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Written by Site Admin
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Tuesday, 02 January 2007 |
Manawatu has scooped the opening game of the national provincial competition next year.
The Turbos will host defending Air New Zealand Cup champion Waikato on the Thursday night of July 26 and Manawatu Rugby Union chairman Tony Murphy is delighted.
He said it helped that Manawatu volunteered to host one of the two experimental Thursday nighters this year when the Turbos played Bay of Plenty at Arena Manawatu.
"We tried pretty hard with the New Zealand Rugby Union to get the game," said Murphy.
"And we'll be ready. We've got a good buildup against first division teams and Waikato won't have their All Blacks."
It will be one of five home games. The others will be against Bay of Plenty, Otago, Counties-Manukau and Hawke's Bay.
It should also be popular with Manawatu fans that all of the other home games will be played in the afternoon, all at 2.30pm except the Hawke's Bay game at 5.30pm.
The Turbos have to endure only two night matches, against Waikato and their second game, against Tasman, at Blenheim or Nelson, the venue yet to be confirmed. Both are on Thursday nights.
Meanwhile, Manawatu's coffers will again be boosted by receiving 13 percent of the Hurricanes Super 14 franchise profit.
Manawatu should be able to bank between $170,000 and $180,000. It helped that the Hurricanes hosted a home semifinal at Wellington. There were concerns that the payout to the 10 constituent unions would drop this time but the Wellington semifinal was probably worth an extra $60,000 to Manawatu.
"That boosted it back up," said Murphy. "When you look at it, it's a huge bonus to us. Every second year there is an extra home game."
That applies next year when Arena Manawatu hosts the Hurricanes' match against the Stormers from South Africa (on Saturday, March 3).
Murphy appreciates the Hurricanes' annual payout, especially when he knows many other provincial unions don't get a cent from their major Super 14 partners.
"We're pretty happy with what we get. They're also spending more money on development and are doing a lot of work with the unions. The Hurricanes have been tremendously helpful to us all the way through."
The Hurricanes had Tony Bedford, Alex McKenzie and Jonathon Phillips working with Manawatu during the changes of coaches six weeks before the start of the provincial season this year.
In the 12 months until June, the Hurricanes had a profit of $1.36 million on record turnover of $7.44 million, the seventh consecutive year they have had a surplus of more than $1 million.
More than $12 million has been distributed to the province since the Super 12 started in 1996.
Manawatu's accounts are still being audited but Murphy expects the union to be on "the right side of breaking even" on a turnover of more than $4 million.
"The first year was always going to be harder but most sponsors are now in for three years," he said.
Manawatu's Air New Zealand Cup matches:
Thu July 26, v Waikato, Palmerston North, 7.05pm;
Thu Aug 2 v Tasman, Blenheim or Nelson, 7.05pm;
Sat Aug 11 v Wellington, Wgtn, 2.35pm;
Sun Aug 19 v Bay of Plenty, PN, 2.35pm;
Sun Aug 26 v Canterbury, Christchurch, 2.35pm;
Sun Sept 2 v North Harbour, Albany (Ranfurly Shield), 2.35pm;
Sun Sept 9 v Otago, PN, 2.35pm.
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