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Opinion
With more All Blacks swatting up on their Japanese, now seems to be an opportune time to look at the structure of New Zealand rugby and start to understand how it creates depth, in case some were wondering
Big FYI: I got the information from the NZ Rugby website in case anyone else were wondering and I bring an outsider’s POV (Point Of View) to boot (saw what I did there!). I’ve steered away from international level. Also: Apologies for all the acronyms I’ll use.
This is just an overview of how the game is played; I’ll take a more subjective view next post.
First: a look at the provincial level.
There are 26 provincial rugby unions in NZ. The national competitions are as follows (count them!):
1. National Provincial Competition (NPC): there are two divisions of seven teams each: the Premiership, where the lowest ranked team is relegated to the Championship, the second division where the winner is promoted. This format was copied by Fiji 100 years ago or so.
(Photo by Kai Schwoerer/Getty Images)
2. Heartland Championship: The Heartland is made up of 12 teams based in towns and rural areas. Teams ranked 1-4 at the end of the round robin competition play for the Meads Cup while the teams ranked from 5-6 play for the Lochore Cup; the cups are named after Sir Colin Meads and Sir Brian Lochore.
3. Farah Palmer Cup (Women): two division. Premiership with seven teams where the lowest ranked team is relegated to the Championship with its six teams, where the winner is promoted.
4. Ranfurly Shield (Men): Whoever holds the Ranfurly Shield must accept challenges from NPC and Heartland teams at each home game while they are shield holders; this means the Shield can jump competitions from NPC to Heartland. Whoever finishes the season with the Shield keeps it over summer.
5. JJ Stewart Trophy (Women): This challenge trophy, much like the Ranfurly Shield, must be defended by the current trophy holders in each home match during the regular Farah Palmer Cup season. There are only three South Island teams in the Cup.
6. Under 85KG National Club Cup: The Under 85kg Club Cup is a knockout competition for men’s weight-restricted rugby; NZ’s top under-85kg teams (32 of them last season) compete in a knock-out competition format, culminating in national quarter, semis and finals.
7. Super Rugby Next Gen: the Super Rugby Next Gen Under 20s Tournament is a talent ID opportunity for the NZ Under 20 program. This is used to develop players, team management and referees.
8. Super Rugby Pacific: Blues (Auckland), Chiefs (Waikato), Hurricanes (Wellington), Crusaders (Canterbury) and Highlanders (Otago) plus referees. The teams compete for the Tū Kōtahi Aotearoa trophy.
The five franchise sides are part-owned by New Zealand Rugby and were originally set up to be run by boards representing the provincial unions that make up each Super Rugby catchment.
ADD 1: SR Licensee responsibilities extend to management of the team, on and off-field, including development; marketing promotion; licensee retains most of the gate and some sponsorship income and pay administration, additional coaching and management staff, training facilities, match operations, and marketing costs.
ADD 2: NZ Rugby owns the brands associated with each team; funds player and coach contracts from centralised broadcasting and sponsorship revenue; and pay all travel and accommodation costs from the regular season (excluding playoffs).
9. Super Rugby Aupiki (women): Four teams – Blues, Chiefs Manawa, Hurricanes, and South Island team Matatū (Christchurch).
For the inaugural season in 2022, the competition consists of four rounds, including a Super Round in Hamilton, and a final between the two top-placed teams at the end of March.
This competition is due to merge with Australia’s Super W competition; we MAY see a TT player draft instigated for such a competition.
10. School Rugby: The Moascar Cup is the oldest trophy in NZ First XV rugby. The Cup dates back to the end of World War 1, when British, New Zealand and Australian soldiers camped at Moascar in Ismaila, Egypt, and formed the Ismaila Rugby Union as they waited for ships to take them home.
They organised a cup, which they mounted on a piece of wooden propeller from a German aircraft. The New Zealand Mounted Rifles Unit and Depot won the competition, losing just one of 10 matches. The Cup was brought home and given to the New Zealand Rugby Union to be used as a challenge trophy for secondary schools.
National Secondary Schools First XV championship: There are two titles up for grabs – the NZ Barbarians National 1st XV Championship (Barbarians Cup) and NZ National Girls’ 1st XV Championship (Hine Pounamu Trophy).
Regional Cup competitions and carnivals: There are competitions throughout the year across the country. Carnival events are less competitive and less structured; Cup events are competitive/structured tournaments and are available to grades other than senior/open, including junior events and Championship events are for senior school athletes with a more competitive, formal structure.
11. Sevens: Not sure where this stands (excluding World Sevens circuit). I understood there was a national school competition and a club/provincial competition.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.