Air New Zealand Cup
Sport	Rugby union
Founded	2006
No. of teams	14
Country(ies)	New Zealand
Most recent champion(s)	Auckland

The Air New Zealand Cup (also referred to by its previous name of the National Provincial Championship, its abbreviation of NPC, or for sponsorship reasons as the Air New Zealand NPC) is New Zealand's professional domestic rugby union competition. It was founded in 2006 with 14 teams, after the NPC was split into two separate competitions. The other 12 provincial teams from the NPC now compete in the amateur Heartland Championship. New Zealand also has five teams in Super 14, an elite competition which also involves sides from Australia and South Africa. Image File history File links Air_New_Zealand_Cup_Logo. ... For other uses, see Rugby (disambiguation). ... // For an extensive coverage see 2006 in athletics (track and field) May 12 — Justin Gatlin equals the 100m world record. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_New_Zealand. ... The Auckland Rugby Football Union is the governing body of rugby union in the Auckland isthmus territorial authority in the North Island in New Zealand. ... The National Provincial Championship (which for sponsorship reasons, is referred to as Air New Zealand NPC or just simply NPC) is New Zealands principal domestic rugby union competition. ... Boeing 747-400 Boeing 747-400 Air New Zealand Limited (ASX:, NZX: AIR, Air New Zealand) is a scheduled passenger airline based in Auckland, New Zealand, and the national flag carrier. ... For other uses, see Rugby (disambiguation). ... The Heartland Championship, known for sponsorship reasons as the AA Rewards Heartland Championship,[1] is an amateur domestic rugby union competition in New Zealand. ... The Super 14 is the largest rugby union football club championship in the southern hemisphere, consisting of four state teams from Australia (Queensland, New South Wales, ACT, and Western Australia), five New Zealand franchises, each of which is comprised by a number of provinces (the resulting teams are based in...

Format

The Air New Zealand Cup is held annually. 14 provincial teams participate, and they each play ten round-robin games; this means that each side misses playing three others. Table points are earned for winning, drawing, losing by seven points or less, and by scoring four or more tries (see rugby union bonus points system). The top eight teams at the end of the round robin then play a quarter-finals round, followed by semi-finals, and then the final.^[1] The Rugby union bonus points system is a method of deciding table points from a Rugby union match. ...

History

The 2006 reorganisation of New Zealand provincial rugby replaced the NPC's former three-division setup with two distinct competitions. This differs from the original two-division setup used in the NPC from its creation in 1976 through 1984 in two key ways. First, the two current competitions are nationwide, while the original NPC Division Two was split on a North Island/South Island basis. Second, the NZRU ruled that there would initially be no promotion or relegation between the Air New Zealand Cup and Heartland Championship—a feature that had always been present in the former NPC. The National Provincial Championship (which for sponsorship reasons, is referred to as Air New Zealand NPC or just simply NPC) is New Zealands principal domestic rugby union competition. ...

Also, the number of teams was reduced to 26, as the Marlborough and Nelson Bays unions merged to form the new Tasman union.

The 2006 expansion of the Super 12 and Tri Nations Series had a major effect on the Air New Zealand Cup. This expansion created the Super 14, adding two extra fixtures to that competition, and also added two more Tri-Nations matches for the All Blacks, at least in non-World Cup years. Because of these changes, it was intended for players in the All Blacks selection pool to make only limited appearances in the Air New Zealand Cup. Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Tri Nations Series is an annual international Rugby Union series held between Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. ... The Super 14 is the largest rugby union football club championship in the southern hemisphere, consisting of four state teams from Australia (Queensland, New South Wales, ACT, and Western Australia), five New Zealand franchises, each of which is comprised by a number of provinces (the resulting teams are based in... For the rugby league competition, see Rugby League World Cup. ... First international Australia 3 - 22 New Zealand (15 August 1903) Largest win New Zealand 145 - 17 Japan (4 June 1995) Worst defeat Australia 28 - 7 New Zealand (28 August 1999) World Cup Appearances 6 (First in 1987) Best result Champions, 1987 All Black redirects here. ...

Air New Zealand Cup teams

A map of NZRU provincial boundaries. The teams in teal are Air New Zealand Cup teams, whilst the teams in light blue are Heartland Championship teams

The following teams contest the Air New Zealand Cup: Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The Heartland Championship, known for sponsorship reasons as the AA Rewards Heartland Championship,[1] is an amateur domestic rugby union competition in New Zealand. ...

	Province	Super Rugby Partner	Stadium	Championships*	2007 Placing
	Auckland	Blues	Eden Park, Auckland	16	1
	Bay of Plenty	Chiefs	Blue Chip Stadium, Tauranga Rotorua International Stadium, Rotorua	1	13
	Canterbury	Crusaders	AMI Stadium, Christchurch	5	3
	Counties Manukau	Chiefs	Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland	1 [2]	14
	Hawke's Bay	Hurricanes	McLean Park, Napier	0	4
	Manawatu	Hurricanes	FMG Stadium, Palmerston North	1	12
	North Harbour	Blues	North Harbour Stadium, Albany	0	9
	Northland	Blues	ITM Stadium, Whangarei	0	10
	Otago	Highlanders	Carisbrook, Dunedin	2	7
	Southland	Highlanders	Rugby Park Stadium, Invercargill	0	6
	Taranaki	Hurricanes	Yarrow Stadium, New Plymouth	0	8
	Tasman	Crusaders	Trafalgar Park, Nelson Lansdowne Park, Blenheim	0	11
	Waikato	Chiefs	Waikato Stadium, Hamilton	2	5
	Wellington	Hurricanes	Westpac Stadium, Wellington	4	2

• Includes NPC First Division championships

The Auckland Rugby Football Union is the governing body of rugby union in the Auckland isthmus territorial authority in the North Island in New Zealand. ... This article is about the New Zealand rugby team. ... Eden Park is the main sports ground in Auckland, New Zealand for both rugby union during winter, and cricket in summer. ... For other uses, see Auckland (disambiguation). ... The Bay of Plenty Rugby Union is the official governing body of rugby union in the region of Bay of Plenty on the North Island of New Zealand. ... The Chiefs (formerly known as the Waikato Chiefs) are a professional rugby union team based in Hamilton, New Zealand. ... BlueChip Stadium also known as Baypark is a multi-use stadium in Mount Maunganui, New Zealand. ... Tauranga (population 109,100 — 2006 census) is the largest city of the Bay of Plenty region of the North Island of New Zealand. ... Rotorua International Stadium is a multi-use stadium in Rotorua, New Zealand. ... The Rotorua Museum today. ... The Canterbury Rugby Football Union (CRFU) is the official governing body for rugby union in a substantial part of the Canterbury region of New Zealand,and is affiliated to the New Zealand Rugby Football Union. ... This article is on the rugby union team formerly known as the Canterbury Crusaders. ... AMI Stadium, formerly Jade Stadium and Lancaster Park, is a sports stadium situated in Christchurch, New Zealand. ... This article is about the city in New Zealand. ... The Counties Manukau Rugby Football Union (CMRFU) is the governing body of rugby union in the Franklin district of New Zealand. ... The Chiefs (formerly known as the Waikato Chiefs) are a professional rugby union team based in Hamilton, New Zealand. ... Mt Smart Stadium, formerly Ericsson Stadium, is a stadium in Auckland, New Zealand. ... For other uses, see Auckland (disambiguation). ... The Hawkes Bay Rugby Union (HBRU) is a governing body of rugby union in the Hawkes Bay region of New Zealand. ... The Hurricanes (formerly known as the Wellington Hurricanes) are a New Zealand rugby union team based in Wellington and representing the East Coast, Poverty Bay, Hawkes Bay, Taranaki, Wanganui, Manawatu, Wairarapa-Bush, Horowhenua-Kapiti and Wellington unions. ... McLean Park is a cricket ground in Napier, New Zealand. ... The T & G Building (Atkin & Mitchell, Wellington, 1936) Napier (Ahuriri in Māori) is an important port city in Hawkes Bay, New Zealand. ... Manawatu Rugby Union (MRU) is the governing body of Rugby in the Manawatu rugby province. ... The Hurricanes (formerly known as the Wellington Hurricanes) are a New Zealand rugby union team based in Wellington and representing the East Coast, Poverty Bay, Hawkes Bay, Taranaki, Wanganui, Manawatu, Wairarapa-Bush, Horowhenua-Kapiti and Wellington unions. ... Arena Manawatu is the current name of the 18-hectare publicly-owned recreational complex just west of the Palmerston North city centre in the Manawatu-Wanganui Region of New Zealand. ... Palmerston North (Māori: ) is the main city of the Manawatu-Wanganui region of the North Island of New Zealand. ... Image File history File links Harbour. ... The North Harbour Rugby Union was formed in 1985 and during this time has developed a reputation for playing quality rugby football. ... This article is about the New Zealand rugby team. ... North Harbour Stadium is a stadium situated in Albany on Aucklands North Shore in New Zealand. ... Albany is a northern suburb of North Shore, one of several cities in the Auckland metropolitan area in northern New Zealand. ... Official website www. ... This article is about the New Zealand rugby team. ... ITM Stadium is a multi-use stadium in Whangarei, New Zealand. ... Whangarei, pronounced [] in Maori and [] in English (fang-a-ray; the initial consonant is pronounced /f/ in English), is the northernmost city in New Zealand and the regional capital of Northland Region. ... ... The Highlanders (formerly known as Otago Highlanders), are a rugby union team from New Zealand. ... For the village on the Isle of Wight, see Carisbrooke. ... Dunedin (Ōtepoti in Maori) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the region of Otago. ... The Southland Stags rugby team represents the Southland province in the Air New Zealand Cup, also known as the Premier Division of the National Provincial Championship. ... The Highlanders (formerly known as Otago Highlanders), are a rugby union team from New Zealand. ... Rugby Park Stadium is a rugby union venue and home ground for Air New Zealand Cup team Southland. ... Cnr of Esk and Dee Streets, looking up Esk st, one of the main shopping streets of Invercargill. ... Taranaki Rugby Football Union (TRFU) is the governing body of Rugby in the New Zealand province of Taranaki. ... The Hurricanes (formerly known as the Wellington Hurricanes) are a New Zealand rugby union team based in Wellington and representing the East Coast, Poverty Bay, Hawkes Bay, Taranaki, Wanganui, Manawatu, Wairarapa-Bush, Horowhenua-Kapiti and Wellington unions. ... The stadium is situated in the central suburb of Westown in New Plymouth, Taranaki, New Zealand. ... The 45 metre high Wind Wand on the New Plymouth waterfront New Plymouth is the port and main city in the Taranaki region on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. ... The Tasman Rugby Union is New Zealands newest provincial union. ... This article is on the rugby union team formerly known as the Canterbury Crusaders. ... Trafalgar Park is a large sports ground within the heart of the city of Nelson, in New Zealands South Island. ... The City of Nelson is situated very close to the centre of New Zealand. ... Lansdowne Park is the home ground for Air New Zealand Cup team Tasman. ... Blenheim is a town in Marlborough, in the north east of the South Island of New Zealand. ... The Waikato Rugby Union is the official governing body of rugby union in the region of Waikato on the North Island of New Zealand. ... The Chiefs (formerly known as the Waikato Chiefs) are a professional rugby union team based in Hamilton, New Zealand. ... Waikato Stadium, NZ Māori v Lions, 2005 Waikato Stadium is a major rugby union and soccer venue in Hamilton, New Zealand with a total capacity, seated and standing, of 26,350. ... Hamilton (Kirikiriroa in Māori) is the centre of New Zealands fourth largest urban area, and is the countrys seventh largest city. ... The Wellington Rugby Football Union (WRFU) is the official governing body of rugby union in the city of Wellington, the capital of New Zealand. ... The Hurricanes (formerly known as the Wellington Hurricanes) are a New Zealand rugby union team based in Wellington and representing the East Coast, Poverty Bay, Hawkes Bay, Taranaki, Wanganui, Manawatu, Wairarapa-Bush, Horowhenua-Kapiti and Wellington unions. ... External shot of the main entrance to Westpac Stadium, emphasising the Cake Tin aspect. ... For the first Duke of Wellington, see Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington. ...

Air New Zealand Cup winners

The 2006 Air New Zealand Cup is a provincial rugby union competition involving 14 teams from New Zealand. ... The Waikato Rugby Union is the official governing body of rugby union in the region of Waikato on the North Island of New Zealand. ... The Wellington Rugby Football Union (WRFU) is the official governing body of rugby union in the city of Wellington, the capital of New Zealand. ... The 2007 Air New Zealand Cup is a provincial rugby union competition involving 14 teams from New Zealand. ... The Auckland Rugby Football Union is the governing body of rugby union in the Auckland isthmus territorial authority in the North Island in New Zealand. ... The Wellington Rugby Football Union (WRFU) is the official governing body of rugby union in the city of Wellington, the capital of New Zealand. ...

See also

• 2007 Air New Zealand Cup
• 2006 Air New Zealand Cup
• Heartland Championship
• Ranfurly Shield
• National Provincial Championship
• List of attendance figures at domestic professional sports leagues — the Air New Zealand Cup and NPC in a worldwide context

The 2007 Air New Zealand Cup is a provincial rugby union competition involving 14 teams from New Zealand. ... The 2006 Air New Zealand Cup is a provincial rugby union competition involving 14 teams from New Zealand. ... The Heartland Championship, known for sponsorship reasons as the AA Rewards Heartland Championship,[1] is an amateur domestic rugby union competition in New Zealand. ... The Ranfurly Shield The Ranfurly Shield, colloquially known as the Log o Wood, is perhaps the most prestigious trophy in New Zealands domestic rugby union competition. ... The National Provincial Championship (which for sponsorship reasons, is referred to as Air New Zealand NPC or just simply NPC) is New Zealands principal domestic rugby union competition. ... The table below lists domestic professional sports leagues from around the world by total attendances for the last completed season for which data is available. ...

References

• Summary of the 2006 Air New Zealand Cup format at allblacks.com (PDF)

Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 243rd day of the year (244th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Official Air New Zealand Cup website
• Air New Zealand Cup News from Prime Rugby
• ANZ Rugby News
• NPC Rugby News
• Virtual Air NZ Cup Game