HAMILTON EAST UNDER-13 RUGBY HALTED THREE TIMES IN ONE HALF — PLANE, COW, JANDAL
A Stuff investigation can reveal the match resumed, then stopped, then resumed, then stopped again.
A Saturday morning under-13 rugby fixture at a Hamilton East ground was halted three times in the second half last weekend. Once for a plane. Once for a cow. Once for a jandal.
Multiple sources who spoke to The Daily Yarn on condition of anonymity confirmed the match was already running 22 minutes behind when the plane went over at what one sideline dad called "fucken treetop, mate, I could see the bloke's sunnies". The ref, a young bloke in borrowed boots, blew the whistle and stared at the sky for 90 seconds.
"He's a tosser," said one parent, who asked not to be named because his kid was still on the field. "It's a Cessna. It's Hamilton. A Cessna goes over every eight minutes. Blow the fucken whistle and play on."
"It's a Cessna. It's Hamilton. A Cessna goes over every eight minutes."
Play resumed for four minutes before a cow wandered onto the eastern touchline from a paddock that, a second source said, "hasn't had a fence worth a shit since 2019". The cow was described as "brown and pissed off". It was escorted off by a coach and a bloke called Macca who was walking past with a pie.
What we know: The jandal appeared in the 58th minute. Left foot. Havaianas. Nobody on either team would claim it. The ref stopped play, picked it up, stared at it for a long time, then placed it on the halfway line where it stayed for the rest of the match.
What we don't know: Whose jandal it was. Where the cow went. Whether the plane was the same Cessna that goes over Dinsdale every Saturday at 10:47am, which sideline parents insist is "the same bloke, he's doing laps, what's he looking for".
A Waikato Rugby spokesperson said the ref had "acted appropriately" and that livestock interruptions remained "within the normal range" for grounds next to lifestyle blocks. Asked about the jandal, the spokesperson said: "I'm not going to comment on the jandal."
The match finished 17-12. The jandal is still there. Stuff has approached the cow for comment.
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Reader Letters
Trev_Hornby
Typical Dinsdale drama. Too soft!
MumOf3
Honestly, if the ref's gonna stop the game for every little thing, we'll be there all day. Next, it’ll be the wind. Let the kids play!
ropeable_dave
Mate, a cow on the field beats any game highlight. Where's the farming skills at?
couchgremlin
Bloody hilarious. Only in NZ would a cow and a jandal stop a game. Brilliant!
Garry (Halswell)
Back in my day, we played through anything: rain, hail, or shine. A cow would’ve been a sideline feature, not a reason to stop!
plane_spotter_waikato
It’s not even the same Cessna, you can tell by the sound of the engine. People just love a conspiracy.
FarmerJoe26
Mate, have you been to Dinsdale lately? Probably lost more Cows than we have jandals lately!
SportySue
Props to the ref for handling all that nonsense. The kids need to play cleanly, but maybe leave the jandal retrieval to halftime.
ConcernedParent
What's more disgusting is the state of the field. Livestock next door? It’s a rugby game, not a petting zoo.
Kiwilaughs
Lol.