2008 Air New Zealand Cup

Last updated

2008 Air New Zealand Cup
CountriesFlag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand
Date31 July – 25 October
Champions Canterbury
Runners-up Wellington
Matches played77
Attendance530,226
(average 6,886 per match)
Top point scorer Blair Stewart (105)
Top try scorer Hosea Gear (14)
←  2007
2009  →

The 2008 National Provincial Championship was the third season of the National Provincial Championship (known as the Air New Zealand Cup for sponsorship reasons), a provincial rugby union competition involving 14 teams from New Zealand, since it was reorganised in 2006. Matches started on 31 July 2008, and continued until the final on 25 October 2008.

Contents

This season was the third of the expanded competition, which succeeded the First Division of the National Provincial Championship. It started with a 10-week round robin in which each team played against all but three of the others in the competition. This was followed by a knockout playoff involving eight teams, made up of quarterfinals, semifinals and the final.

On 11 August 2008, the New Zealand Rugby Union initially announced that Tasman and Northland would both be relegated from the Air New Zealand Cup after the completion of the 2008 season. Both teams failed to meet criteria which included financial stability, population, player training and development, playing history, and administration. This decision was reversed towards the end of the 2008 season, with Tasman and Northland remaining in the competition for two more years. [1]

Canterbury won their sixth national provincial title by defeating Wellington 7–6 at Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington. It was the third consecutive season that Wellington have finished runners-up.

Standings

Qualified for the quarterfinals

The top eight teams in pool play advanced to the quarterfinals.

TeamPldWDLPFPAPDBP1BP2Pts
1 Wellington 10901353161+1928044
2 Canterbury 10901270101+1695142
3 Hawke's Bay 10703265183+825134
4 Bay of Plenty 10604185152+332328
5 Southland 10604225249−243125
6 Waikato 10415258235+235225
7 Tasman 10415188200−122323
8 Taranaki 10415201209−83223
9 Northland 10406212227−153322
10 Otago 10415207231−242222
11 Auckland 10505149193−442022
12 North Harbour 10307225285−613419
13 Counties Manukau 10217140317−1771213
14 Manawatu 10118149283−134219

Table notes

NB:

  1. The winner of the last match between the two provinces if played this season then,
  2. Highest points differential then,
  3. Most tries scored then,
  4. A coin toss.

Results

Round 1

HomeScoreAwayMatch information
DateVenueAttendance
Northland 18–10 Waikato 31 July 2008 Homeworld Stadium, Whangārei 3,000
Tasman (1 BP)7–8 Bay of Plenty 31 July 2008 Lansdowne Park, Blenheim 2,500
Wellington (1 BP)30–6 Hawke's Bay 1 August 2008 Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington 7,148
Taranaki 20–13 North Harbour (1 BP)1 August 2008 Yarrow Stadium, New Plymouth 6,300
Canterbury (1 BP)24–25 Manawatu 2 August 2008 Lancaster Park, Christchurch 7,500
Southland (1 BP)23–25 Otago 2 August 2008 Rugby Park Stadium, Invercargill 7,500
Counties-Manukau 17–6 Auckland 3 August 2008 Growers Stadium, Pukekohe 6,500

Round 2

HomeScoreAwayMatch information
DateVenueAttendance
North Harbour (1 BP)27–30 Wellington (1 BP)7 August 2008 North Harbour Stadium, Albany 3,500
Manawatu 5–18 Southland 8 August 2008 FMG Stadium, Palmerston North 7,000
Waikato (1 BP)14–16 Tasman 8 August 2008 Waikato Stadium, Hamilton 7,100
Otago (1 BP)13–20 Canterbury 9 August 2008 Carisbrook, Dunedin 5,000
Bay of Plenty (1 BP)45–3 Counties-Manukau 9 August 2008 International Stadium, Rotorua 6,300
Hawke's Bay (1 BP)43–31 Northland 9 August 2008 McLean Park, Napier 4,000
Auckland (RS) 22–6 Taranaki 10 August 2008 Eden Park, Auckland 9,500

Round 3

HomeScoreAwayMatch information
DateVenueAttendance
Manawatu (1 BP)38–38 Waikato (1 BP)14 August 2008 FMG Stadium, Palmerston North 4,000
Otago 23–18 Northland (1 BP)15 August 2008 Carisbrook, Dunedin 3,500
Wellington (1 BP)64–7 Counties-Manukau 15 August 2008 Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington 6,260
Bay of Plenty (1 BP)38–31 North Harbour (2 BP)16 August 2008 Baypark Stadium, Tauranga 9,200
Hawke's Bay (1 BP)16–20 Southland 16 August 2008 McLean Park, Napier 5,600
Canterbury (1 BP)34–3 Auckland 16 August 2008 Lancaster Park, Christchurch 9,000
Tasman 33–23 Taranaki 17 August 2008 Trafalgar Park, Nelson 5,600

Round 4

HomeScoreAwayMatch information
DateVenueAttendance
Counties-Manukau 8–22 Otago 21 August 2008 Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland 1,000
Northland (1 BP)10–15 Bay of Plenty 22 August 2008 Homeworld Stadium, Whangārei 14,200
Southland 7–26 Wellington (1 BP)22 August 2008 Rugby Park Stadium, Invercargill 7,500
Auckland (RS) 25–3 Manawatu 23 August 2008 Eden Park, Auckland 7,500
Tasman 6–41 Hawke's Bay (1 BP)23 August 2008 Lansdowne Park, Blenheim 3,500
Taranaki 0–14 Canterbury 23 August 2008 Yarrow Stadium, New Plymouth 6,400
North Harbour 15–10 Waikato (1 BP)24 August 2008 North Harbour Stadium, Albany 3,800

Round 5

HomeScoreAwayMatch information
DateVenueAttendance
Southland (1 BP)31–8 Counties-Manukau 28 August 2008 Rugby Park Stadium, Invercargill 7,000
Taranaki (1 BP)39–21 Northland 29 August 2008 Yarrow Stadium, New Plymouth 4,000
Otago 10–19 Hawke's Bay 29 August 2008 Carisbrook, Dunedin 4,500
Wellington (1 BP)48–12 Bay of Plenty 30 August 2008 Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington 15,242
Manawatu (1 BP)17–20 North Harbour 30 August 2008 FMG Stadium, Palmerston North 7,000
Waikato (1 BP)34–13 Auckland 30 August 2008 Waikato Stadium, Hamilton 9,500
Canterbury (1 BP)44–15 Tasman 31 August 2008 Lancaster Park, Christchurch 8,000

Round 6

HomeScoreAwayMatch information
DateVenueAttendance
Hawke's Bay 18–14 Taranaki (1 BP)4 September 2008 McLean Park, Napier 6,300
Bay of Plenty (1 BP)31–20 Otago 5 September 2008 Baypark Stadium, Tauranga 13,500
Manawatu 13–36 Wellington (1 BP)5 September 2008 FMG Stadium, Palmerston North 8,000
Auckland (RS) 13–9 Southland 6 September 2008 Eden Park, Auckland 7,500
Northland 10–31 Tasman (1BP)6 September 2008 Homeworld Stadium, Whangārei 6,000
North Harbour 9–36 Canterbury (1BP)6 September 2008 North Harbour Stadium, Albany 3,900
Waikato 20–15 Counties-Manukau (1 BP)7 September 2008 Waikato Stadium, Hamilton 12,000

Round 7

HomeScoreAwayMatch information
DateVenueAttendance
Taranaki 14–3 Manawatu 11 September 2008 Yarrow Stadium, New Plymouth 4,800
Bay of Plenty (1 BP)20–25 Auckland 12 September 2008 International Stadium, Rotorua 8,000
Northland (1 BP)3–5 Canterbury 12 September 2008 Homeworld Stadium, Whangārei 4,200
Tasman 21–21 Otago 13 September 2008 Trafalgar Park, Nelson 6,700
Southland (1BP)43–7 North Harbour 13 September 2008 Rugby Park Stadium, Invercargill 6,482
Wellington (1BP)45–33 Waikato (1 BP)13 September 2008 Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington 13,122
Counties-Manukau 14–45 Hawke's Bay (1 BP)14 September 2008 Growers Stadium, Pukekohe 4,850

Round 8

HomeScoreAwayMatch information
DateVenueAttendance
Canterbury (1 BP)37–20 Bay of Plenty 18 September 2008 Lancaster Park, Christchurch 9,500
Tasman (1 BP)3–6 Southland 19 September 2008 Lansdowne Park, Blenheim 4,500
Otago (2BP)27–31 Taranaki (1BP)19 September 2008 Carisbrook, Dunedin 2,000
Counties-Manukau (1BP)27–14 Manawatu 20 September 2008 Growers Stadium, Pukekohe 3,700
Hawke's Bay (1BP)24–15 Waikato 20 September 2008 McLean Park, Napier 7,800
Auckland (RS) 0–27 Wellington (1BP)20 September 2008 Eden Park, Auckland 16,000
North Harbour (1BP)24–35 Northland (1BP)21 September 2008 North Harbour Stadium, Albany 2,500

Round 9

HomeScoreAwayMatch information
DateVenueAttendance
Bay of Plenty 24–22 Southland (1BP)25 September 2008 Baypark Stadium, Tauranga 8,100
Waikato (1 BP)39–10 Otago 26 September 2008 Waikato Stadium, Hamilton 8,500
Taranaki 13–13 Counties-Manukau 26 September 2008 Yarrow Stadium, New Plymouth 6,500
North Harbour (1BP)22–29 Auckland (1BP)27 September 2008 North Harbour Stadium, Albany 5,700
Wellington (RS) 26–20 Tasman (1BP)27 September 2008 Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington 14,143
Canterbury (1BP)31–7 Hawke's Bay 27 September 2008 Lancaster Park, Christchurch 10,065
Northland (1 BP)45–24 Manawatu (1 BP)28 September 2008 Homeworld Stadium, Whangārei 4,200

Round 10

HomeScoreAwayMatch information
DateVenueAttendance
Waikato (1BP)45–41 Taranaki (2BP)2 October 2008 Waikato Stadium, Hamilton 8,500
Southland 6–25 Canterbury 3 October 2008 Rugby Park Stadium, Invercargill 9,000
Hawke's Bay (1BP)46–12 Bay of Plenty 3 October 2008 McLean Park, Napier 7,327
Manawatu 7–36 Tasman (1BP)4 October 2008 FMG Stadium, Palmerston North 5,000
Counties-Manukau (1BP)28–57 North Harbour (1 BP)4 October 2008 (1BP) Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland 800
Otago (1BP)36–21 Wellington 4 October 2008 Carisbrook, Dunedin 3,500
Auckland 13–21 Northland 5 October 2008 Eden Park, Auckland 6,540

Knockout stage

 
Quarter-finalsSemi-finalsFinal
 
          
 
10 October – Christchurch
 
 
 Canterbury 48
 
18 October – Christchurch
 
 Tasman 10
 
 Canterbury 31
 
12 October – Napier
 
 Hawke's Bay 21
 
 Hawke's Bay 31
 
25 October – Wellington
 
 Waikato 28
 
 Canterbury 7
 
11 October – Wellington
 
 Wellington 6
 
 Wellington 50
 
17 October – Wellington
 
 Taranaki 30
 
 Wellington 28
 
11 October – Tauranga
 
 Southland 19
 
 Bay of Plenty 11
 
 
 Southland 45
 

Quarterfinals

HomeScoreAwayMatch information
DateVenueAttendance
Canterbury 48–10 Tasman 10 October 2008 Lancaster Park, Christchurch 7,500
Wellington 50–30 Taranaki 11 October 2008 Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington 13,164
Bay of Plenty 11–45 Southland 11 October 2008 Baypark Stadium, Tauranga 6,800
Hawke's Bay 31–28 Waikato 12 October 2008 McLean Park, Napier 10,866

Semifinals

HomeScoreAwayMatch information
DateVenueAttendance
Wellington 28–19 Southland 17 October 2008 Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington 11,517
Canterbury 31–21 Hawke's Bay 18 October 2008 Lancaster Park, Christchurch 7,000

Final

HomeScoreAwayMatch information
DateVenueAttendance
Wellington 6–7 Canterbury 25 October 2008 Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington 21,237

Statistics

Points scorers

PosPlayerTeamPts
1Blair Stewart Southland 105
2 Matt Berquist Hawke's Bay 97
3 Mike Delany Bay of Plenty 93
4 Willie Ripia Taranaki 93
5 Jimmy Gopperth North Harbour 90

Try scorers

PosPlayerTeamTries
1 Hosea Gear Wellington 14
2 Zac Guildford Hawke's Bay 8
3=James Paterson Canterbury 7
3= Lote Raikabula Manawatu 7
3=Karne Hesketh Otago 7
3=Paul Perez Taranaki 7

See also

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References

  1. ↑ Johnstone, Duncan (27 September 2008). "Northland and Tasman saved from axe". stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 6 February 2009.
  2. ↑ "Competitions review: new competitions information summary" (PDF). New Zealand Rugby Union. 2 June 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 May 2011. Retrieved 6 February 2009.
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