National Competition
| National Competition | |
|---|---|
Current season or competition: 2016 New Zealand rugby league season | |
| Sport | Rugby league football |
| Inaugural season | 2010 |
| Replaced by | Bartercard Premiership |
| Number of teams | 8 |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Holders | Counties Manukau Stingrays (2015) |
| Most titles | Akarana Falcons (4 titles) |
| Website | [1] |
The National Competition (previously called the National Zonal Competition) is the top level rugby league competition run by the New Zealand Rugby League. In 2010 the competition replaced the Bartercard Premiership following a Sparc funded review and restructure of the New Zealand Rugby League. Since 2016 the competition has consisted of a four team National Championship and a four team National Premiership with a promotion and relegation between the two divisions.
Trophies and awards
Senior teams compete for the Albert Baskerville Trophy which is named after Albert Baskerville, the organiser of the 1907-1908 All Golds tour. Under-17s compete for the Mark Graham Cup which named after Mark Graham, the New Zealand Rugby League player of the century. Under-15s compete for the Nathan Cayless Cup which is named after Nathan Cayless, the only captain to win the World Cup for New Zealand.
Restructure
The competition was reformatted for the 2016 season, with Akarana, Counties Manukau, Canterbury and Wellington competing in a National Championship. The Upper Central and Mid-Central zones reverted to district teams with these teams, alongside Northland and the South Island districts, competing in four regional championships. The four regional winners then compete in a National Premiership competition, which will play a promotion-relegation match against the last placed National Championship side.[2]
Championship teams
| Team | Current Coach | Home Grounds |
|---|---|---|
| Akarana Falcons | Steve Buckingham | Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland |
| Canterbury Bulls South Island Scorpions |
Andrew Auimatagi[3] | Denton Park, Christchurch Trafalgar Park, Nelson Wingham Park, Greymouth |
| Counties Manukau Stingrays | Peter Caccioppoli | Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland |
| Wellington Orcas | Mike Kuiti | Porirua Stadium, Porirua |
Season winners
| Year | Albert Baskerville Trophy | Score | Runner up | Minor Premiers | Wooden Spoon | National Premiership winner | Mark Graham Cup | Nathan Cayless Cup | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Auckland | 14 | 6 | Counties Manukau | Auckland | Northern Swords | N/A | Counties Manukau | Counties Manukau |
| 2011 | Auckland Pride | 44 | 34 | South Island | Auckland Pride | Northern Swords | Auckland Pride | Auckland Pride | |
| 2012 | Akarana Falcons | 38 | 20 | Counties Manukau | Counties Manukau | Northern Swords | Akarana Falcons | Counties Manukau | |
| 2013 | Akarana Falcons | 22 | 12 | Counties Manukau | Counties Manukau | Central Vipers | Counties Manukau | Akarana Falcons | |
| 2014 | Canterbury Bulls | 40 | 8 | Waicoa Bay Stallions | Counties Manukau* | Northern Swords | Akarana Falcons | Akarana Falcons | |
| 2015 | Counties Manukau[4] | 41 | 10 | Canterbury Bulls | Counties Manukau | Northern Swords | Akarana Falcons | Akarana Falcons | |
| 2016 | |||||||||
*In 2014 Counties Manukau were disqualified from the final for fielding an ineligible player.
References
- ↑ NZRL Premiership nzrl.co.nz
- ↑ "NZRL re-launch national competition for 2016". APRL. 23 February 2016. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
- ↑ "Auimatagi new Canterbury Bulls coach". 4 March 2016. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
- ↑ Stingrays romp home in premiership final nzrl.co.nz, 17 October 2015
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