The Temuka Rugby Football Club recently held their prizegiving for the 2009 rugby season. A big crowd gathered to celebrate both team and individual achievements over the past season.

A highlight of the evening was the presence of former Temuka player and All Black Tom Coughlan, along with a dozen Temuka team mates who played with him in the 1950s and 60s.

[click photos to enlarge]

Trophy Winners:

Under 16:

 

 

W K Gale Trophy for most improved player of the year: Lewis Jackman (on left)

 

Under 18:

 

 

P F Scott Cup for most improved player: Danny Brown

 

 

 

Aitken Cup for player of the year: Matt Bonifacio and Brock Helm

 

Senior B:

 

 

Kear Hawkins Memorial Cup for most improved player:  Scott Gillies

 

 

 

Clinch Cup for player of the year: Dillon Sawers

 

Person contributing most during the season: Jimmy Rate

Seniors:

 

 

Sorenson Memorial Cup for fairest senior player: Simon Erskine

 

Dillon Cup for most improved player: Dillon Demchy

 

Second runner-up for player of the year: Tristram Johnston

 

First runner-up for player of the year: Tuck McNab

 

 

 

Hurricane Wire Trophy for player of the year: Quentin Wood

 

 

Club & Team Trophies:

 

 

 

Soper Memorial Trophy for team scoring most points: Seniors

 

 

 

Bob Walker Trophy for team scoring most tries: Under 16

 

 

 

RSA Cup for best turned out and behaved team: Senior B

 

 

 

Keith Surridge Memorial Trophy for player scoring most tries: Brendon Maurice

 

 

 

Mary Tarrant Memorial Trophy for the person contributing most to the club in a season:  Ken Darby

The South Canterbury rugby team’s new captain Tristram Johnston will be taking a low key approach to leadership responsibilities.

Delighted to be appointed, the midfield back, 27, played for Temuka this season, after three years overseas.

In London he played rugby for Wasps, but at a more development level, so he could travel freely without disrupting a team.

Back into the serious stuff, he’s looking forward to leading the side, having been capped eight times previously. “It should be really good, there’s plenty of good blokes and they all seem keen,” he said.

He will also get to meet the three new loan players this weekend at a Heartland training camp.

Johnston said it was also excellent that the side would play three warm-up games, before the Heartland competition kicked off.

The first is against New Zealand Army in Timaru on August 15.

Tipping the scales at 100kg, Johnston is certain to have a big presence on the field.

Vice-captain of Temuka, his trademark is busting the midfield, and he is also strong runner and defender.

Johnston is the side’s third skipper in three year, after Luke Reihana and Tony Ward.

My name is Russell and I am from the UK. I have been playing for Temuka rugby club during the 2009 rugby season. Now the season has drawn to a close the President of the club asked me if I would like to write a few paragraphs about my experience with the club on their web site so potential players can read and have some sort of idea what to expect, which I am more than happy to do so.

When you arrive you will be well looked after by the club. You get picked up from the airport and taken back to Temuka. You will be given somewhere to stay and they will find you a job, all you have to do is turn up and play rugby!

You have two grades of rugby Senior A and Senior B and they play in the South Canterbury Union made up of 8 teams. Senior A play a good standard of rugby and if I had to make a comparison I would have say the top teams in the league would be of National 3 North and South standard and the lower teams would be of London 1 and 2 or where I come from the South West of England South West 1 and 2.

There is a fairly large gap between the two ends of the rugby league split between three town teams in Timaru and five country teams in the rest of South Canterbury. What I found unexpected when I started playing for Temuka was the long standing history between the clubs in the league. Not like back home where teams get relegated and promoted each year the same teams in NZ play each other every year.

What I enjoyed about this was you would play against teams who would have a long playing history against each other. An example would be when Temuka and Geraldine played this season for the Collogan’s cup; this is only played between these two teams. Temuka won the cup this year and the history of the cup goes back over 50 years.

There is other opportunity to win various cups throughout the season against other clubs which gives the games a little bit more edge. Also with the long standing history you get good camaraderie between the clubs and players and the watching spectators!

full story here …

The 2009 prizegiving will be held on Sat Aug 15th commencing at 7pm in the clubrooms.

8pm – Presentation of Awards

9pm – Band Starts

Supper Provided.

No Cover Charge

The 2009 Temuka RFC Senior team won the The Ian Scott Memorial Cup (awarded to the winner of the South Canterbury Rugby  Senior Bottom Four Competition)  after they strangled Geraldine 15-3.

Below you can see photos of the team in action at Alpine Energy Stadium on Finals Day.

Our Senior B side finished off the season with a good win over Celtic Red 19 – 12 to win the bottom four final and take home the Woods Cup.

Below you can see some photos from the final.