Another chapter of the rich history of weight restricted rugby at Pakuranga will be written on Saturday with the Under 85kg Panthers to play for the Maurice O’Connor Cup against the Herne Bay Hustlers at Cox’s Bay.

Regardless of the result, their season is set to continue when they host Morrinsville in the Round of 16 for the National Club Cup later this month.

A common thread over the last 30 years is Jim Cavanagh who was part of the inaugural weight restricted team and will be on the sidelines tomorrow.

We take a look back at the club’s history in weight restricted rugby and some of the stalwarts it has produced.

Beginnings
It was the late 1980s that saw weight restricted rugby arrive at Pakuranga, a mix of players coming together from age-grade teams and the seniors.

Cavanagh recalls it was originally Under 77kg before changing to Under 85kg, though game day weigh ins weren’t a thing back then, meaning some bigger reinforcements could take the field!

Roger Male came on board to coach the team and after about five years they became Auckland Champions.

“He didn’t necessarily know a lot about coaching rugby but knew how to get guys motivated and knew about team culture – got us involved in the kitchen and behind the bar and the club,” said Jim.

The original team are still close friends, celebrating a 30th reunion last year and having annual golf trip.

Jim said its been special to see his former teammates son’s achieve success at the club.

“It’s been a hugely special year for us, seeing Marc Holzer debut for the prems and play so well, his dad Brent was part of our team. And seeing Beeresy’s (Senior) boy get his blazer (Sam Beere), then tomorrow being in the Final.”

Snake Attack
Fast forward to the early 2000s when Under 85kg rugby had a massive period of growth in the Auckland region.

Pakuranga had one team in 2005, in the space of five years had four sides competing in the grade; the Pythons, Vipers, Rattlers and Cobras.

Club stalwart Mike Garner, who sadly passed away last year, led the Pythons side, who won the prestigious Speight’s Shield twice, in 2008 and 2009. This was much to the delight of fellow senior teams as it provided a pallet of Speights for senior prize givings.

Similar to the Under 85kg coaches before him, Mike fostered a culture of connection in the Pythons, the team enjoying tours of Thailand and Hong Kong.

The team featured several former premier players with the likes of Steve Kitchener, Colin Faulkner and Daniel Treanor all showing their class in the grade. While former Club Captain Mark Dickison started in the Under 85kg Pythons before making the Premiers and Auckland Bs.

Kitchener, known to most at the club just as Kitch, played 10 seasons of U85s at the club, in that time selected for the New Zealand Barbarians Middleweight team (deemed the national team) and was named the best player of that team, winning the Ladore Trophy, in 2011. Each year at senior prizegiving the player who wins Under 85kg Sportsman of the Year receives the Steve Kitchener Trophy.

Paint it Black
Now in 2023 the Black Panthers continue to fly the weight restricted banner and have gone from strength to strength.

The team is named after All Blacks great Waka Nathan who was dubbed the Black Panther in his playing days.
While Nathan was more well known for his association with Otahuhu as a player, he was regularly seen on the sidelines at Pakuranga in his latter years, and the team consulted his family when adopting their name.

The current side as a great mix of experience with Logan Kinnear, Ben Biggelaar and Brodyn Bevan having notched up 100 matches for the team, alongside former premier players Jordan Payne and Callum Dimond.

Payne tasted success with the Pakuranga Under 21s back in 2012, while loose forward Jean Pierre Potgieter has won two Auckland titles with the Premier Development team in 2015 and 2017.

Six players donned the blue and white hoops last year; Rory Cavanagh, Riki McGregor, Logan Kinnear, Stephen Edwards, Josh Andrews and Jeandre Dutoit.

Jim Cavanagh got back involved with the grade when his son got involved and told his dad they needed a bit of help.

“The first training I went to we only had seven players, the next week we had nine and the first game we got our ass handed to us! So we have come along way.”

While Jim isn’t coaching this year, he has been a big part of instilling the trademark U85kg culture in the team.

Article added: Friday 11 August 2023