If been to a Hurricanes match in recent years, chances are you’ve probably seen Jeremy Shannon.
In fact, it would be harder than not to miss him given his lengths he goes to showcase his passion for the Hurricanes at matches in Wellington and across the country.
Jeremy wears his heart on his sleeve when it comes to backing the club, decking himself out in Hurricanes merch and black-and-yellow apparel from head to toe each match day.
From replica jerseys to headwear, sunglasses to custom-made Hurricanes pants, face paint to face masks, and everything in between, Jeremy stands out more than most with his eye-catching displays of support.
“Well, I guess I do that because any team I'm going to support, I like to show my colour,” Jeremy said.
“I like to show who I'm supporting. I follow the team, and I believe showing the support for the team, I like to wear the colour, and I like to yell for the team.
“Whether it sounded good or not, doesn't matter, but that's what I love.”
Jeremy’s love for the Hurricanes began from the club’s inaugural Super Rugby season in 1996.
A Southlander who originally hailed from Bluff, Jeremy’s affinity with the club stemmed from a distant family relative who became one of the greatest Hurricanes players of all-time.
“I had family connections with Christian Cullen. He's part of the family,” Jeremy said.
“My uncle married his grandmother. My dad used to ring up and say, even when we were in Bluff, 'Keep an eye on this guy’. This was about 1993 or 1994. He said, ‘Just keep an eye on him, he goes well’.
“Ever since then, just I just kept an eye on Christian. He was at Kapiti College and then New Zealand Schools, so that sort of brought a connection.
“My uncle, he'd been from Bluff as well, but straight away, he became a Hurricanes man. He [Cullen] brought us on. We were very close, the family, and he's playing for them, so of course you're going to follow them.”
Based in Australia when Super Rugby came to life in 1996, Jeremy became a Hurricanes member as soon as he returned to New Zealand in 2008, and has travelled to attend matches nationwide.
“I travel around, not every game away, but normally I try to get to the Blues game in Auckland, the Christchurch game, Otago. I do a few away games,” he said.
“I haven't gone to Fiji because it's all about the budget. It's all good to have the stream of going all the time, but it costs money to shoot up to Auckland and down to Dunedin, but I do.”
Of all the Hurricanes matches Jeremy has watched and attended, the first-ever Super Rugby match against the Blues in 1996 stands out, as does the 2006 Fog Final against the Crusaders in Christchurch.
Like many other Hurricanes fans, the club’s 2016 final victory over the Lions is a natural favourite, although it remains uniquely memorable for Jeremy.
“Unfortunately, I'd just shot off to my brother's wedding in Budapest, so I wasn’t there for the bloody final, but I listened to it on the radio while heading to Venice,” he said.
“Those are the things that stick out. It’s memorable because I wasn’t there. I was gutted, don't worry about that, but I mean, it's my brother’s wedding.”
It also shouldn’t come as a surprise about who Jeremy’s favourite Hurricane of all-time is.
“I normally go for forwards, but to be honest with you, Cully, watching him carve it up from behind the goal sticks, he would have to be my standout,” he said.
“I suppose it's just that my love for rugby in general. The Hurricanes style is a great style because you don't know what you're going to get. It’s entertaining to watch.”
A proud 2026 Hurricanes member, Jeremy is already looking forward to next season, and is particularly excited by Super Round in Christchurch across Anzac weekend.
“Whether we win, lose or doesn't matter, I'm loud and proud,” he said.
“I'm happy to be proud of it and support them. As I said, sometimes you've just got to make it work. I've already got my ticket for Super Round. I wasn't going to miss that.
“You get people come up and say, ‘The Hurricanes aren't playing today’. No, but they’re my team. That's who I'm down there to watch.”
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