On the 3rd of June 2017 (Queens Birthday Weekend) Poverty Bay hosted Ngati-Porou East Coast Rugby Union in its annual pre-season clash. During this weekend a celebration of combined Poverty Bay & East Coast teams from 1955 through to 2000 took place.
Since 1930 the combined team played the “Lions” on several occasions with the 1966 clash the stand out as the combined side almost accomplished the pinnacle of a Lions scalp to only fall short with a score line of 6 – 9 in favour of the tourists.
A small publication was produced to mark this occasion, which provides details of the combined team’s history.
Pre 1955 – (Hawkes Bay) /POVERTY BAY/EAST COAST COMBINED vs:
1950 British Lions
1949 Australia
1948 Hawkes Bay
1942 Otago
1949 Australia
1937 South Africa
1930 Great Britain
1925 New South Wales
1923 New South Wales
1921 New South Wales/South Africa
POVERTY BAY EAST COAST COMBINED vs:
2000 Scotland
1992 Ireland
1990 Scotland
1989 NZ Maori
1978 NZ Maori
1977 Olympians/British Lions/Hawkes Bay
1971 Olympians/British Lions
1966 Bay of Plenty/British Lions
1965 NZ Maori/B.O.P/Sth Africa
1959 Waikato/British Lions
1956 Hawkes Bay/South Africa
1955 Australia
