What are your thoughts on Counties Manukau taking their daytime home matches back to Pukekohe in 2008?

Question

What are your thoughts on Counties Manukau taking their daytime home matches back to Pukekohe in 2008?

Answer 1

I grew up in pukekohe and lived next door to the stadium. My best mate had a tree hut in his back yard which used to get the best view of pukekohe stadium. Growing up in puke I went to every single home game in the late nighties.  Pukekohe has a strong rugby history and heritage, and it is great that Counties are going back home to Puke. It is in the best interests of the NZRFU that young kids growing up have a team they can support and be able to go to the grounds with there mates and watch there favourite players. The future of NZ rugby is not TV rights and lucrative sponsorship deals. The future of NZ rugby is about the communities out there supporting their local players and the young kids having dreams to one day play for there local clubs/province and seeking higher honours. Which Pukekohe have been doing generation after generation.

Answer 2

I agree wholeheartedly with Murphy - they should never have left the stadium.

Thanks to Mayor Mark Ball and the council for their efforts in helping to get counties back. Not often a council gets a boquet!!

AND it should only be COUNTIES - drop the Manukau.

Maybe when teams like Howick, Manukau, Pakuranga to name but a few join the Counties Union perhaps then we could consider calling it Counties-Manukau

Answer 3

People from Counties don't want the manukau tag.

Counties has history & pride.

Answer 4

Should never have left, they got a reasonable crowd today for their first home game....a good win over Tasman too.

Answer 5

Its great to see interest in counties rugby again! I am in full agreement with all the opinions so far.  Will always be a counties man in the deep south!  GO COUNTIES!!!

Answer 6

They should have never moved from Puke in the first place.