When Southland Stags’ Fletcher Morgan ran in a try during the squad’s Ranfurly Shield win over Waikato in Hamilton, it was a proud moment, though one that came with split loyalties among his local supporters.
The left winger grew up in Waihi, but has been living down south for a few years and was named in the Stags in June. This meant there were a few torn allegiances during the August 31 match – “one foot in each camp” – but they nonetheless rooted for the player they knew best.
“It was super special,” Fletcher said. “It’s essentially my home province, so I had a massive support crew there… On the TV broadcast, I don’t know how they did it, but it panned straight to my older brother who was up cheering with a crew of my family, so when I dotted down it was pretty cool. They were stoked that I could be doing them proud.”
The Stags took the shield back down south for the first time in more than a decade, and despite losing it to Canterbury a week later, the shine was not dulled.
For Fletcher, holding the shield was a pinch-me moment, having grown up remembering the excitement surrounding the trophy.
“Jokingly, at the start of the year I said I wanted to win the Ranfurly Shield, and I remember as a young fella when Southland last had it and what a buzz it was around Southland,” he said.
“Being part of it and being just a contributor in a small way, it was a pinch-me moment, and the cherry on top was for [the game] to be in Waikato.”
Involved with the Rugby Southland High Performance Group, Fletcher, 25, was part of the Heartland Championship-winning Thames Valley side last season. He played for the Highlanders Bravehearts earlier this year and trained with the All Blacks Sevens team.
He said contributing to the Stags and playing at a national level had been a long-time dream of his, and he was proud of how far he’d come.
“This year for the Stags it’s been about rewriting the script and being a different team to what Southland has been the last few years, so to get an opportunity to go and play for the shield – number one, that was huge. Then to go up and win it, it was extra special.
“To everyone down here in Southland,” he said, “it was incredible.”
Fletcher spoke to The Profile ahead of the Stags’ NPC home game against Counties Manukau on Sunday, but said the squad’s goal was to keep progressing and focus on one match at a time.
“Southland hasn’t won four games in a season in quite a long time, and we’ve won three [this season], so if we can focus on the game in front of us and pick up a victory then we’re already rewriting the script on what we’ve done before.”
And though the NPC fixtures have kept him busy on-field, Fletcher thanked his hometown supporters who managed to cheer for maroon and gold – even if they bled red, yellow, and black.
“I certainly feel it and hear all the messages,” he said, “and when I get nervous going out to a game or anything like that, I just think of all the support that I’ve got behind me, and I just want to do everyone proud.
“It makes it a lot easier knowing that I have the people in my corner that I do.”
BY KELLEY TANTAU
