The Bread Capital of Manaia is in line to host the first Ranfurly Shield defence in the town’s history on the afternoon of Saturday July 19.
The town is scheduled to host the Yarrows Taranaki Bulls second defence of the current tenure against Meads Cup champions Thames Valley.
The match follows on from the sold-out Yarrows Centenary Match between the Amber & Blacks and Wellington in July 2023. The fixture marked 100 years of Yarrows the Bakers, the iconic and long-standing Principal Partner of Taranaki Rugby.
Yarrows the Bakers were founded by Alfred and Grace Yarrow in 1923 and have been an integral part of the Manaia community ever since.
Owned and operated by John, Rosaleen and Philip Yarrow, Yarrows the Bakers produce quality frozen goods for wholesale and food service customers across New Zealand, Australia and much of Asia. Their headquarters have remained in Manaia with bakery operations expanding to Auckland, Rotorua and Tirau.
As they did in 2023, the Yarrows Taranaki Bulls will again don a commemorative blue and black home jersey, inspired by the Waimate Buffaloes, Manaia’s home club that amalgamated with the Hāwera and Athletic clubs to form Southern in 1994. The jerseys will also feature the years of the province’s eight Ranfurly Shield tenures on the right sleeve.
Before Manaia, the Yarrows Taranaki Bulls will need to get past King Country at Yarrow Stadium on Wednesday June 11 in their first Ranfurly Shield defence of the current tenure.
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