This year marks a century of Auckland's premier rugby competition, which was named after a legend of the game and soldier.
Original All Blacks captain Dave Gallaher died while serving in World War One.
On its 125th anniversary, one of the city's oldest clubs, with strong links to the Anzac spirit, is as determined as ever to lift the Gallaher Shield.
In the shadow of war, rugby can seem meaningless, nonsensical and incomprehensible, but it's also been a source of comfort during such testing times, one that has driven clubs like College Rifles for so long.
"It gave them something to bond and somewhere to be, not just for the soldiers, but their families as well," said club president Peter Kempson.
That's exactly what Rifles was built on.
They haven't won since 1964, but 'footy' isn't all that binds their members - war does too. Rifles had 330 players serve in World War One - 54 lost their lives, including Gallaher.
"He was just a legend, not only of the game, but also New Zealand," said Auckland Rugby chief executive Jarrod Beer.
"He put his body on the line on both fronts - in the game of rugby, but for New Zealand as well - and served us. I think we can just remember him as a champion and a leader of our country."
And while Gallaher was a proud Ponsonby man - the club that has won the shield named after him the most - Rifles remain proud of what he's done for the game.
"We want that Gallaher Shield as much as anyone else," added Kempson. "One hundred years of the Gallaher Shield, 125 years of College Rifles... no better setting."
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