Ranfurly Shield heading to Inglewood

TARANAKI WILL host its first 2012 Ranfurly Shield challenge against King Country in Inglewood.

The match will be played at the 2500-seat TET Stadium on July 17, the Taranaki Rugby Union announced.

The decision to play the game away from New Plymouth’s Yarrow Stadium was recognition for the support the Taranaki Electricity Trust had given the union and the important role Inglewood had played in the history of the sport in the province, says TRU chief executive Mark Robinson.

“We also have a great deal of faith in the Inglewood Rugby Club and wider community to help us deliver a fantastic event,” he told the Taranaki Daily News.

The last time Taranaki took a challenge outside New Plymouth they lost the Shield to Wellington at Victoria Park in Stratford in 1914.

However, there is little chance of that happening this time around, as King Country is an amateur outfit who finished second to last in last year’s Heartland Championship.

A date for Taranaki's second challenge, a compulsory fixture against Wanganui, is expected in the next week.