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Mighty Springs V Ponsonby Kiwis, Sat 6 July 2013. Western Springs.

British and Irish Lions coach Warren Gatland will be one happy man today. Not just because his team so comprehensively beat Australia playing a mixture of powerful and attractive rugby, but also because success at this level brings him one step closer to his ultimate goal – becoming the coach of the All Blacks.
He won’t want to hurry into the job however. In fact he’d probably want to delay it for a wee while. Some 14 or 15 years perhaps.
That way he’ll more than likely be in charge of some of the most toughest, focused and talented players he’s ever likely to have the pleasure of coaching.
And chances are those players will probably look back to a game they played for the Mighty Springs against fellow Ponsonby team, the Kiwis, on July 6, 2013 as the game that set them on the path to greatness.

Because yesterday our team of champion lads played…well… like future All Blacks.
Now while some may suggest that statement might be a slight exaggeration, it’s hard to argue with the facts.

But before they are presented Your Honour, we need to go back to the cold, rainy and blustery training conditions of last Wednesday.
While other teams were tucked up on their soft sofas sipping cocoa and watching the Disney Channel our boys were chomping at the bit to get to practice. Just like their parents.
And were there any complaints from the boys at the diabolical weather? No.
Was there a desire from the lads to get as muddy and as wet as possible? Definitely.
Were there any outward signs of mild hypothermia? Perhaps.
But no matter. The boys were ‘on’ their game all practice long.

So it was with unbridled excitement that the lads gathered at their literal and spiritual home ground at Western Springs for their game against Ponsonby Kiwis.

A quick game of paper, scissors, rock saw our boys reversing their jerseys to play in white.
Although the traditional colour of surrender, giving up was to be the last thing on their minds as the game started at 9.17 sharp…ish.

Immediately the lads rushed toward their opposition and affected a turnover with the first play of the day.
This was to be the tone all game long. The only thing missing from the cries of De-fence! De-fence! De-fence! was an organ player in a star-spangled-suit in the bleachers.

Tougher than a primary school dental nurse in the 1970’s, our defence was like a sieve with no holes - totally impassable, and with Max, Te Rangiura, Jack, Bailey, Tai, Sammy and Freddy all leading the charge, there was more ripping than a game of pass-the-parcel at a four year old’s birthday.

Let’s also give credit to the opposition. They were as equally energetic and committed on defence as our boys. So much so that at half-time the Mighty Springs were only slightly ahead three tries to one.

The second half saw some classic All Black-esqe play. Like pythons, the lads slowly strangled their prey although thankfully, not literally, or there would have been a lot of red cards and probably some time-outs for them when they got home. The opposition, exhausted at the enormous amount of work they had to do, finally relented.
And there waiting to pounce, like used car salesmen at bonus time, were Joachim, Ali and Patrick who all crossed the try line in style.

Then after what seemed an eternity, the ref blew his whistle. In the final analysis, the Mighty Springs had emerged victorious 9-1, against a fine team
But in truth that wasn’t actually the final analysis.
That happened when the match statistics were tallied and they told an altogether far more comprehensive tale of effort.

A team total of 94 rips. Almost twice as much as the precious week. That’s All Black quality.

An incredible 19 from Kahurangi. That’s All Black quality.

A team average of almost 8 rips per player. That's also All Black quality.

And amongst all the heroes were two who deserve special mention. Firstly the Man of Steel was David. Not only was his total number of rips impressive but also his method. LIke an America's Cup yacht's sail, when David rips, they stay ripped.
Player of the day was unanimous. And he deserves extra mention for his wonderful attitude to training and playing. Today he showed his amazing all-round skills with sensational rips, a superb solo try and more attacks than question time at the Beehive. Well-done Patrick.

So there it is. A great game and a great result enjoyed by the boys, their parents and most probably by one very excited, future All Black coach.

Onwards Mighty Springs.

Oh and one last thing. A pair of tortoise shell women's sunglasses were found in our bag after the game. Given the brightness of the boys' play you might need them for next week.