You're invited. If you qualify?

If you were one of the anointed Limpets? A less-than-elite, uncelebrated, past their use-by-date, local rugby squad…a social or presidents' grade team which, like their namesake, were permanently cemented to their host, the Tauranga Old Boys Rugby Club, now Tauranga Sport Club, at the domain.

'Actually, we weren't that bad,” says Jim Rickard, who's organising the Tauranga Old Boys Limpets reunion of sorts next weekend. 'We won the competition one year.”

Formalities for the gathering are few – just sitting around for a couple of days, like limpets, not moving far or fast, shooting the breeze, watching rugby, talking rugby, having a beer and telling lies. If not lies, then greatly embellished truths about rugby exploits.

Because in the 36 years since the Limpets disbanded, conversions in front will have become match-winning 55-yard penalties into the wind, a collapsed scrum will have become a 25 metre push over, the player who never touched down will have become a try-scoring machine, and tragic losses will have become triumphs.

Comradeship

But with social rugby comes comradeship and even after 36 years it still runs deep. 'Things won't have changed much,” says Jim. 'That's pretty much what we did back in the day – play, talk, drink and tell lies. We were just guys who loved rugby. Still do.”

Remember these guys played in an over-35s competition, so they'd already gone to seed when the Limpets were established in 1978. They carried on until 1987, through undoubtedly the most tumultuous time in New Zealand rugby...the 1981 Springbok tour which violently divided this country. 'Difficult times, certainly,” says Jim, 'But we rose above it.”

From old team photos, they've managed to contact about 60 per cent of the players who proudly wore the Limpets logo. They're keen to catch up with those who slipped through the net before next weekend. 'And of course we will remember about 10 of our members who are sadly no longer with us.

The Limpets became the Limpets while enjoying a 'cleansing ale” at a post-practice warm down at the Greerton Hotel. 'We were discussing a name when a player, who had a huge foot blister from practising in ill-fitting boots, limped into the bar.” Limp, The Limpets – of course.

Someone did some research, flicked through the Encyclopedia Britannica – this was 20-odd years before Google – and the Latin name for a small freshwater snail or limpet came up. Gastropoda Prosobranchia Latia Neritoides. It stuck, like a limpet, to its host – in this case, the old boy's president's rugby team. It became a logo.

One story goes that The Limpets were playing at the Mount when someone admitted not knowing what a limpet was. Some of the team raced off down to the rocks at The Mount to gather a specimen for a marine biology lesson.

'We figured it would also become our mascot,” says Jim. Probably ideal for a social rugby team mascot because it didn't need feeding, watering or exercising and it would travel easily on game day.

'But it died, and it stank, so we threw it away.” The limpet was gone, but the name lived on.

”It's been over 40 years since many of us played together,” says Jim. 'So we can't put this off much longer.”

While we are musing in Latin, The Limpets might like to carry this wisdom into their weekend. 'In vino veritas”, in English: 'In wine there is truth”. It might work for a rugby reunion.

If you can identify any of the Limpets in the team photo of 1982, email: Jim@builtin.co.nz or call Jim on 0274505528.