47-528: The National Provincial Championship may refer to: National Provincial Championship (1976–2005) , original competition before reform into 14 sides National Provincial Championship (2006–present) (currently known as the Bunnings NPC ), new 14 team competition previously known as the Air New Zealand Cup, ITM Cup and Mitre 10 Cup that replaced
94-534: A breakaway amateur competition known as the Heartland Championship . Twenty-eight teams had competed since the inception of the competition in 1976. Auckland were the most successful union with fifteen titles and Bay of Plenty were the inaugural champions. Six other teams had won the title: Canterbury (5), Wellington (4), Otago (2), Counties Manukau (1), Manawatu (1), and Waikato (1). The first form of competition came in 1904 with
141-466: A challenge system, rather than a league or knockout competition as with most football trophies. The holding union must defend the Shield in challenge matches, and a successful challenger becomes the new holder of the Shield. The Shield holder at the end of each season is required to accept at least seven challenges for the following year. All home games during league play, but not during knockout playoffs, in
188-589: A committee from the Board of New Zealand Rugby. New Zealand Rugby's management and staff reports to an executive team headed by the Chief Executive Officer. This team includes various managers for all aspects of New Zealand Rugby ranging from community and provincial rugby to the All Blacks teams. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO), working with the Board, is responsible for the establishment of
235-533: A record sixty-one Ranfurly Shield defenses, five South Pacific Championship titles, and recognition as the Halberg Awards Team of the Year in 1992. Canterbury emerged as the only team to consistently challenge Auckland's supremacy, with several matches becoming historic. The 1985 clash, where Auckland ended Canterbury's record-equaling streak of twenty-five matches, was famously dubbed the "Match of
282-847: Is charged with setting strategy, direction and policy for the New Zealand Rugby Union, and is ultimately responsible for the decisions and actions of NZRU management and staff. Many of the decisions concerning New Zealand's national teams, domestic competitions, financial management and rugby traditions are made by the Board. As of September 2018, the Board has nine members: six elected members (including one Maori representative) and three independent members. Any provincial union in New Zealand may nominate candidates for vacant elective positions. Nominations are passed to an Appointments and Remuneration Committee (ARC) which recommends two candidates per vacancy, to be voted on by delegates at
329-527: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages National Provincial Championship (1976%E2%80%932005) 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
376-669: 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
423-769: The North Island and four teams in the South Island . The NPC, which comes after Super Rugby and international rugby, constitutes the "third tier" of rugby union in New Zealand. Below this tier are numerous club competitions, which are organised by each provincial union. The winner of the NPC trophy, also known as the Rugby Cup from the previous tournament, is chosen annually in New Zealand Rugby's National Provincial Championship final match since 1992. After
470-832: The West Coast . In the North Island , starting in the King Country and moving north, eleven teams competed for the Coronation Shield. Given the numerous competitions across New Zealand, there was a clear need for a national tournament. In 1972, Barry Smith proposed an inter-provincial competition to the Auckland Rugby Union . After gaining approval, the proposal was brought to the New Zealand Rugby Football Union's annual conference in early 1974. It included an overview of
517-603: The 1884 team, has the title of All Black No 1. In 1893, the first official NZRU-sanctioned New Zealand team was selected, for an 11-match tour to Australia . The team lost just once, to New South Wales in Sydney . In 1894, an official New Zealand team hosted visiting opposition on home soil for the first time, in a match against New South Wales at Christchurch won 8–6 by the visitors, two years later, New Zealand beat Queensland at Wellington to record its first home win against visiting opposition. New Zealand's 1905–06 tour to
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#1732765431696564-533: The 1905–06 Originals, this team won all 32 matches, including Test wins over Ireland, Wales, England and France, and earned the nickname “the Invincibles”. In 1956, the All Blacks won a Test series against South Africa for the first time. The Springboks were the All Blacks’ greatest traditional rivals and had delivered some of the All Blacks’ worst defeats. In 1978, the All Blacks achieved a Grand Slam for
611-600: The 2016 entry of Argentina as a full member of the body, remains an important rugby organisation and organises The Rugby Championship (originally the Tri Nations) and the Super Rugby competition. The NZRU has several teams under its control. The New Zealand Rugby Union have a number of contracted referees who officiated in levels from Heartland matches to ITM Cup and Super Rugby. The system in which referees are selected, appointed to matches and progress through to
658-585: The Annual General Meeting. The Maori representative is automatically appointed as New Zealand Rugby's representative on and Chairman of the New Zealand Maori Rugby Board. The independent board members must be independent of any provincial union and are not nominated for the role. Instead, independent members must apply for the position and are selected on the basis of their professional qualifications and experience by
705-530: The Century." In front of a record crowd of 52,000 at Lancaster Park , Canterbury nearly staged a stunning comeback from a 24–0 half-time deficit, but Auckland held on to win 28–23, setting a new benchmark with sixty-one consecutive defences over eight years. However, Auckland's fortunes waned with the professionalisation of rugby , officially declared in August 1995. The introduction of Super 12 in 1996 marked
752-529: The IRB's repeal of all amateurism regulations. For the first time, the NZRU negotiated with and contracted New Zealand rugby players. The NZRU also joined with the national unions of Australia and South Africa to form SANZAR , which sold the television rights for major southern hemisphere rugby competitions and helped to build the commercial foundation on which professional rugby is based. SANZAR, renamed SANZAAR with
799-402: The NPC or Heartland Championship are automatic challenges. The remaining Shield defences must be made up of challenges from unions in the other domestic competition. The player of the year award was given to the best player during the season and was selected by a committee of committee members, retired players, and media representatives. New Zealand Rugby New Zealand Rugby ( NZR )
846-554: The NZRU's first Chairman, appointed in 1904. In another innovation, provincial delegates met prior to the Annual Meeting to arrange representative fixtures for the season ahead, introducing a new level of national coordination. In 1976, the National Provincial Championship was formed to help organise matches between provincial unions, it had two divisions in its first year of play but the format
893-592: The Rugby World Cup in 2011 , after an 8–7 victory over France in front of a home crowd, and in 34–17 victory over Australia at Twickenham in 2015 . The latter win made the All Blacks the first side ever to successfully defend a Rugby World Cup title and to win three World Cups. In 1995, following the Rugby World Cup tournament in South Africa , international rugby turned professional with
940-564: The Union's two officers who represent New Zealand Rugby at functions and events. Unlike the Patron, the President and Vice President may attend board meetings of New Zealand Rugby, although they are not entitled to vote on board matters. The President and Vice President are elected for two years each. The current President is Bill Osborne and the current Vice President is Max Spence. The Board
987-486: The United Kingdom, France and North America might be considered the most important in New Zealand rugby history. The team played 35 matches in total, the only team to beat them was Wales. In the United Kingdom especially, the team's largely confident, attractive and comfortable wins made a strong statement about the quality of rugby in the colonies and New Zealand in particular. Moreover, the 1905–06 tour gave rise to
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#17327654316961034-596: The West Coast were split into North Island and South Island sub-divisions, with the potential for promotion to the top division. Between 1980 and the early 2000s, Auckland experienced a golden era, dominating competitions and consistently retaining the Ranfurly Shield . During this time, they reached eighteen finals, finishing as runners-up multiple times, and secured over half of the available competition titles, totaling fifteen. This remarkable run included
1081-477: The additions of the Bush, Canterbury, Horowhenua, Otago, Poverty Bay, Southland and West Coast unions, the NZRU was considered to be a complete and united collection of all New Zealand rugby players. However, the New Zealand rugby map would be repeatedly redrawn in the following decades. At the Annual Meeting in 1921, the NZRU elected its first Life Member, George Dixon, manager of the 1905 “ Originals ” All Blacks and
1128-482: The best in the world for well over 100 years. Their name and distinctive all black playing strip have become well known to rugby and non-rugby fans worldwide. The first New Zealand team was selected in 1884, for a tour to New South Wales . The team played its first match at home, against a Wellington XV, before recording eight wins in eight matches in Australia. Otago prop James Allan , who played eight matches for
1175-567: The end of their dominance as many international players became unavailable. Notable stars like Sean Fitzpatrick , who captained the All Blacks and played 154 games for Auckland, and Grant Fox , who set a record for the most shield points (932), were pivotal during this era, along with John Kirwan , who scored forty-four tries. The fourteen provincial unions that have participated in the current National Provincial Championship since its founding in 2006 are listed below. Ten teams are situated in
1222-504: The famous “All Blacks” moniker, as the fame surrounding the black-clad team spread. Nowadays, this team is known as “ the Originals ” – they were the first team to demonstrate the power and skill of New Zealand rugby, the first to make rugby a part of New Zealand's cultural identity, and the first to be known as All Blacks. In 1924–25, the All Blacks embarked on a 32-match tour to the United Kingdom, France and Canada. Going one better than
1269-693: The first interprovincial match took place in Dunedin, between Auckland Clubs and Dunedin Clubs. In 1879, the first provincial unions were formed in Canterbury and Wellington. On Saturday 16 April 1892, in a meeting held in Wellington , the New Zealand Rugby Union was formed. Inaugural members were the provincial unions of Auckland , Hawke's Bay , Manawatu , Marlborough , Nelson , South Canterbury , Taranaki , Waiararapa , Wanganui and Wellington . At
1316-405: The first time. For southern hemisphere sides like New Zealand, a Grand Slam includes victories over the four Home Unions – England , Ireland , Scotland and Wales – in the course of a single tour. The team achieved a second Grand Slam in 2005 and a third in 2008 In 1987, the All Blacks won the inaugural Rugby World Cup against France, hosted by New Zealand and Australia. New Zealand also won
1363-430: The geographical zones were abolished so that vacant elective seats on the board could be contested by nominees from any provincial union in New Zealand without restriction on place of residence. New Zealand Rugby's Patron fills an honorary role as the figurehead for the organisation. The position of Patron is currently vacant following the death of Sir Brian Lochore in August 2019. The President and Vice President are
1410-440: The introduction of the Ranfurly Shield as a challenge trophy. Each year, fixtures were arranged in Wellington during the annual meeting of the New Zealand Rugby Football Union , where an elected representative from each provincial union would propose dates and opponents that ideally avoided conflicts with local club competitions. Across the country, neighbouring regions organised regular matches for challenge trophies. One of
1457-538: The most prestigious competitions, the Hanan Shield , was established in 1946 by Timaru's former mayor, A.E.S. Hanan, and was contested by Mid Canterbury , South Canterbury , and North Otago . Another significant trophy, the Seddon Shield, was first challenged in 1906. Named after former New Zealand premier Richard Seddon, it featured representative teams from Buller , Nelson Bays , Marlborough , and
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1504-699: The national level. At that time, the national union was known as the New Zealand Rugby Football Union or NZRFU. The name was officially shortened in 2006 with the removal of the word "Football". The brand name New Zealand Rugby was adopted in 2013 for "everyday" use because it was seen as less "stuffy" and the word "Union" had some negative connotations. The first rugby match to be played in New Zealand took place in Nelson in May 1870, between Nelson College and Nelson Football Club. The game spread quickly and in September 1875
1551-527: The old National Provincial Championship. Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title National Provincial Championship . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=National_Provincial_Championship&oldid=1124088452 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
1598-464: The previous five years. The premier division included Auckland , Bay of Plenty , Canterbury , Counties , Hawke's Bay , Manawatu , Marlborough, North Auckland , Otago , Southland , and Wellington , determined by a ranking system. The remaining provinces, Buller, East Coast , Horowhenua , King Country , Mid Canterbury, Nelson Bays, North Otago, Poverty Bay , South Canterbury, Taranaki , Thames Valley , Waikato , Wairarapa Bush , Wanganui and
1645-599: The scheme, addressing finance, travel, sponsorship opportunities, implications for club and sub-union competitions, traditional representative matches, international laws, and Sunday play. Following discussions in October 1975, modifications were made and ultimately accepted by all provinces. Radio New Zealand secured sponsorship rights worth NZD 100,000 and helped market the new competition, later joined by Lion Breweries , National Mutual, and Air New Zealand . Teams were divided into two divisions based on their performance over
1692-608: The second and third divisions respectively. North Otago and Hawke's Bay were the first honourable winners. New Zealand Rugby made the decision to incorporate the trophies in the new Heartland Championship tournament when the National Provincial Championship was discontinued in 2005 . The silverware commemorate the names of Sir Brian Lochore and Colin Meads , two legendary international rugby players from New Zealand . The inaugural trophy
1739-502: The semi-finals, a New Zealand city is selected to host the contest, with the semi-final victor with the highest seed receiving home field advantage. Prior to 1992 the top team on the points table was the winner. The competition was split into three divisions, with division one being acknowledged and recognised as the champion. The 2002 season saw the introduction of the Meads Cup and Lochore Cup , which were contested by unions from
1786-646: The sport. NZR Headquarters are located in Wellington , New Zealand, with an office in Auckland . New Zealand Rugby has a staff of approximately 90 people, mostly based in Wellington and Auckland but also working in locations all around New Zealand. NZR was initially governed by a committee of delegates from the provincial unions until replaced in 1894 by a seven-member Wellington-based management committee. Administrative responsibilities were initially held by honorary secretaries, and then secretaries, from 1907. This
1833-474: The time, three major South Island provincial unions – Canterbury , Otago and Southland – resisted the central authority of the NZRU. In 1893, the NZRU formally adopted the black jersey as the national playing strip and selected the first NZRU-sanctioned national team, for a tour of Australia. However, the earlier New Zealand team selected to tour New South Wales in 1884 is recognised as a New Zealand team and its players recognised as All Blacks. By 1895, with
1880-588: The top competition, including the new Tasman Makos, who formed with the amalgamation of the Marlborough and Nelson Bays Rugby Unions, and 12 teams in the amateur Heartland Championship. After changes in sponsorship in 2010, 2016 and 2021, the Air New Zealand Cup became the ITM Cup, Mitre 10 Cup and is now the Bunnings NPC. The All Blacks are New Zealand's number one national rugby side and have rated among
1927-456: The vision and strategy for the organisation, and acts as the key link between the Board and the staff. The CEO is ultimately responsible for the administrative and operational aspects of New Zealand Rugby. The current CEO is Mark Robinson , who took up the post in January 2020, succeeding Steve Tew . The New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) was formed in 1892 to administer the game of rugby union at
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1974-577: Was adopted in 2013. Officially, it is an incorporated society with the name New Zealand Rugby Union Incorporated . The organisation's main objectives, as displayed in the NZR Constitution, are to promote and develop rugby throughout New Zealand; arrange and participate in matches and tours in New Zealand and overseas; represent New Zealand in World Rugby; form and manage New Zealand representative teams; and encourage participation in
2021-462: Was expanded 43 years later to create two entities, the ruling NZRU Council and an executive committee. In 1986, three geographical zones were formed to elect the members of the ruling council, and the executive committee was replaced by an administration committee. Since 1990, the NZRU has been managed by a CEO. In 1996, the NZRU's ruling council was replaced by an expanded board to include independent members and an elected Maori representative. In 2015,
2068-562: Was first displayed at the tournaments' launch at Auckland's Mt Smart Stadium in July 2006. It was also stated that it would be on display for the general public to witness during the competition's opening game, which was played in Napier between Hawke's Bay and Canterbury . Thorkild Hansen, the son of Jens Hoyer Hansen , crafted the trophy by hand. Black basalt from the Bombay Hills
2115-491: Was organised by New Zealand Rugby (NZR) and ceased following the 2005 season . The league was restructured into two distinct competitions. The National Provincial Championship would include professional and semi-professional players, and consist of the top fourteen financial and best performing regional teams. For sponsorship reasons it was rebranded as the Air New Zealand Cup. The remaining teams would form
2162-538: Was repeatedly reorganized throughout its 30-year history, notably in 1992 the bonus points system was brought in to determine the top placed team. Auckland have been the most successful team in the NPC's history with 16 championships including the last in 2005. At the conclusion of the NPC there were three divisions and 27 unions under the NZRU's jurisdiction, it was replaced by the Air New Zealand Cup and Heartland Championship in 2006 with 14 teams in
2209-455: Was used to create the polished stone base by Waihi stone carver Jeff Beckwith. The 45-centimeter-tall cup was constructed of 2.7 kilograms of sterling silver and weighed 3.9 kilograms. The Ranfurly Shield , colloquially known as the Log o' Wood, is perhaps the most prestigious trophy in New Zealand's domestic rugby union competition. First presented to Auckland in 1902, the Shield is based on
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