Two legends of the game – Sir Brian Lochore and Sir Colin Meads – have kicked off the Pink Batts Heartland Championship season for 2013.
Sir Brian and Sir Colin, who have lent their names to the championship’s key trophies, were guests of honour at the official season launch at Waikanae Rugby Football Club this afternoon.
The special event also featured players and representatives from the 12 Heartland unions – Thames Valley, East Coast, Poverty Bay, King Country, Wanganui, Wairarapa Bush, Horowhenua Kapiti, Buller, West Coast, Mid Canterbury, South Canterbury and North Otago.
In just over ten days the championship gets underway with 54 matches over 10 weeks culminating in the Meads Cup and Lochore Cup Finals on 26 and 27 October.
New Zealand Rugby Chief Executive Steve Tew said the Pink Batts Heartland Championship was a hugely important competition for rural New Zealand.
“There is no doubt that passions run high in heartland New Zealand when it comes to rugby and this year again we will have a season packed with local colour and fierce provincial rivalries.
“Every year we see games that ignite local passions and bring communities together to support their teams. If you ever needed proof that Heartland rugby was in great shape, then the two action packed finals from last season provided plenty of evidence of that.
“It’s also pleasing to have Pink Batts on board as the title sponsor which is the first time in some years the championship has had a corporate supporter. We greatly appreciate the new partnership with Tasman Insulation and the profile it brings to this important competition.”
Tasman Insulation General Manager, Tony Te Au, said: “We’re tremendously proud to be the naming rights sponsor of the Pink Batts Heartland Championship. We hope this will help increase the profile of what is an important tier in domestic competitions.”
The full championship draw is available at: http://www.heartlandchampionship.co.nz
Pink Batts Heartland Championship 2013
The lowdown
The Pink Batts Heartland Championship is the second tier (after the ITM Cup) of New Zealand’s domestic competition, featuring 12 provincial unions.
In 2006 the competition was founded along with the ITM Cup to replace the three divisions in the National Provincial Championship.
Prior to 2011 the competition was played over two rounds followed by a finals series, but the two rounds of play were merged into one to allow for New Zealand’s hosting of Rugby World Cup 2011, and that format will enter its third year in 2013.
The round robin stage sees each team play eight of the other 11 teams over an eight week period. The top four teams then progress to the finals of the Meads Cup – named after Sir Colin Meads, rated as New Zealand’s player of the century, with ‘Pinetree’ playing 55 Tests over a legendary international career from 1957 to 1971.
Sides ranked five to eight contest the Lochore Cup finals – named in honour of Sir Brian Lochore, who was All Blacks captain for 18 of his 25 Tests, and coach of New Zealand when they went on to win the inaugural World Cup in 1987.
Outside of the competition the provinces are granted the opportunity to take part in the first Ranfurly Shield Challenges of the year, taking on the current holder of the Log o’ Wood before the ITM Cup and Pink Batts Heartland Championship kicks off.
This year Waikato, the holders, defeated Horowhenua-Kapiti 85-0 and East Coast 65-10.
2013 season
The opening round of the 2013 season sees four traditional rivals compete for bragging rights in 2013, with Wanganui hosting King Country at Cooks Gardens. West Coast host Buller at Rugby Park in Greymouth, with those two teams playing for pride, competition points and the Rundle Cup (1911) one of New Zealand’s oldest provincial rugby prizes.
The Meads Cup and Lochore Cup semi-finals will be played on 19 October. The Finals for both Cups will be played over the weekend of 26 and 27 October, ensuring a weekend festival of Finals rugby with the ITM Cup Championship, Premiership and Women’s Provincial Championship Finals all scheduled for the same weekend.
Other trophies up for grabs
Three trophies are up for grabs when South Canterbury and North Otago meet in Week 2. They will play for the Bill Direen Cup, Phil Gard Trophy and the Hannan Shield. Other trophies to be contested include the Centurions Cup between King Country and Thames Valley (Week 4), the Arthur Wickes Memorial Cup between West Coast and East Coast (Week 5), the Mark Timblick Trophy and Hannan Shield contested between Mid Canterbury and South Canterbury (Week 5), the Sayers Cup with East Coast and Poverty Bay (Week 6) and the Smiley Haua Memorial Trophy between East Coast and South Canterbury (Week 8).
Roll of honour
LEGENDS: All Black greats Brian Lochore (left) and Colin Meads show off the Heartland rugby silverware that bears their names while South Canterbury captain Andrew Scarlett gets amongst the action at the Heartland Championship launch in Wellington.
Meads Cup
2006 Wairarapa Bush
2007 North Otago
2008 Wanganui
2009 Wanganui
2010 North Otago
2011 Wanganui
2012 East Coast
Lochore Cup
2006 Poverty Bay
2007 Poverty Bay
2008 Poverty Bay
2009 North Otago
2010 Wairarapa Bush
2011 Poverty Bay
2012 Buller
New global scrum law to apply
The new global scrum law changing the scrum engagement will be in use across all domestic competitions – ITM Cup, Pink Batts Heartland Championship and the Women’s Provincial Championship – this season. Scrum calls will change to “crouch, bind, set” requiring the props to bind before the scrum sets. The law will be used in the Investec Rugby Championship and will be in effect across all New Zealand rugby next year.
10% Discount at PlayersRugby , off the Normal RRP
by entering the code “rugbyredefined“
rugbyredefined.wordpress.com 