81-761: 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. Its senior representative team, nicknamed the Mooloos , competes in the Mitre 10 Cup (formerly known as the ITM Cup and Air New Zealand Cup), and won the inaugural Air New Zealand Cup in 2006 . The squad plays its home fixtures at
162-570: A British Isles team visited Australia and New Zealand—although a private venture, it laid the foundations for future British and Irish Lions tours; and the 1888–89 New Zealand Native football team brought the first overseas team to British spectators. During the early history of rugby union, a time before commercial air travel, teams from different continents rarely met. The first two notable tours both took place in 1888—the British Isles team touring New Zealand and Australia, followed by
243-497: A haka before each match, leading Welsh Rugby Union administrator Tom Williams to suggest that Wales player Teddy Morgan lead the crowd in singing the Welsh National Anthem, Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau , as a response. After Morgan began singing, the crowd joined in: the first time a national anthem was sung at the start of a sporting event. In 1905 France played England in its first international match. Rugby union
324-554: A Ranfurly Shield Challenge. They set a record for the biggest win from a challenger on the road. However, they lost the Ranfurly Shield a week later to Canterbury 20–33. They reached the quarter-finals, where they lost to Hawkes Bay 35–38 at McLean Park. 2008 saw the Mooloo men start slow with three losses and one draw. However, they defeated Auckland 34–13 at Waikato Stadium and wins over Counties Manukau, Otago and Taranaki saw
405-516: A cherry picker which looks over the entire stadium and can be seen from any angle around the ground. Every few seconds he revs his chainsaw to show his passion and love for the Waikato rugby team. This is also a ploy in which to distract opposition players. Waikato play their home games at Waikato Stadium in Hamilton, built on the site of the club's former ground, Rugby Park. Construction began on
486-528: A good note after snatching the Ranfurly Shield of Hawke's Bay (36-30), Waikato came 6th in the Premiership 2016 was better for Waikato as they finished 5th, but they opened with a 19-24 loss to Tasman, and then they retained the Shield after beating North Harbour 26-15, they retained the Shield again after beating Manawatu 19-10, they then beat Auckland at Eden Park 35-32, and then they drew with Taranaki for
567-594: A limited number of games, and Cambridge and Oxford continued their annual University Match . The first officially sanctioned international rugby sevens tournament took place in 1973 at Murrayfield, one of Scotland's biggest stadiums, as part of the Scottish Rugby Union centenary celebrations. In 1987, the first Rugby World Cup was held in Australia and New Zealand, and the inaugural winners were New Zealand. The first World Cup Sevens tournament
648-415: A lineout throw is generally awarded to the opposition at the spot on the sideline where they left the field. Exceptions include a kick out "on the full" (i.e. the ball did not land in the field-of-play before going into touch) in which case the lineout would still take place on the sideline but back in line with where the ball was kicked, or when a team takes a free kick from a penalty where they would retain
729-534: A preferred or standard 68 metre width, this is often used unless a ground has been specifically designed to accommodate a 70-metre rugby field. 100 metres is the typical length, with a line (see below) often marked at halfway with "50" on it, representing 50 metres from each goal line. The variations have been allowed in the Laws, possibly to accommodate older grounds (perhaps even pre-metrification when yards and feet were specified) and developing nations. The field of play
810-570: A proud history in Women's rugby, providing many players for the Black Ferns and Women's Provincial Championship over the years. The players that follow are notable players of women's rugby. Rugby union Rugby union football , commonly known simply as rugby union or often just rugby , is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in England in the first half of
891-470: A successful penalty kick or a drop goal each score 3 points. The values of each of these scoring methods have been changed over the years. According to World Rugby's Laws of the Game, a typical rugby ground, formally known as the "playing enclosure", is formed by two major zones: The referee (and their assistants) generally have full authority and responsibility for all players and other officials inside
SECTION 10
#1732791714944972-538: Is Chatswood Oval in Sydney, Australia, an elliptically shaped cricket ground which is the home of Gordon rugby club, that has curved dead-ball lines to maximise the available in-goal space. Where multiple sports share a field (e.g. a rugby league and a rugby union club sharing one field), lines may be overlaid on top of each other, sometimes in different colours. However, particularly for television, rugby union line markings are generally painted white. Some exceptions include
1053-408: Is considered "out-of-bounds" for the ball and the players, normally resulting in the non-infringing team receiving possession of the ball at a restart. The perimeter area can be divided into two areas: For the purposes of determining if a ball is "out-of-bounds" (i.e. has left the playing area), the perimeter area extends indefinitely away from the playing area. When a ball or player goes into touch,
1134-445: Is divided by a solid "halfway" line, drawn perpendicular to the sidelines at their midpoint. A 0.5m line is marked perpendicular to the halfway lines at its midpoint, designating the spot where the kickoffs shall be taken. The areas between each goal line and the halfway line are known as "halves" as in other football codes. A pair of solid lines are also drawn perpendicular to the sidelines, 22 metres (formerly 25 yards) from each end of
1215-885: Is followed primarily in the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, New Zealand, Australia, Pacific Islands - Fiji , Tonga , Samoa , Georgia , Oceania , Southern Africa , Argentina , and in recent times also, Italy , Japan , South America , the United States , Canada and Eastern Europe , its growth occurring during the expansion of the British Empire and through French proponents ( Rugby Europe ) in Europe. Countries that have adopted rugby union as their de facto national sport include Fiji , Georgia, Madagascar , New Zealand, Samoa , Tonga , and Wales . International matches have taken place since 1871 when
1296-440: Is the third and final row of the forward positions, who are often referred to as the loose forwards. The three positions in the back row are the two flankers and the number 8 . The two flanker positions, known as the blindside flanker and openside flanker, are the final row in the scrum. They are usually the most mobile forwards in the game. Their main role is to win possession through 'turn overs'. The number 8 packs down between
1377-1035: The Top 14 in France, the Bunnings NPC in New Zealand, the League One in Japan and the Currie Cup in South Africa. Other transnational club competitions include the United Rugby Championship of club teams from Ireland, Italy, Scotland, South Africa and Wales, European Rugby Champions Cup in Europe, and Super Rugby in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. Primitive forms of football included harpastum , played by
1458-561: The Waikato Stadium in Hamilton. The union's colours are red, yellow and black. Waikato Rugby Union was founded in 1921. The inaugural representative match played ended in a 15-all draw against Taranaki . Waikato had its first win by their third fixture when they defeated Manawatu 6–0. The first home match was played against New South Wales from Australia at the Claudelands Showground, losing 11 to 28. In 1925
1539-569: The split between rugby union and rugby league . Historically rugby union was an amateur sport, but in 1995 formal restrictions on payments to players were removed, making the game openly professional at the highest level for the first time. Rugby union spread from the Home Nations of the United Kingdom and Ireland , with other early exponents of the sport including Australia , New Zealand , South Africa and France . The sport
1620-456: The 1830s, "running in" with the ball in hand was allowed but subject to hacking and "collaring". Former Rugby School student Albert Pell is credited with having formed the first "football" team while a student at Cambridge University . Major private schools each used different rules during this early period, with former pupils from Rugby and Eton attempting to carry their preferred rules through to their universities. A significant event in
1701-484: The 1992 season. Waikato defeated Otago 40 to 5 in the final. 1993 was also very successful for Waikato; winning back the Ranfurly Shield with a 17 to 6 victory over Auckland, and making it to the semi-finals of the NPC, only to be defeated by Otago. Waikato defeated Taranaki 40 to 19 for a successful challenge for the Ranfurly Shield in 1996, and defeated Auckland 31 to 29 for the shield in 1997. That season they also made it to
SECTION 20
#17327917149441782-521: The 19th century. Rugby is based on running with the ball in hand. In its most common form, a game is played between two teams of 15 players each, using an oval-shaped ball on a rectangular field called a pitch. The field has H-shaped goalposts at both ends. Rugby union is a popular sport around the world, played by people regardless of gender, age or size. In 2023, there were more than 10 million people playing worldwide, of whom 8.4 million were registered players. World Rugby , previously called
1863-681: The 2012 ITM Cup with two wins from six matches. However, they would win their last four matches, including retaining the Ranfurly Shield for the first time since 2007 with a 46–10 win over Taranaki at Yarrows Stadium. They later defended the Ranfurly Shield in their final game of the season against Hawkes Bay 28–3. This relegated Hawkes Bay to the Championship. Waikato finished fifth. In 2013 Waikato played two Ranfurly Shield matches in Morrinsville and Ruatoria against Heartland Opposition. They defeated both Horowhenua Kapiti and East Coast before
1944-522: The 2013 ITM Cup season. Waikato started their Ranfurly Shield campaign with a 31–22 win over Northland. However, the following week they lost the shield to Otago 19–26. They had an impressive 42–24 win over Auckland at Waikato Stadium. They would also challenge for the shield once again in 2013 against Counties Manukau at Pukekohe. Waikato lost 25–37 to Counties Manukau. This was their first lost to Counties Manukau since 2000. Waikato would defeat Bay of Plenty and Taranaki to survive relegation and finish 5th like
2025-566: The Blues, and Counties-Manukau and Thames Valley coming under the Chiefs franchise. This represents the current Chiefs franchise unions. The Chiefs share a home base and main stadium with Waikato, being Hamilton and Waikato Stadium respectively. Waikato first won the Ranfurly shield in 1951, when they held it for 6 successful defences. They have a proud shield history, having defended it 57 times,
2106-594: The ITM Cup final for the first time since 2006. Canterbury eventually won 33–13. Waikato were placed in the Premiership for 2011 and won seven of their ten games including wins over Canterbury (Christchurch) Wellington (Waikato Stadium) and Auckland (Waikato Stadium). Their only blight was losing to Bay of Plenty 8–36 in Rotorua and to Manawatu 20–54 in Palmerston North. They reach the ITM Cup final, but lost to Canterbury 3–12 at Waikato Stadium. Waikato started
2187-611: The International Rugby Football Board (IRFB) and the International Rugby Board (IRB), has been the governing body for rugby union since 1886, and currently has 116 countries as full members and 18 associate members. In 1845, the first laws were written by pupils at Rugby School; other significant events in the early development of rugby include the decision by Blackheath F.C. to leave The Football Association in 1863 and, in 1895,
2268-513: The Laws: Generally, points where the dashed lines intersect other lines will be marked with a "T" or cross shape, although the extensions of dashed lines are generally not drawn within 5 metres of the goal lines or sidelines, to allow a clear demarcation of the field of play's boundaries. The Laws require the playing area to be rectangular in shape, however variations may be permitted with the approval of relevant unions. A notable example
2349-421: The Mooloo men reach the quarter-finals, where they once again lost to Hawkes Bay. Waikato began the 2009 like their previous season before defeating Counties Manukau, Hawkes Bay, Wellington, Taranaki, North Harbour, Otago and Northland to finish 6th. In 2010 Waikato had notable wins over Auckland and Canterbury to reach the semi-finals where they won a nail-biting 38–37 victory over Auckland at Eden Park to reach
2430-820: The New Zealand team touring Europe. Traditionally the most prestigious tours were the Southern Hemisphere countries of Australia, New Zealand and South Africa making a tour of a Northern Hemisphere, and the return tours made by a joint British and Irish team. Tours would last for months, due to long traveling times and the number of games undertaken; the 1888 New Zealand team began their tour in Hawkes Bay in June and did not complete their schedule until August 1889, having played 107 rugby matches. Touring international sides would play Test matches against international opponents, including national, club and county sides in
2511-476: The Romans, where two opposing teams competed to throw a large ball into an opposition net, fighting for possession of the ball. Medieval Irishmen played caid , carrying an inflated bladder and using arched trees as goals. The Welsh played an inter-parish game using a wooden ball called cnapan . Frenchmen played soule and Georgians played lelo. "Football" as a game was well established by 1803 at Rugby School and by
Waikato Rugby Union - Misplaced Pages Continue
2592-544: The Rugby Park was opened, and in 1928 Waikato adopted their now famous colours of red, yellow and black. In 1932 Waikato challenged Canterbury for the Ranfurly Shield . The challenge was unsuccessful. Waikato made another unsuccessful challenge for the shield in 1949 against Otago . In 1951 Waikato successfully challenged for the Ranfurly Shield, defeating North Auckland 6 points to 3. They defeated Auckland
2673-406: The Shield (42-11) and battled it out with Northland (28-71) In 1930 Waikato provided 14 of the 15 players of the combination team that played Great Britain at Rugby Park. The visitors won the match 40 to 16 in front of 13,000 people. In 1937 South Africa toured New Zealand. Five Waikato players were involved in the combined side which lost 6–3 in front of a record crowd of more than 17,000. Waikato
2754-651: The Shield 20-20, and then they had a repeat of 2015 against Counties Manukau when they lost a 26-35 match in Pukekohe, they lost the Shield to Canterbury 23-29, and then lost to Northland 27-48, they defeated Hawke's Bay 46-22 and beat Wellington 28-24 In 2017, Waikato began with a loss to Taranaki (34-29) but struck back with a win of Counties Manukau (33-21). They got thrashed by Northland (37-7), punished by Manawatu (10-23) and struck by Wellington (10-24), rumbled by Canterbury (37-17), edged by North Harbour (11-13) and finished by Bay of Plenty (36-32). Waikato were relegated to
2835-480: The Wallabies (Australia's national team) who often have yellow markings. Local clubs may use black, yellow, or other colours on grass, with other surfaces possibly requiring different marking techniques. Unlike association football, where on-field advertising is strictly forbidden in the laws, World Rugby allows sponsors logos to be painted on the playing surface. This is another way in which clubs can make money in
2916-431: The backs and the forwards is that the backs are expected to have superior kicking and ball-handling skills, especially the fly-half, scrum-half, and full-back. The half-backs consist of two positions, the scrum-half and the fly-half , also known in the Southern Hemisphere as half-back and first five-eighth respectively. The fly-half is crucial to a team's game plan, orchestrating the team's performance. They are usually
2997-422: The ball is kicked into touch by a player who had at least one foot on or behind their own 22-metre line, the line-out formed at the spot where the ball crossed the touch-line instead of being taken in line with the spot from where it was kicked. Additional broken or dashed lines (of 5 metre dash lengths, according to the Laws ) are drawn in each half or on each side of, the field, each with specific purposes under
3078-417: The ball. Forwards play a vital role in tackling and rucking opposing players. Players in these positions are generally bigger and stronger and take part in the scrum and line-out. The forwards are often collectively referred to as the 'pack', especially when in the scrum formation. The front row consists of three players: two props (the loosehead prop and the tighthead prop) and the hooker . The role of
3159-591: The case of Northern Hemisphere rugby, or provincial/state sides in the case of Southern Hemisphere rugby. Between 1905 and 1908, all three major Southern Hemisphere rugby countries sent their first touring teams to the Northern Hemisphere: New Zealand in 1905, followed by South Africa in 1906 and Australia in 1908. All three teams brought new styles of play, fitness levels and tactics, and were far more successful than critics had expected. The New Zealand 1905 touring team performed
3240-419: The championship 2018 saw Waikato start with a loss to Manawatu (24-19), edged by North Harbour (28-29) and stuffed by Auckland (35-17). But they came from behind to snatch a victory against Wellington (43-31), and had a victory that saw them steal the Ranfurly Shield from Taranaki (19-33), defended the Shield from Hawke's Bay (42-22), killed off Bay of Plenty (21-54), squashed Southland to stop them from stealing
3321-588: The clubs that had favoured the Rugby Rules formed the Rugby Football Union in 1871, and their code became known as " rugby football ". In 1895, there was a major schism within rugby football in England in which numerous clubs from Northern England resigned from the RFU over the issue of reimbursing players for time lost from their workplaces. The split highlighted the social and class divisions in
Waikato Rugby Union - Misplaced Pages Continue
3402-496: The early development of rugby football was the production of a written set of rules at Rugby School in 1845, followed by the Cambridge Rules that were drawn up in 1848. Formed in 1863, the national governing body The Football Association (FA) began codifying a set of universal football rules. These new rules specifically banned players from running with the ball in hand and also disallowed hacking (kicking players in
3483-486: The field are divided into eight forwards (two more than in rugby league ) and seven backs . There are typically significantly more forwards on the bench than backs with, for example, South Africa having a 7-1 split in favour of forwards in their August 2023 match against New Zealand in Twickenham. A 6-2 or 5-3 split is more common. The main responsibilities of the forward players are to gain and retain possession of
3564-401: The field of play and called the 22-metre lines, or "22"s. An area at each end, also known as the "22", is bounded by, but does not include, the sidelines, goal line and 22-metre line. In this area, a defensive player who cleanly catches a ball kicked by the other team, without the ball having already touched the ground after the kick, is entitled to claim a free kick, or " mark ". Additionally, if
3645-475: The first division title and Te Akau (Lower Waikato) and Te Awamutu Old Boys finished first equal in the second division. Then in 1967 the Hamilton, Matamata and South Waikato sub-unions joined and the first true Waikato wide draw was formed with 16 clubs in two divisions. Putaruru Athletic were the first winners of the Waikato Breweries Shield with Hamilton Old Boys runners up. Waikato has
3726-522: The first game was played between Scotland and England at Raeburn Place in Edinburgh. The Rugby World Cup , first held in 1987, is held every four years. The Six Nations Championship in Europe and The Rugby Championship in the Southern Hemisphere are other important international competitions that are held annually. National club and provincial competitions include the Premiership in England,
3807-425: The first to receive the ball from the scrum-half following a breakdown, lineout, or scrum, and need to be decisive with what actions to take and be effective at communicating with the outside backs. Many fly-halves are also their team's goal kickers. The scrum-half is the link between the forwards and the backs. They receive the ball from the lineout and remove the ball from the back of the scrum, usually passing it to
3888-537: The fly-half. They also feed the scrum and sometimes have to act as a fourth loose forward. There are four three quarter positions: two centres (inside and outside) and two wings (left and right). In the Southern Hemisphere, the inside centre is commonly referred to as the second five-eighth, while the outside centre is simply known as the centre. The centres will attempt to tackle attacking players; whilst in attack, they should employ speed and strength to breach opposition defences. The wings are generally positioned on
3969-466: The following season, also 6–3 to win back the shield. In 1966 Waikato defeated Auckland again to regain the Ranfurly Shield. In 1980 Waikato won the Ranfurly Shield for the first time since 1966, defeating Auckland 7 points to 3. In 1954 Waikato had 11 wins and one draw from 14 matches and were tabbed the champions. The draw was in a remarkable Ranfurly Shield challenge where they drew 14 all. The country had never seen anything like this before, Christchurch
4050-414: The goal lines, equivalent to American football's "end zones". The in-goal areas must be between 6 and 22 metres (6.6 and 24.1 yards) deep and cover the full width of the field. A ball grounded in this area by an attacking player will generally result in a try being awarded, unless there has been a previous infringement, or the player has gone out-of-bounds whilst in possession of the ball. The perimeter area
4131-414: The most important attributes of a good full-back are dependable catching skills and a good kicking game. Rugby union is played between two teams – the one that scores more points wins the game. Points can be scored in several ways: a try , scored by grounding the ball in the in-goal area (between the goal line and the dead-ball line), is worth 5 points and a subsequent conversion kick scores 2 points;
SECTION 50
#17327917149444212-414: The outside of the backline. Their primary function is to finish off moves and score tries. Wings are usually the fastest players in the team and are elusive runners who use their speed to avoid tackles. The full-back is normally positioned several metres behind the back line. They often field opposition kicks and are usually the last line of defence should an opponent break through the back line. Two of
4293-440: The playing area and perimeter area, although depending on how large the perimeter is, other surfaces such as dirt, artificial turf, etc. may be used outside of a "sliding" perimeter from the bounds of the playing area. For the most part, the "playing area" is where the majority of play occurs. The ball is generally considered live whilst in this area, so long as players do not infringe, with special rules applied to specific zones of
4374-442: The playing area. The playing area consists of: A typical "field of play" is generally 100 metres long by 68–70 metres wide for senior rugby, depending on the specific requirements of each ground. The Laws require the field of play to be between 94 and 100 metres (103 and 109 yards) long, with a width of between 68 and 70 metres (74 and 77 yards). As other football codes, such as association football and rugby league, have specified
4455-432: The playing enclosure. Fences or ropes (particularly at amateur clubs) are generally used to mark the extent of this area, although in modern stadia this may include the entire arena floor or other designated space. The Laws, above all, require that the playing enclosure's surface be safe, whilst also permitting grass, sand, clay, snow or conforming artificial turf to be used; the surface would generally be uniform across both
4536-719: The pre-1995 period of rugby union was marked by frequent accusations of " shamateurism ", including an investigation in Britain by a House of Commons Select committee in early 1995. Following the introduction of professionalism trans-national club competitions were started, with the Heineken Cup in the Northern Hemisphere and Super Rugby in the Southern Hemisphere. The Tri Nations , an annual international tournament involving Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, kicked off in 1996. In 2012 , this competition
4617-421: The previous season. 2014 was another dismal season for Waikato having record losses to Taranaki 17–46 (Waikato Stadium), Otago 7–38 (Forsyth Barr Stadium) and Auckland 19–60 (Eden Park). Their bright spot was beating Wellington in the capital for the first time since 2002 and winning other matches against North Harbour, Counties Manukau and Bay of Plenty to finish 6th and avoid relegation to the championship 2015
4698-415: The professional era and is also often used by host nations, professional leagues and tournaments as additional revenue streams, particularly when games are broadcast. In recent years, augmented reality technology has been used to replace painting to protect the surface or save costs on painting fields, producing a similar effect for broadcast albeit sometimes with poorer results. The in-goal areas sit behind
4779-425: The right to throw-in. The perimeter area should be clear and free of obstructions and heavy, solid objects which could pose a danger to players for at least 5 metres from the playing area, according to the Laws. Players often leave the playing area whether accidentally or due to being forced off of the field, sometimes sliding or needing to slow down from a sprint. Many venues at elite levels leave larger spaces around
4860-698: The second time, 18 to 15. Also during the 1980s, Waikato achieved a number of notable international victories, defeating Wales , Canada and Argentina in the latter years of the decade. Waikato also completed a number of international victories during the 1990s, with wins over Canada, Australia, Western Samoa , Scotland and Italy . Waikato have also attained the scalp of the British Lions in 1993 . Waikato players who have represented New Zealand : These players have played 100 or more games for Waikato: Prior to 1928, black and white and blue and black colours had been used. However, since 1928 they have worn
4941-472: The semi-finals in both the 2003 and the 2004 seasons, and were defeated by Wellington 29–30 and 16–28 respectively. Under the new Air New Zealand Cup format, Waikato became the first side to win the competition, defeating Wellington 37–31 in the final. It was the first time in fourteen years that Waikato had won the national provincial competition. In 2007 Waikato began with wins over Manawatu, Southland and Counties Manukau before defeating North Harbour 52–7 in
SECTION 60
#17327917149445022-458: The semi-finals of the NPC, but were defeated by Counties Manukau 40 to 43. In 1998 they made it to the final of the NPC, in what was a rematch of the 1992 final, against Otago. Waikato lost the match 20 to 49. They made it to the semi-finals the next season, but were defeated by Wellington 17 to 38. In 2002 Waikato made it to their first NPC final since the 1998 loss to Otago. Though they were defeated by Auckland, 28 to 40. They made it as far as
5103-486: The shield as a result 7-3. Arthur Stone intercepted an Auckland pass and scored in the left hand corner. Keith Quinn , famously said "Has he got the legs? Arthur Stone. He's just having a go…now that is a great try for nineteen year-old Arthur Stone." Waikato became the first Union to win the National Provincial Championship (NPC) when the format included semi-final and finals structure for
5184-590: The shins), both of which were legal and common tactics under the Rugby School's rules of the sport. In protest at the imposition of the new rules, the Blackheath Club left the FA followed by several other clubs that also favoured the "Rugby Rules". Although these clubs decided to ban hacking soon afterwards, the split was permanent, and the FA's codified rules became known as " association football " whilst
5265-427: The sport in England. Although the rules of the game were not a factor in the split, the breakaway teams subsequently adopted some rule changes and this became the separate code of " rugby league ". The RFU's code thereafter took on the name "rugby union" to differentiate it from rugby league, but both versions of the sport are known simply as "rugby" throughout most of the world. The first rugby football international
5346-608: The stadium in 2000; it was completed in 2001, and opened with a game between the Chiefs and Crusaders in the then Super 12. The Chiefs also play the majority of their home games at the stadium. Waikato played out of Rugby Park from 1925 to 2000. For the 1921 to 1924 seasons, Waikato played at the Claudelands Showgrounds and Steele Park. Waikato's first ever home match was played at the Claudelands Showgrounds against New South Wales, which Waikato lost 11 to 28. The Rugby Park grandstand roof collapsed in 1934, but no one
5427-432: The tallest players in the team and specialise as line-out jumpers. The main role of the lock in line-outs is to make a standing jump, often supported by the other forwards, to either collect the thrown ball or ensure the ball comes down on their side. Locks also have an important role in the scrum, binding directly behind the three front row players and providing forward drive. The back row, not to be confused with 'Backs',
5508-540: The third most defences by any union. Waikato have held the shield for the following periods: Before the formation of provincial wide club rugby, the seven sub-unions had their own individual championships, with club rugby dating back to the 1870s. 1966 saw the first major change when the Morrinsville, Lower Waikato, Cambridge and Te Awamutu sub-unions combined for a joint two-tier championship with eight teams in first division and nine teams in second division. In this year St Pat’s (Te Awamutu) and Kereone (Morrinsville) shared
5589-510: The time. Hence if the Blues were to consist of these unions, they would field an All Blacks team in all but name. This led to North Harbour and Northland being represented by the nearest other team, the Chiefs (at the time named the Waikato Chiefs), also composed of Waikato, Bay of Plenty, and King Country. In 1999 the Chiefs ("Waikato" having been dropped from the title) boundaries were redrawn, with Northland and North Harbour moving to
5670-424: The two locks at the back of the scrum. The role of the number 8 in the scrum is to control the ball after it has been heeled back from the front of the pack, and the position provides a link between the forwards and backs during attacking phases. The role of the backs is to create and convert point-scoring opportunities. They are generally smaller, faster and more agile than the forwards. Another distinction between
5751-453: The two props is to support the hooker during scrums, to provide support for the jumpers during line-outs and to provide strength and power in rucks and mauls. The third position in the front row is the hooker. The hooker is a key position in attacking and defensive play and is responsible for winning the ball in the scrum. Hookers normally throw the ball in at line-outs. The second row consists of two locks or lock forwards. Locks are usually
5832-410: The very distinctive red, yellow and black hooped jersey , with white shorts. These colours being a combination of the Hamilton (yellow and black), with Old Boys (red and black). Unlike many professional sporting teams in the modern era, Waikato have always retained the traditional design of the jersey. The main jersey/apparel sponsors are Waikato Draught, Lonestar, Gallagher and Kukri. As of 2016, apparel
5913-594: Was another dismal season for Waikato having lost to Tasman 20-35 (Waikato Stadium) then they beat Manawatu 28-21 (Central Energy Trust Arena) and another victory over Bay of Plenty 43-10 (Tauranga Domain) and then they lost to Auckland 28-50 (Waikato Stadium) and then they beat Southland 30-25 (Waikato Stadium) afterwards, they were blown away by a 0-41 loss to Taranaki (Yarrow Stadium), and then they lost to Canterbury 17-18 (AMI Stadium) and then they lost to Wellington 14-21 (Waikato Stadium) and then they lost to Counties Manukau 9-30 (Waikato Stadium) but they ended their season on
5994-456: Was being supplied by sporting firm Kukri. The Waikato supporters are known for their use of cowbells at home matches. This tradition has been carried over to home matches of the Chiefs during Super Rugby home games. The Waikato mascot is a cow called Mooloo . There is also one very special supporter who attends every home game, this man is widely known as Possum. He is situated up the top of
6075-463: Was extended to include Argentina , a country whose impressive performances in international games (especially finishing in third place in the 2007 Rugby World Cup) was deemed to merit inclusion in the competition. As a result of the expansion to four teams, the tournament was renamed The Rugby Championship. Each team starts the match with 15 players on the field and typically seven or eight substitutes but this varies at amateur level. The 15 players on
6156-704: Was held at Murrayfield in 1993. Rugby Sevens was introduced into the Commonwealth Games in 1998 and was added to the Olympic Games of 2016. Both men and women's Sevens took place at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. Rugby union was an amateur sport until the IRB declared the game "open" in August 1995 (shortly after the completion of the 1995 World Cup), removing restrictions on payments to players. However,
6237-599: Was included as an event in the Olympic Games four times during the early 20th century. No international rugby games and union-sponsored club matches were played during the First World War, but competitions continued through service teams such as the New Zealand Army team . During the Second World War no international matches were played by most countries, though Italy, Germany and Romania played
6318-690: Was injured. Waikato Stadium hosted the first ever Air New Zealand Cup final, where Waikato defeated Wellington to claim the title. When the NZRFU were initially deciding the team compositions for the Super 12 in 1995, it was decided that to have the Blues franchise encompass the North Harbour, Counties-Manukau, Northland and Auckland provincial rugby unions to be unfair. This was due to the preponderance of All Blacks (players representing New Zealand) who came from North Harbour, Counties-Manukau and Auckland at
6399-430: Was invaded by thousands of Mooloo supporters who were led by the president at the time, Horace 'Cal' Calcott. The Mooloo express captured the imagination of fans nationwide. These images were vividly remembered by many who attended. Arthur Stone , as a nineteen year old scored the only try in Waikato's Ranfurly Shield challenge against holders Auckland in 1980. In front of a crowd of 47,000, second division Waikato won
6480-652: Was played on 27 March 1871 between Scotland and England in Edinburgh . Scotland won the game by one goal and one try to one goal. By 1881 both Ireland and Wales had representative teams and in 1883 the first international competition, the Home Nations Championship had begun. 1883 is also the year of the first rugby sevens tournament, the Melrose Sevens , which is still held annually. Two important overseas tours took place in 1888:
6561-464: Was the first provincial Union to beat a touring South African team post World War II , defeating the Springboks 14 points to 10 in 1956. Waikato defeating another large rugby nation, with a 22 – 3 victory over France in 1961. During the 1970s Waikato defeated numerous international sides; including a two-point victory, 26 to 24, over Australia , a 13 to 7 win over Fiji and defeating France for
#943056