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The Lion Foundation Cup is the women's equivalent to the Air New Zealand Cup. It is a provincial championship contested between women's rugby union teams.
In 1990 the JJ Stewart Trophy (women's rugby's equivalent of the Ranfurly Shield) was started up for women's provincial teams. The NZRFU then formed a sub-committee to look after New Zealand's future at international level, a year after an unofficial New Zealand XV had played and beaten the California Grizzlies. The first women's national team attended the inaugural Women's Rugby World Cup in 1991 in Wales. The squad had to paid their own way to get to the tournament and attended without the blessing of the NZRFU but they went on to beat Canada and Wales to reach the semi-finals where they lost the United States 7-0 who were the eventual champions. It was another 10 years before the New Zealand women tasted defeat for a second time. That squad was selected off the back of an ever-strengthening Women's National Provincial Championship, which has grown to a 20-team competition after starting with 14 sides in 1999. The NPC and second-tier regional competitions have lifted the standard of women's rugby throughout the country. Not only is the women's NPC helping to battle harden the country's best players, it has also played a critical role in the development of the game among girls. The competition's growth is being mirrored by a rise in the number of girls taking up the game at school level.
The National Provincial Championship, often simply called the NPC, is an annual round-robin rugby union competition in men's domestic New Zealand rugby. First played during the 2006 season, it is the second 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 NPC after its headline sponsor. A concurrent women's tournament is also held, the Farah Palmer Cup.
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
Andrew Philip Mehrtens is a New Zealand former rugby union player. He was regarded as a top first five-eighth, having played first for Canterbury in 1993, before being selected for the All Blacks in 1995 when he played in the 1995 World Cup.
New Zealand Rugby (NZR) is the governing body of rugby union in New Zealand. It was founded in 1892 as the New Zealand Rugby Football Union (NZRFU), 12 years after the first provincial unions in New Zealand. In 1949 it became an affiliate to the International Rugby Football Board, now known as World Rugby, the governing body of rugby union for the world. It dropped the word "Football" from its name in 2006. The brand name New Zealand Rugby was adopted in 2013. Officially, it is an incorporated society with the name New Zealand Rugby Union Incorporated.
Junior Malili "Mils" Muliaina is a former professional rugby union player who most recently played for San Francisco Rush in the US PRO Rugby competition. He played primarily as a fullback, though he has also played as a centre and on the wing.
The New Zealand women's rugby union team, called the Black Ferns, represents New Zealand in women's international rugby union, which is regarded as the country's national sport. The team has won six out of nine Women's Rugby World Cup tournaments.
Rugby union in Australia has a history of organised competition dating back to the late 1860s. Although traditionally most popular in Australia's rugby football strongholds of New South Wales, Queensland and the ACT, it is played throughout the nation.
Rugby union has been played in New Zealand since 1870 and is the most popular sport in the country as well as being its national sport.
The Waikato Rugby Union (WRU) is the official governing body of rugby union in the Waikato area in the North Island of New Zealand. Headquartered in Hamilton, WRU was founded in 1921.
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.
Women's rugby union is a full contact team sport based on running with the ball in hand. The same laws are used in men's rugby union with the same sized pitch and same equipment. Rugby was originally a men's sport, and women's rugby has become popular only more recently. These days, women's rugby is gaining a higher profile thanks to international tournaments' exposure and financial investment.
Rugby union in New Zealand is structured into four tiers. The top tier is composed of the national representative teams, with the men's team – known as the All Blacks – and the women's team - known as the Black Ferns, at the top, followed by other representative sides such as the Junior All Blacks and Māori All Blacks. These national sides are administered by the New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU). Below this level is Super Rugby, where there are five New Zealand sides, each representing a different region of the country. Below this level is provincial rugby, the third tier – each province has a representative side that plays in either the semi-professional Bunnings Warehouse NPC, or amateur Heartland Championship. These provincial sides are selected of Super Rugby players, and club players from within the province. Club rugby is the fourth and lowest tier, and consists of clubs competing in local leagues organised by a provincial union.
Rugby union has a long history in New Zealand. Today, New Zealand holds tier one status with World Rugby.
Portia Woodman-Wickliffe is a New Zealand rugby union player. She plays fifteen-a-side and seven-a-side rugby union, and is a member of the New Zealand women's national rugby sevens team and New Zealand women's national rugby union team. Woodman was a member of the New Zealand Women's Sevens team when they won a gold medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
Naulia Dawai is a Fijian rugby union player. He primarily plays as a flanker. Dawai currently plays for the Seattle Seawolves of Major League Rugby (MLR).
Atunaisa Moli is a New Zealand rugby union player who currently plays as a Prop for the Force in Super Rugby and Tasman in the Bunnings NPC. He has represented the New Zealand national rugby union team the All Blacks.
Quinten J. Strange is a New Zealand rugby union player who currently plays as a lock for Tasman in the Bunnings NPC and the Crusaders in the Super Rugby competition.
Taranaki are a New Zealand professional rugby union team based in New Plymouth, New Zealand. The union was originally established in 1889, with the National Provincial Championship established in 1976. They now play in the reformed National Provincial Championship competition. They play their home games at TET Stadium & Events Centre in Inglewood and Yarrow Stadium in the Taranaki region. The team is affiliated with the Chiefs Super Rugby franchise. Their home playing colours are amber and black.
Ollie Sapsford is a New Zealand rugby union player, who currently plays as a midfield back or wing for Hawke's Bay in New Zealand's domestic National Provincial Championship competition and for the Brumbies in Super Rugby.
