The Hanan Shield is one of the most prestigious trophies in New Zealand's domestic rugby union competition. First played for in 1946 after being presented by the Mayor of Timaru, A.E.S. Hanan. The Hanan Shield is based on a challenge system played between North Otago, South Canterbury and Mid Canterbury. The holding union must defend the shield in challenge matches, and if a challenger defeats them, they become the new holder of the shield. A rules change at the end of the 2011 season meant that the shield is up for challenge in any meeting between the holders and one of the other two teams. [1]
The Hanan Shield is held by Mid Canterbury, who beat South Canterbury 34–27 on 21 September 2013. [2] One month later Mid Canterbury defended the shield on 26 October by defeating North Otago 26–20 in the 2013 Meads Cup final. [3] Nearly one year later, Mid Canterbury were able to defend it for a second time in a row after defeating North Otago 28–7. [4] Mid Canterbury has held it ever since.
Union | Played | Won | Loss |
---|---|---|---|
South Canterbury | 128 | 87 | 41 |
Mid Canterbury | 109 | 47 | 62 |
North Otago | 83 | 26 | 57 |
On 6 October 2007, Mid Canterbury won the Shield from North Otago with a 25–22 victory. In a fiercely contested clash in front of a record crowd at Oamaru's Centennial Park, Mid Canterbury played themselves into a Shield winning position. Mid Canterbury made the decisive break thanks to two stunning solo tries to young winger Brenton Connell, then hung on in the final 20 minutes despite losing star midfielder Jack Umaga to a broken jaw. This ended North Otago's Hanan Shield reign of 14 defences over seven years. [5]
On 9 August Mid Canterbury made their first Hanan Shield defence of 2008 when they ran onto the Ashburton Showgrounds to play South Canterbury. It was the first Hanan Shield match contested under the new experimental law variations (ELVs), and it was South Canterbury who put on the early pressure with prop Timaru Tafa crossing in the 6th minute. Mid Canterbury's 19-year-old wing Brenton Connell sliced through a midfield gap on his own 10-metre line, broke a tackle and sprinted away down the left-hand flank to score in the corner. In the 29th minute, loose forward Jon Dampney showed his strength in shrugging off a tackler to score in the corner. Connell made it two for the afternoon when Dampney took a quick throw, which saw the ball spread to the opposite sideline into the hands of Connell who crossed the line and scored. South Canterbury started the second half strong, and scored two tries in the first 10 minutes, to loose forward Eric Smith and Tafa got his second. Mid Canterbury were trailing 19–18 but were not about to give up. A try to second five-eighth Richard Fridd pulled them back into the game, while two more tries were scored by first five-eighth Dan Maw and Dampney who scored his second. Mid Canterbury 37 (Brenton Connell 2, Jon Dampney 2, Richard Fridd, Dan Maw tries; Dan Maw pen, two con) South Canterbury 19 (Timaru Tafa 2, Eric Smith tries; Luke Reihana two con), HT: 18–5.
North Otago defeated Mid Canterbury 24–18 on 24 September 2011. [6]
Mid Canterbury claimed the Hanan Shield from North Otago with a 7–3 win on 8 September 2012. [7]
8 September 2012 14:30 (NZST) |
Mid Canterbury | 7–3 | North Otago |
Try: Salave Misi Con: Andrew Letham (1/1) | Report | Pen: Tai Aholelei (1) |
Ashburton Showgrounds, Ashburton |
On 13 October 2012 South Canterbury claimed the shield by defeating Mid Canterbury 17–15 at Fraser Park in Timaru. South Canterbury outscored their opponents by three tries to two.
13 October 2012 14:30 (NZST) |
South Canterbury | 17–15 | Mid Canterbury |
Try: Timaru Tafa Trevathan Liam Edwards Con: Liam Edwards (1/3) | Report | Try: Tukulua Tolu (2) Con: Solomona Paraki (1/2) Pen: Solomona Paraki (1) |
Fraser Park, Timaru |
South Canterbury retained the shield by defeating Mid Canterbury 48–20 in the 2012 Lochore Cup semi-final on 21 October. [8]
21 October 2012 14:30 (NZST) |
South Canterbury | 48–20 | Mid Canterbury |
Try: Stephen Burt Sam Vea Kali Latu Tenare Saumani Liam Edwards Afala Tailega Con: Liam Edwards (5/6) Pen: Liam Edwards (1) | Report | Try: Ben Kitching Nick McKain Jon Dampney Con: Solomona Paraki (1/3) Pen: Solomona Paraki (1) |
Fraser Park, Timaru |
Mid Canterbury won the Shield with a win 34-27 against South Canterbury on 21 September 2013. [2]
21 September 2013 14:30 (NZST) |
Mid Canterbury | 34–27 | South Canterbury |
Try: Will McGoon Esera Lauina Richard Catherwood Con: Murray Williams (2/3) Pen: Murray Williams (5) | Report | Try: Tenari Saumani George Folau Liam Edwards Con: Liam Edwards (0/3) Pen: Liam Edwards (4) |
Ashburton Showgrounds, Ashburton |
Mid Canterbury defended the shield by defeating North Otago 26–20 in the 2013 Meads Cup final on 26 October. [3] Also, this was Mid Canterbury's first time winning the Meads Cup.
26 October 2013 14:30 (NZST) |
Mid Canterbury | 26–20 | North Otago |
Try: Dwayne Burrows Jon Dampney Con: Murray Williams (2/2) Pen: Murray Williams (4) | Report | Try: J'ndre Liebenberg Alex Brown Con: Ed Keohane (2/2) Pen: Ed Keohane (2) |
Ashburton Showgrounds, Ashburton |
Mid Canterbury was to next defend the shield against North Otago on 4 October 2014 in Ashburton. [9] They won the match 28–7. [10] [4]
4 October 2014 14:30 (NZST) |
Mid Canterbury | 28–7 | North Otago |
Try: Richard Catherwood Tevita Ula Logan Bonnington Con: Murray Williams (2/3) Pen: Murray Williams (3) | Report | Try: Siosiua Ngalo Con: Ben Palmer (1/1) |
Ashburton Showgrounds, Ashburton |
Mid Canterbury next defended the shield against South Canterbury in Timaru on 11 October 2014, only one week after their match against North Otago. [9] They won 24–7. [11]
11 October 2014 14:30 (NZST) |
South Canterbury | 7–24 | Mid Canterbury |
Try: Paula Fifita Con: Paula Fifita (1/1) | Report | Try: Jon Dampney Brenton Connell Tevita Ula Jackson Donlan Con: Murray Williams (2/4) |
Fraser Park, Timaru |
Mid Canterbury next defended the Hanan Shield in the 2015 Heartland Championship on 22 August 2015.
22 August 2015 14:30 (NZST) |
Mid Canterbury | 34–17 | South Canterbury |
Try: Murray Williams Ashton Tuck Mavae Tomasi Ashton Tuck Ewan Scott Con: Murray Williams (3/5) | Report | Try: Kieran Coll Matthew Kottier Con: Jason Merrett (2/2) |
Ashburton Showgrounds, Ashburton |
In the last match of the regular season, Mid Canterbury successfully defended the Shield against North Otago in Oamaru. [12]
10 October 2015 14:30 (NZST) |
North Otago | 36–39 | Mid Canterbury |
Try: Lemi Masoe Sam Sturgess Sali Halaeva Aleki Morris Cameron Keenan Con: Ben Palmer (4/5) Pen: Ben Palmer | Report | Try: Matt Thatcher (2) Tama Tuirirangi Seta Koroitamana Ashton Tuck Con: Andrew Letham (4/5) Pen: Andrew Letham (2) |
Centennial Park, Oamaru |
In the first match of the 2016 Heartland Championship season, Mid Canterbury attempted to defend the Shield for a sixth consecutive time. [13] Mid Canterbury successfully defended the shield in a high-scoring affair. [14]
27 August 2016 14:30 (NZST) |
Mid Canterbury | 40–32 | North Otago |
Try: Jarred Percival (2) Jon Dampney Brendon Rigden Timoci Nabakeke Mike Lynch Con: Jarred Percival (2/6) | Report | Try: Shay Tucker Josh Casey Joe Pickett Simon Lilicama Con: Carey (2/4) |
Ashburton Showgrounds, Ashburton |
On 15 October 2016 South Canterbury, on their home ground, won the Shield from Mid Canterbury.
South Canterbury defended the Shield on four occasions throughout 2017 and 2018.
On 24 August 2019, in an away fixture, North Otago ended the Shield reign of South Canterbury. North Otago defended it against Mid Canterbury.
On 12 September 2020, South Canterbury won the Shield back from North Otago. South Canterbury retained the Shield through to the end of the 2021 season.
The Ranfurly Shield, colloquially known as the Log o' Wood, is a trophy in New Zealand's domestic rugby union competition. First played for in 1904, the Shield is based on a challenge system. The holding union must defend the shield in challenge matches, which are usually played at the shield holders home venue, and if the challenger is successful in their challenge they will become the new holder of the Shield. There is a tradition for the first challenges of a new rugby season to be played against smaller associations from the Heartland Championship
The North Otago Rugby Football Union (NORFU) is a New Zealand rugby union province based in Oamaru and compete in the Heartland Championship. They are one of the strongest teams in The Heartland Championship, winning the Meads Cup section of the competition in its second year, 2007 as well as 2010. Their home ground is Whitestone Contracting Stadium, formerly Centennial Park.
The National Provincial Championship, often simply called the NPC, was an annual promotion and relegation rugby union competition in men's domestic New Zealand rugby. First played during the 1976 season, it was the highest level of competition in New Zealand until Super Rugby launched in 1996. It was organised by New Zealand Rugby (NZR) and ceased following the 2005 season.
The Heartland Championship competition, known for sponsorship reasons as the Bunnings Warehouse Heartland Championship, is a domestic rugby union competition in New Zealand. It was founded in 2006 as one of two successor competitions to the country's former domestic competition, the National Provincial Championship (NPC). The country's 27 provincial teams were split into two separate competitions. Thirteen of the original teams, plus one merged side created from two other teams, entered the new top-level professional competition, the Air New Zealand Cup. The remaining 12 sides entered the new Heartland Championship, whose teams contest two distinct trophies, both named after famous New Zealand players:
The Whanganui Rugby Football Union (WRFU) is the governing body for rugby union in the Whanganui region of New Zealand. The Whanganui Rugby Football Union was formed in 1888.
The South Canterbury Rugby Football Union (SCRFU) is a rugby province based in the central South Island city of Timaru, New Zealand. The South Canterbury team play at Fraser Park located in Timaru.
The Mid Canterbury Rugby Football Union (MCRFU) is a rugby province in the South Island of New Zealand.
The Buller Rugby Union (BRU) is a rugby union province based in the town of Westport, New Zealand. The Buller provincial boundary also includes other notable towns such as Reefton, Karamea, Granity, Charleston, Punakaiki and Murchison.
The Thames Valley Rugby Football Union (TVRFU) is the governing body of rugby union in the region of Thames Valley in the North Island of New Zealand. Their senior representative team compete in the Heartland Championship. Thames Valley Rugby Football Union was founded in 1921 when it broke away from the now defunct South Auckland Rugby Union. The Thames Rugby Union, a sub-union that had remained affiliated with the Auckland Rugby Football Union, eventually joined the Thames Valley Union in 1951.
The Heartland XV is one of several New Zealand representative rugby union teams, although it is at a lower level than the All Blacks and the Māori All Blacks. The side is drawn exclusively from players for provincial unions that compete in the Heartland Championship, a nominally amateur domestic competition below the fully professional Mitre 10 Cup.
The 2007 Heartland Championship was the primary provincial rugby union championship in New Zealand played between August 18 and October 18, 2007. As in the inaugural competition, the 2006 Heartland Championship, 12 teams were involved.
The North Otago Rugby Football Union were the third-place team in the 2008 Heartland Championship after winning the Meads Cup in 2007.
The 2009 Heartland Championship is the 4th provincial rugby union competition in New Zealand since the 2006 reconstruction, involving the 12 amateur rugby unions. The round-robin ran from 29 August to 17 October with 30 games in round one and 18 games in round two for a total of 48 games being played through the round-robin, after which the teams went into the playoffs. In the playoffs, the top four teams from each pool in round two went on to semifinals, and then a grand final for each pool was played on 31 October.
The 2010 Heartland Championship was the fifth edition of the New Zealand provincial rugby union competition, since the 2006 reconstruction. The teams represented the 12 amateur rugby unions.
The 2012 Heartland Championship is the 7th provincial rugby union competition, since the 2006 reconstruction, involving the 12 amateur rugby unions in New Zealand. The 2012 season will follow the style of 2011. The tournaments' round robin stage will see the 12 teams play 8 games. 1st to 4th on the ladder at the end of the 8 weeks will play off for the Meads Cup, while 5th to 8th will play off for the Lochore Cup.
The 2014 Heartland Championship was the ninth edition of the Heartland Championship, a rugby union competition involving the twelve amateur rugby unions in New Zealand. The tournament involved a round-robin stage in which the twelve teams played eight games each and then the top four advanced to the Meads Cup semifinals, while fifth to eighth advanced to the Lochore Cup semifinals. In both of these knockout stages the top seeds played at home against the lowest seeds, the second highest seeds played at home against the third highest seeds and the final had the higher seed play at home against the lower seed.
The 2013 Heartland Championship, the eighth edition of the Heartland Championship since the 2006 reconstruction, was a rugby union competition involving the twelve amateur rugby unions in New Zealand. The tournament involved a round-robin stage in which the twelve teams played eight games each and then the top four advanced to the Meads Cup semifinals, while fifth to eighth advanced to the Lochore Cup semifinals. In both of these knockout stages the top seeds played at home against the lowest seeds, the second highest seeds played at home against the third highest seeds and the final had the higher seed play at home against the lower seed.
The 2015 Heartland Championship, the tenth edition of the Heartland Championship since the 2006 reconstruction of the National Provincial Championship, was a rugby union competition involving the twelve semi-professional rugby unions in New Zealand. The tournament involved a round-robin stage in which the twelve teams played eight games each and then the top four advanced to the Meads Cup semifinals, while fifth to eighth advanced to the Lochore Cup semifinals. In both of these knockout stages the top seeds played at home against the lowest seeds, the second highest seeds played at home against the third highest seeds and the final had the higher seed playing at home against the lower seed.
The 2016 Heartland Championship, known as the 2016 Mitre 10 Heartland Championship for sponsorship reasons, was the eleventh edition of the Heartland Championship, a rugby union competition involving the twelve amateur rugby unions in New Zealand. The tournament included a round-robin stage in which the twelve teams played eight games each and then the top four advanced to the Meads Cup semifinals, while fifth to eighth advanced to the Lochore Cup semifinals. In both of these knockout stages the top seeds played at home against the lowest seeds, the second highest seeds played at home against the third highest seeds and the final had the higher seed play at home against the lower seed.
The 2019 Heartland Championship, known as the 2019 Mitre 10 Heartland Championship for sponsorship reasons, was the 14th edition of the Heartland Championship, a rugby union competition involving the twelve amateur rugby unions in New Zealand. The tournament began with a round-robin stage in which the twelve teams played eight games each, from which the top four advanced to the Meads Cup semifinals, while fifth to eighth advanced to the Lochore Cup semifinals. In both of these knockout stages the top seeds played at home against the lowest seeds, the second highest seeds played at home against the third highest seeds and the final featured the higher seed playing at home against the lower seed.