Sideline Sid Sports correspondant & historian www.sunlive.co.nz

A new representative rugby competition has breathed fresh life into Western Bay rugby players on the fringe of provincial selection.

The Stan Meads Cup, which is centred on the Chiefs franchise region, gives a further group of players the taste of rep rugby.

Last season Central (Rotorua) Bay of Plenty, Hamilton and Te Awamutu Sub-Unions joined forces with the Thames Valley and King Country B teams to fight out the inaugural Stan Meads trophy.

After a review and consultation, Western Bay of Plenty along with Eastern Bay and a team centred on Morrinsville, who play under the Piako banner, joined the competition this season.

The competition that was a first past the post-competition last season has developed into a two round robin pools with semi-finals and a grand final this year.

It was fitting that one of the real rugby legends from the heart of the new regional competition, agreed to have the trophy named in his honour.

Stanley Thomas Meads played 30 games for the All Blacks, which included 15 test matches. In addition, with brother Colin, he took King Country to new heights in provincial rugby in New Zealand.

While it is a new competition, it has incorporated one of the oldest and best-known rugby trophies in the Mid North Island. The Peace Cup, which was in danger of going to a rugby museum due to lack of interest, has given the Stan Meads Cup a extra edge, being on the line each week as a challenge prize.

The Peace Cup was donated by Mr Bill English in 1921 for sub-union rugby in the Auckland province south of Auckland. The Peace Cup was the symbol of rugby sub-union supremacy in the Waikato, Thames Valley, King Country and Bay of Plenty regions.

In earlier years the Peace Cup ranked only below the Ranfurly Shield in stature in the region and drew large crowds and parochial support. Special trains were put on to ferry parochial away team supporters to Peace Cup games, with host towns often putting on street parades that made there way to the ground on game day.

In 2004 the Peace Cup was stolen. The Cup was taken to a preliminary game between Hamilton and Te Awamutu to show case, and subsequently disappeared without trace at the after match function.

A small storm of publicity followed. On the morning of the Peace Cup Final, well known Waikato rugby identity Kit Fawcett who had been quoted in print and on radio, questioning the parentage of the thieves, answered a knock on his front door. While there was no one was to be seen, a black rubbish bag sat on his doorstep. In side was the Peace Cup, was which was taken to the Final between Te Awamutu and Central (Rotorua), to be awarded to the Rotorua victors.

This Saturday, the Western Bay team will have another shot at Peace Cup glory, when they square off against Te Awamutu in the Waikato, in a Stan Meads Cup semi-final. The last time the local representatives played for the prestigious piece (of battered) silverware was when they were narrowly defeated by Hamilton in 2003.

The Western Bay side has made the top four playoffs by way of a narrow win over Hamilton, defeat from a fired-up Piako unit and a solid victory over King Country B last weekend.

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