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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.
At present, all 12 teams play 8 games over 8 weeks before the finals. Once finished, the teams placed 5–8 advance to the Lochore Cup finals. The top 4 teams play for the Meads Cup. Previously, a pool system was used between 2006 and 2010 to determine who played for the Cups. In 2021, due to a delay in the start of the competition caused by COVID-19, the semifinal round for both Cups was scrapped, and the Lochore Cup was instead contested between the teams that finished third and fourth respectively in the regular season.
The Lochore Cup winner is determined in four-team single-elimination tournament. The semifinal matchups are seeded 1–4 and 2–3, with the higher seed receiving home field advantage. The highest remaining seed hosts the Lochore Cup final.
| Year | Winner | Score | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 [1] | Poverty Bay | 46–34 | King Country |
| 2007 [2] | Poverty Bay | 38–35 | South Canterbury |
| 2008 | Poverty Bay | 26–5 | Horowhenua-Kapiti |
| 2009 | North Otago | 21–13 | West Coast |
| 2010 [3] | Wairarapa Bush | 15–9 | Buller [4] |
| 2011 [5] | Poverty Bay | 49–22 | South Canterbury [6] |
| 2012 [7] | Buller [8] [9] | 31–28 | South Canterbury |
| 2013 | South Canterbury [10] | 17–10 | Buller |
| 2014 | Wanganui [11] [12] | 14–12 | North Otago |
| 2015 [13] | King Country | 47–34 | North Otago |
| 2016 [14] | North Otago [15] [16] | 44–22 | King Country |
| 2017 [17] | Mid Canterbury [18] | 47–15 | West Coast [19] |
| 2018 [20] | Horowhenua-Kapiti [21] | 26–23 | Wairarapa Bush [22] |
| 2019 [23] | South Canterbury [24] [25] | 23–19 | West Coast |
| 2021 [26] | Wanganui [27] | 22–16 | North Otago |
| 2022 [28] | East Coast [29] [30] [31] | 25–20 | Mid Canterbury |
| 2023 [32] | West Coast | 23–20 | Poverty Bay |
In 2020 no competition was held due to COVID-19.
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