There would be few Southland Rugby fans as ecstatic about yesterday’s Stags Ranfurly Shield win over Waikato as former Southland Rugby Union president and long-time member 99-year-old Owen Todd.

Owen was on the Southland Rugby Union Board during the 1980s and team manager on August 18, 1976, the day of Southland’s nail-biting Ranfurly Shield draw with Auckland 9-all in Auckland.

His mini shield presented that day still takes pride of place in his room at the Arvida at The Country Club rest home in Queenstown.

So excited about yesterday’s win in Hamilton, Owen had his son, Neville, send a congratulatory email to the Stags coaches and players today telling them how thrilled he was with their 25-10 win over the Shield holders.

“He asked me to tell the coaches that the fitness of the team was what got them over the line,” Neville says.

Owen was a NZ U18 Rugby selector in his day and coached age group rugby, many of his old proteges still calling in to visit him at the rest home which he loves.

“He had a deep involvement in Southland Rugby in management, governance and coaching and managed a lot of Southland teams,” Neville says.

Still ecstatic today, Owen was watching the replay of the game when his sons rang him this morning.

“It was absolutely great, but you’ve got to give a lot of credit to the coaches for the fitness of those Southland players. That amazed me,” he says.

“The Stags aren’t big guys like they are up north, and they can last the whole 80 minutes without replacements,” Owen says, proudly.

“Too right. It was a great game.” He’s just hoping they can nail it against Canterbury next week now too. “That’ll be a tough game.”

Owen recalls the 1976 draw vividly: “I thought we had it, but you know, one-eyed referees,” he grins.

“Auckland kicked three penalties against us, but we scored a converted try and penalty.”

The oldest life member of Southland’s Blues Rugby Club, Owen’s been a life member of the club for close to 50 years and was instrumental in organising Southland’s annual Rugby Life Member Club get togethers, attending his most recent one a few years ago in Bluff.

He was also star of the show at the Blues' 150th anniversary last year.

Fittingly, an elated Owen watched the second half of the game with late Southland Rugby legend Ray Harper’s widow, Natalie Harper, whose rest home room is two doors along.

Neville says Ray was a “huge stalwart of Southland Rugby”, on the union for many years, and president.

“Natalie’s partially sighted but she came along and watched the second half with me,” Owen says.

“Thank goodness for Sky TV,” Neville grins.

Owen will no doubt also be poring through every newspaper account of the game, an avid cover to cover newspaper reader.

Sue Fea is a senior journalist with more than 40-years experience covering police, social and general news in the southern regions.