnes; action shot: Wanganui Chronicle

The abiding memory of my visit to Ratana was the stirring haka performed by
some of the senior team before the impressive church which dominates the
landscape.
It warmed the air of a chilly winter dusk on the hill at the Maori
community, some 15 minutes south of Wanganui.
The Ratana Rugby Club, part of the Ratana Maramatanga Sports Club, which
includes touch, netball and hockey under its umbrella, is all about mana
over money, to pinch a phrase coined by my colleague Dave Campbell. It is
not the most resourced club in Wanganui, but its recent record and general
competitiveness among its two senior and two junior teams suggest a powerful
club spirit and determination.
It seems word of my arrival has spread as there are a good 10 or 12 players
and supporters who have gathered to meet me at the windswept field straight
across the road from the church, which stands as a magnificent monument to
this tight Maori community. We head into the changing rooms to escape the
wind and have a chat, where Wanganui and Ratana first five Leon Mason, and
his uncle and current player Cornel Mason give me the lowdown. We are joined
soon afterwards by Club Legend Kamaka Manuel.
What emerges is a picture of a small, but proud club which is tight as a
drum, a factor has helped them to four senior titles in the last 10 years.
The Ratana church is an integral part of life for many of the club, and it
is a remarkable fact that 80 percent of the side come from a community of
just 450 based on a hill just out of Wanganui, and yet it has still been so
competitive in the last decade.
So is there a particular Ratana style of play?
"In the '70s and '80s, our game plan was 'give it to the forwards'; we had
the best rolling maul in the country," says Manuel, who adds that perhaps
Ngati Porou East Coast stole the rolling maul off Ratana when that side was
making headlines 10 years ago.
Cornel Mason says times have changed: "We like to throw the ball around.
That's always been our game, really. In recent years, we've played a bit
more territory."
Leon Mason, a staple of this club and the 2009 Senior A skipper, highlights
the importance of whanau and whanau-based activities, though he admits to
having been torn when he opted to miss a club semifinal to perform with his
kapa haka group several seasons ago.
For Manuel, it s about getting the off-field stuff right before one can
focus on the rugby.
"That's our uniqueness. The church is a real focal point for us. We begin
our Saturday with a prayer. Those are the customs that have been brought
down to us by our uncles and elders."
If there's an away game, the team will assemble at the church before
boarding the bus.
"We do remarkably well for such a small population," says Manuel.
Indeed it does. There is a Senior B and two junior sides (under 11 and 13)
but Ratana supports them year-in, year-out. Though the clubhouse is not
huge, no one will go thirsty or hungry at a Ratana after-match function, and
the whole community is on hand to cheer the boys on.
First year coach Adrian Coombe has only a touch of Maori blood flowing in
his veins, and never played for Ratana (only against them, for Waiouru), but
he is clued up on the history and what makes this club tick. He has loved
his experience, and wants more. His works for Diabetes Manawatu, which has
been one of the Ratana sponsors recently.
"The general community and spirit within the team is one of the key reasons
for the success (over the last decade). If we need something, we get out and
work for it. The guys painted the changing sheds this season and we're
putting on a fundraising hangi to raise about $2500," says Coombe.
He relies heavily on the mana and experience of the Masons, Manuel, prop
Vaan Rauhina, and for the last time this season No 8 Paul Belliss, one of
the great Wanganui sporting family, a Pakeha who was in tears as his
teammates sung the club song at the end of his last game, capping several
seasons of stalwart service.
"A lot of people have this misconception that Ratana is just for Maori, but
it's not," says Coombe. "We have about six Pakeha in our squad of 30. They
all live in town, but they love being part of the environment."
Ratana endured a rocky start to 2009, but came home strong to reach the
semifinals, for the 13th season in a row.
"I was very proud of them. There were some very serious injuries at the
start of season and we started with four straight losses," says Coombe.
But in typical tight Ratana spirit, the side rallied and made something of
the year.
Though the rugby club was established in 1928, two All Blacks came out of
the Rata club, which was a precursor to Ratana. They were threequarters Pat
Potaka and Peina Taituha, both of whom became foundation members of the new
rugby club. Since then there have been plenty of Wanganui reps, and in
recent seasons the likes of NZ Divisional XV prop Mike Thompson have tuned
out in the cardinal and blue colours.
As I drove out of the Ratana Pa, I reflected on a unique club with a
powerful wairua.

CLUB LEGEND
KAMAKA MANUEL

The rock of the Ratana pack, the sturdy 35-year-old lock has been playing
for the Senior As since 1992.
He was going to help Adrian Coombe with the coaching early this year, but
stepped in to play when injuries decimated the forwards.
When he walks into the room, the mana and respect he derives from his sheer
presence is palpable. The players listen to him, they look up to him.
"The commonality that we have is that we are affiliated to the church. This
brings us together and the rugby club has been part and parcel of my life
here," says Manuel.
"You wouldn't go to many metropolitan clubs where there are 10 mokopuna
(grandchildren) running around with tackle bags and rugby balls."
Who knows if Manuel will lace the boots again next year but there seems
little doubt he will be around the club in some capacity.

GREATEST MOMENT

In over 80 years of history, Ratana has seen some good and not so good
times.
"In the late 1990s, we were the wooden spooners, and had some cricket scores
racked up against us," says Manuel.
"But for me, it was seeing the boys lift the championship for the first time
in 2001. That was a big milestone for the club. It was a welcome home for a
lot of the boys, as well, who came back from town clubs.
"To see the brothers and what they achieved, and then seeing the older
members and the uncles and what it meant to them."
Ratana did not rest on its laurels, chalking up a hat-trick of Wanganui
Senior A titles, and also taking out the 2006 championship. It remains a
force in the province, and respect for what is has achieved is sincere and
widespread.


Opening shot caption
Some of the Ratana club perform a rousing haka in front of their church.

Action shot caption
Promising young halfback Kane Tamou in action against Kaierau in the
Wanganui club semifinal loss in 2009.



Campbell Burnes
News and Features Editor