The Miter 10 Cup is an annual rugby tournament held among teams from New Zealand . The competition runs from late August to October (or early November). The Cup started in 2006 when its predecessor, the National Provincial Championship , was divided into two independent championships: 14 professional teams began to compete for the ITM Cup, and 12 for the amateur Heartland Championship prize. In addition, five New Zealand professional teams take part in Super Rugby , a club competition from Australia, Argentina, New Zealand, South Africa and Japan.
Miter Cup 10 Miter 10 cup2016 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Kind of rugby | Rugby 15 | ||
| Base | 2006 | ||
| Number of participants | 14 | ||
| Last winner | Canterbury | ||
| Winner | Canterbury (7th title) | ||
| Web site | mitre10cup.co.nz | ||
In 2006-2009, the tournament was held with the support of the title sponsor Air New Zealand and was called the Air New Zealand Cup . From March 2010 to 2016, the title sponsor was Independent Timber Merchants Co-operative Ltd. involved in the construction of a sports facility [1] . At the end of 2015, it became known that starting in the 2016 season, the title sponsor is Miter 10 , a New Zealand company engaged in the sale of furniture and home accessories [2] .
Content
History and format
As a result of the reorganization of the regional rugby system in New Zealand, the structure of the National Provincial Championship, which included three divisions, was replaced by two separate competitions. The new format of the competition differs from the 1976-1984 model of the HRP when it included two divisions. Firstly, both current tournaments are nationwide, while the second division of the NPC was divided into groups of the North and South Islands. Secondly, by the decision of the rugby union, the exchange of clubs between the cup and the championship was abolished. The rules of the NPH have always provided for this institution. The number of teams participating in both tournaments was reduced to 26. The Marlborough and Nelson Bays clubs were merged and became controlled by the Tasman alliance .
Then, in 2006, there was an expansion in the membership of Super 12 to fourteen. And this, and the increase in the number of matches of the national team in the Three Nations Cup had a significant impact on the progress of the domestic championship. Rugby players from the pool of the national team could now play only in a limited number of tournament matches.
Debut Season
The first draw of the cup took place with considerable interest from the fans. Four new teams from the Second Division of the HR Committee became participants in the competition:
- County Manukau ,
- Manavatu
- Tasman (Marlborough + Nelson Bays),
- Hawkes Bay .
The first champions were Waikato players who outplayed Wellington opponents in the final (37-31). The match, held at the Waikato Stadium , was attended by 25 thousand rugby fans. Richard Kahui from the team of champions became the leader in the number of attempted attempts (8). Wellington player Jimmy Hopper (121) scored the most points.
2007-2009
In the seasons 2007 and 2008 Auckland and Canterbury respectively became champions. In both finals, Wellington became their rival. These seasons are notable for some changes in the format of the competition.
In the 2009 season, the format of the tournament was changed. Now the teams played in a single-round system (each with one time each, a total of 13 matches), the quarter finals were eliminated, respectively, the teams that took the first four lines in the table entered the semi-finals. For the victory, 4 points were awarded, 2 for a draw and a point for skidding four attempts or for losing with a difference of less than 7 points. Thus, the winning team of the match can get no more than 5 points, the losing team can count on two. In the playoffs, the first team plays with the fourth, the second with the third (the club with the best performance holds the match at home). The final is held at the home stadium of the participant who has the highest position in the regular season.
ITM Cup
Starting from the 2011 season, the tournament was played according to a new scheme. Teams were divided into two divisions of 7 teams - Premiership and Championship. Each club played once with each opponent from its division and four times against teams from another. At the same time, the organizers decided to be guided by a number of principles during the championship:
- Rugby players from Super Rugby must participate in the tournament;
- The tournament should not overlap with others;
- The tournament should have a retirement and promotion system;
- Each team must play 4 or 5 matches in their own stadium;
- The tournament should last 10-12 weeks and end by the end of October.
Commands
Each of the 14 teams is governed by a local union. The territories represented by the clubs make up most of the regions of New Zealand. According to the principles of the cup, each team represents the best possible set of players in a given union. Organizations must sign a contract with at least 26 athletes no more than ten days before the start of the season. The following is the composition of the participating teams of the cup, which has not changed since 2006:
| Premiere | Championship |
| Colors | Team | Nickname | Stadium | Position, 2015 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular hours | Playoffs | ||||
| Auckland | - | Eden Park | 2nd | Finalist | |
| Bay of Plenty | Steamers | Baypark Stadium , Rotorua International | 4th | Semifinalist | |
| Canterbury | - | Rugby League Park | 1st | Champion | |
| “ County Manukau ” | "Stealers" | The Groves Stadium | 5th | - | |
| Hawkes Bay | Magpice | Macklin Park | 1st | Increase | |
| Manavatu | Turbos | “ Arena Manavatu ” | 7th | Lowering | |
| North Harbor | - | North Harbor Stadium | 5th | - | |
| Northland | Thaniuas | Okara Park and Kerikeri Domain | 7th | - | |
| Otago | Reisorbacks | Carisbrook and Forsyth Barr Stadium | 3rd | Semifinalist | |
| Southland | Stegs | Rugby Park Stadium | 6th | - | |
| Taranaki | Bulls | Yerrow Stadium | 4th | Semifinalist | |
| Tasman | Maykos | Lansdowne Park and Trefalgar Park | 3rd | Semifinalist | |
| Waikato | Mulus | Waikato Stadium | 6th | - | |
| Wellington | Lyons | Westpack Stadium | 2nd | Finalist | |
Winners
The winner of each season is awarded a prize - Miter 10 Cup Trophy , formerly known as ITM Cup Trophy and Air New Zealand Cup Trophy .
| Year | The final | Champion | Score | Finalist | Judge | Stadium | Viewers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | October 21 | Waikato | 37:31 | "Wellington" | Bryce Lawrence | Waikato Stadium | 25,000 |
| 2007 | The 20th of October | "Auckland" | 23:14 | "Wellington" | Chris Pollock | Eden Park | 16,000 |
| 2008 | the 25th of October | Canterbury | 7: 6 | "Wellington" | Bryce Lawrence | Westpack Stadium | 21,237 |
| 2009 | November 7th | Canterbury | 28:20 | "Wellington" | Winnie Munroe | Lancaster Park | 12,000 |
| 2010 | November 5 | Canterbury | 33:13 | Waikato | Jonathon White | Lancaster Park | 10 500 |
| 2011 | September 3rd | Canterbury | 12: 3 | Waikato | Garrett Williamson | Waikato Stadium | 14,000 |
| 2012 | 27th October | Canterbury | 31:18 | "Auckland" | Glen jackson | Rugby League Park | 12,000 |
| 2013 | October 26th | Canterbury | 29:13 | "Wellington" | Chris Pollock | Rugby League Park | 15 100 |
| 2014 | the 25th of October | Taranaki | 36:32 | Tasman | Glen jackson | Yerrow Stadium | 21,000 |
| 2015 | October 24th | Canterbury | 25:23 | "Auckland" | Glen jackson | Rugby League Park | - |
See also
- National Provincial Championship
- Renfurly shield
Notes
- ↑ New Zealand Rugby Union (March 15, 2010). ITM Cup the new prize of national provincial rugby (in en). Press release . Retrieved 2016-04-21 .
- ↑ NZ to trial law changes in domestic competitions (English) , New Zealand Times (December 29, 2015). Date of treatment April 21, 2016.