2021 Heartland Championship

Last updated

2021 Heartland Championship
Date21 September 2021 (2021-09-21)–14 November 2021 (2021-11-14)
Countries Flag of New Zealand.svg New Zealand
Final positions
Champions South Canterbury (Meads Cup)
Whanganui (Lochore Cup)
Runner-up Thames Valley (Meads Cup)
North Otago (Lochore Cup)
Tournament statistics
Matches played51
2019
2022

The 2021 Heartland Championship, was the 15th edition of the Heartland Championship, a rugby union competition involving the twelve amateur provincial unions in New Zealand. There was no Heartland Championship held in 2020 due to the COVID-19 restrictions.

Contents

The tournament included a round-robin regular season in which the twelve teams played eight games each. In past seasons the top eight teams from the regular season would then advance to the semifinals:

However, in the 2021 Heartland season there were no semifinals played and the top two teams played a final for the Meads Cup while the 3rd and 4th ranked teams played for the Lochore Cup. [1]

2021 was the first year that the Osborne Taonga, a new trophy named after 16-test All Black Bill Osborne, was played for. It was awarded to the winner of a play off between the 5th and 6th ranked teams from the regular season. In the following seasons it will then be challenged for by Heartland teams, following similar rules to the Ranfurly Shield.

Teams

The 2018 Heartland Championship was contested by the following teams:

TeamSuper Rugby partnerHometown
Buller Crusaders Westport
East Coast Hurricanes Ruatoria
Horowhenua-Kapiti Hurricanes Levin
King Country Chiefs Taupō and Te Kūiti
Mid Canterbury Crusaders Ashburton
North Otago Highlanders Oamaru
Poverty Bay Hurricanes Gisborne
South Canterbury Crusaders Timaru
Thames Valley Chiefs Paeroa
Wairarapa Bush Hurricanes Masterton
Wanganui Hurricanes Wanganui
West Coast Crusaders Greymouth

Regular season standings

In the regular season, South Canterbury topped the standings with the maximum 40 points after winning all eight games. [2] [3]

Pos.TeamPldWDLPFPAPDTBLBPts
1 South Canterbury 8800365124+2418040
2 Thames Valley 8701291148+1435033
3 Whanganui 8602286149+1375130
4 North Otago 8503220198+224125
5 Poverty Bay 8404263223+405324
6 Mid Canterbury 8503226209+174024
7 Horowhenua-Kapiti 8503214197+173124
8 East Coast 8305242258166220
9 West Coast 8305181219382216
10 Wairarapa Bush 82061392541151110
11 Buller 8008126320194202
12 King Country 8008113367254101
Meads Cup qualification
Lochore Cup qualification

All Black captain Sam Cane played for King Country. [4]

East Coast had the services of former All Blacks Rico Gear, Hosea Gear and Ma'a Nonu. [5]

Finals

Meads Cup

In the Meads Cup final South Canterbury, the top ranked team from the regular season played at their home ground against the second placed team, Thames Valley. South Canterbury won the fixture by 35 points to 16.

The 2021 Heartland season was:

Lochore Cup

In the Lochore Cup Whanganui, the third placed team from the regular season, played at their home ground against the fourth ranked North Otago.

Whanganui prevailed in the final by 22 points to 16.

Bill Osborne Taonga

The 5th ranked team from the regular season, Poverty Bay, was the inaugural winner of this trophy after beating the 6th placed Mid Canterbury by 33 points to 26. Poverty Bay therefore earned the right to defend the trophy in the 2022 season.

See also

References

  1. "Finalists locked in for Bunnings Heartland Championship". Provincial Rugby. November 6, 2021.
  2. "2021 Heartland Championship Draw - RUGBY HEARTLAND". rugbyheartland.co.nz. January 29, 2021.
  3. "2021 Heartland Championship". www.globalrugbyresults.com.
  4. "Bunnings Heartland Championship: Mainfreight Rugby (EP 4, 2021)". Provincial Rugby. October 15, 2021.
  5. "Top Gear: How ex-All Black reignited provincial rugby battlers". NZ Herald. May 26, 2022.