Current season, competition or edition: 2024 Heartland Championship | |
Formerly | National Provincial Championship (1976–2005) |
---|---|
Sport | Rugby union |
Founded | October 1975 |
First season | 1976 |
CEO | Mark Robinson |
No. of teams | 12 |
Country | New Zealand |
Headquarters | Wellington, New Zealand |
Most recent champion(s) | Thames Valley (2024) |
Most titles | Hawke's Bay Taranaki (7 titles) |
TV partner(s) | Sky Sport |
Sponsor(s) | Bunnings |
Related competitions | Farah Palmer Cup National Provincial Championship |
Official website | provincial.rugby |
The Heartland Championship is an annual round-robin rugby union competition in men's domestic New Zealand rugby. First played in 1976, it is the third highest level of competition in New Zealand alongside the Ranfurly Shield. It is organised by New Zealand Rugby (NZR) and since 2021, it has been known as the Bunnings Heartland Championship after Bunnings, its naming rights sponsor. A concurrent women's tournament is also held, the Farah Palmer Cup.
Following the 2005 season the league was restructured into a two-tier competition. The Heartland Championship would include semi-professional and amateur players, and consist of the bottom twelve populated and performing regional teams. For sponsorship reasons it was rebranded as the AA Rewards Heartland Championship. The remaining teams would continue to exist in the newly reformed professional competition known as the National Provincial Championship. [1]
Twenty-nine teams have competed since the inception of the competitions second division in 1976. Hawke's Bay and Taranaki are historically the most successful unions with seven titles each and Whanganui is the most successful team during the modern-era, having won six from eleven finals. Sixteen other teams have won titles from both periods: South Canterbury (6), Southland (5), Mid Canterbury (4), North Otago (3), Bay of Plenty (2), Marlborough (2), Nelson Bays (2), Northland (2), Thames Valley (2), Waikato (2), Wairarapa Bush (2), Central Vikings (1), Counties Manukau (1) East Coast (1), King Country (1) and North Harbour (1).
The Heartland Championship is held annually, and starts in August. Rugby teams from 12 provincial unions compete.
Points are earned during the competition based on the following schedule:
Prior to the 2011 Competition, the tournament was conducted in three rounds. [2] This was similar to the structure of the 2006 Air New Zealand Cup, but that competition collapsed its first two phases into one effective in 2007. At the start of Round One, the 12 teams would split into seeded pools of six teams each, Pool A and Pool B. Seedings were also based on positions in the previous year's competition. During Round One, each team would play the other teams in its pool once. All teams would have either two or three home fixtures, with the three highest seeds in each pool at the start of the season receiving the extra home fixture.
All teams would advance to Round Two. The top three teams in each pool advance to the Meads Cup, while the bottom three teams enter the Lochore Cup.
Round two saw each team in both the Meads and Lochore Cups playing the three teams that it did not play during Round One. The three teams with the most competition points in Round One would play two home fixtures and one away, while the other three teams would play one home fixture and two away.
All competition points from Round One carried over to Round Two, and the competition points earned in both rounds determined the teams that advanced to the semifinals of each Cup in Round Three. The top four teams in the Meads and Lochore Cup competitions at the end of Round Two advanced to the semifinals.
This round sees the 12 teams playing 8 games each. 1st to 4th on the ladder at the end of the 8 weeks will play off for the Meads Cup, while 5th to 8th play off for the Lochore Cup.
The Meads and Lochore Cup winners are both determined in four-team single-elimination tournaments. The semifinal matchups are seeded 1-4 and 2-3, with the higher seed receiving home field advantage. The highest surviving seed hosts each Cup final.
The Heartland Championship is contested by the following teams: [2]
Team | Union | Established | Location | Venue |
---|---|---|---|---|
Buller | Buller Rugby Union | 1894 | Westport | Victoria Square |
East Coast | Ngāti Porou East Coast Rugby Union | 1922 | Ruatoria | Whakarua Park |
Horowhenua Kapiti | Horowhenua Kapiti Rugby Football Union | 1893 | Levin | Levin Domain |
King Country | King Country Rugby Union | 1922 | Te Kuiti | Owen Delany Park, Taupō |
Mid Canterbury | Mid Canterbury Rugby Union | 1904 | Ashburton | Ashburton Showgrounds |
North Otago | North Otago Rugby Football Union | 1927 | Oamaru | Whitestone Contracting Stadium |
Poverty Bay | Poverty Bay Rugby Football Union | 1890 | Gisborne | More FM Rugby Park |
South Canterbury | South Canterbury Rugby Football Union | 1888 | Timaru | Alpine Energy Stadium |
Thames Valley | Thames Valley Rugby Union | 1922 | Paeroa | Boyd Park |
Wairarapa Bush | Wairarapa Bush Rugby Football Union | 1971 | Masterton | Trust House Memorial Park |
West Coast | West Coast Rugby Union | 1890 | Greymouth | John Sturgeon Park |
Whanganui | Whanganui Rugby Football Union | 1888 | Whanganui | Cooks Gardens |
Prior to 2006, East Coast, North Otago, Poverty Bay and Whanganui competed in Division Two of the NPC, alongside Counties-Manukau, Hawke's Bay, Manawatu, Nelson Bays and Marlborough (all promoted to the Air New Zealand Cup, Nelson Bays and Marlborough merging to form Tasman). The remaining teams competed in Division Three of the NPC.
No Heartland Championship was held in 2020 due to COVID-19.
Team | Titles | Years | Runners-up |
---|---|---|---|
Whanganui | 6 | 2008, 2009, 2011, 2015, 2016, 2017 | 5 |
South Canterbury | 3 | 2021, 2022, 2023 | 2 |
North Otago | 3 | 2007, 2010, 2019 | 1 |
Mid Canterbury | 2 | 2013, 2014 | 2 |
Thames Valley | 2 | 2018, 2024 | 1 |
East Coast | 1 | 2012 | 1 |
Wairarapa Bush | 1 | 2006 | 1 |
Buller | — | — | 2 |
Horowhenua-Kapiti | — | — | 1 |
Team | Titles | Years | Runners-up |
---|---|---|---|
Poverty Bay | 4 | 2006, 2007, 2008, 2011 | 1 |
North Otago | 2 | 2009, 2016 | 3 |
South Canterbury | 2 | 2013, 2019 | 3 |
Whanganui | 2 | 2014, 2021 | - |
King Country | 2 | 2015, 2024 | 2 |
Buller | 1 | 2012 | 2 |
West Coast | 1 | 2023 | 3 |
Mid Canterbury | 1 | 2017 | 1 |
Horowhenua-Kapiti | 1 | 2018 | 1 |
East Coast | 1 | 2022 | — |
Wairarapa Bush | 1 | 2010 | 1 |
In 2021, a new challenge trophy for the Heartland Championship teams was announced, named after 16-test All Black Bill Osborne. It would follow similar rules to the Ranfurly Shield.
The Osborne Taonga was designed and created by Otaki-based Kaiwhakaairo (carver) and artist Jason Hina (Ngā Rauru Kiitahi, Te Atihaunui ā Pāpārangi, Ngāti Apa, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Kauwhata and Ngāti Raukawa) and fellow carver Bill Doyle, who created the Tū Kotahi Aotearoa trophy. [4]
Since 2022, the Heartland Championship Player of the Year award has been awarded a medal named after former All Blacks captain Ian Kirkpatrick. [4]
Winners of the Medal are:
Each year, a New Zealand Heartland XV is selected to recognise the top performing players in the Championship. The team selected plays various fixtures and in some years goes on an overseas tour.
The 2006 Heartland Championship was the inaugural season of the Heartland Championship, an amateur rugby union competition in New Zealand, following the reorganisation of the Second and Third Divisions of the country's former rugby competition, the National Provincial Championship. The competition featured 12 teams, divided into two pools of six.
The Mid Canterbury Rugby Football Union (MCRFU) is a rugby province in the South Island of New Zealand.
The 2007 Heartland Championship was the second season of the Heartland Championship, the primary provincial rugby union championship in New Zealand played between 18 August and 18 October 2007. As in the inaugural competition, the 2006 Heartland Championship, 12 teams were involved.
The Meads Cup is a rugby union trophy named after King Country and All Blacks player Colin Meads. It is contested during the Heartland Championship. It was first awarded in 2006, when the Heartland Championship format was introduced.
The 2008 Heartland Championship was the third season of the Heartland Championship, a provincial rugby union competition involving 12 teams from New Zealand split into two pools. Matches started on Saturday 23 August 2008 and ended with the final on 25 October.
The 2009 Heartland Championship was the fourth Heartland Championship, a provincial rugby union competition in New Zealand involving the country's 12 amateur rugby unions, since it was reorganised in 2006. 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 was the seventh season of the Heartland Championship, New Zealand's provincial rugby union competition, since its reorganisation in 2006, involving the 12 amateur rugby unions in New Zealand. The format was the same as in 2011. The tournament's round robin stage saw the 12 teams play 8 games. The top four teams in the table at the end of the 8 weeks played off for the Meads Cup, while the next four contested the Lochore Cup.
The Lochore Cup is a New Zealand rugby union trophy named after famed Wairarapa Bush and All Blacks player and coach Brian Lochore. It is contested during the Heartland Championship. It was first awarded in 2006, when the Heartland Championship format was introduced.
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.
The 2017 Heartland Championship, was the twelfth 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.
The 2018 Heartland Championship, was the thirteenth edition of the Heartland Championship, a rugby union competition involving the twelve amateur provincial unions in New Zealand.
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.
The 2022 Heartland Championship, was the 16th edition of the Heartland Championship, a rugby union competition involving the twelve amateur provincial unions in New Zealand.
The 2023 Heartland Championship, was the 17th edition of the Heartland Championship, a rugby union competition involving the twelve amateur provincial unions in New Zealand.
The 2024 Heartland Championship, was the 18th edition of the Heartland Championship, a rugby union competition involving the twelve amateur provincial unions in New Zealand.