Every sport has their premier competitions for teams and players to aspire to. The pinnicle of representation, before you begin to be selected for national honours. A competition where that sports governing organisation puts in place a ‘theatre’ for provincial/regional sides to pit their best players up against each other for the reward of being the best team in the land. The regional formula is proven worldwide, and for New Zealand (NZ) rugby that competition began on Thursday when the 2015 ITM Cup kicked off.
Beginning last Thursday night, game one saw Southland host Auckland at Rugby Park, Invercargill. These two traditional rivals put on a very good match, players putting their bodies on the line with the cheers from the crowd showing how pssionate our nation is for this game. While there were some errors due to the greasy ball and the sides first-up matches, all together it was a good display that ended in a draw 23-23. That showed us the level of competition, those two sides committed to representing their region with pride and passion.
From round one until the finalists are determined, sports fans will be delivered a wealth of ‘grassroots footy’ and NZ Rugby anticipate another great season ahead as the ITM gets started, and fans are the winners.
This is the sixth season of this ITM sponsored competition which replaced the fading Air NZ Championship back in 2011. Fans are becoming accustomed to the format that was introduced of a promotion/relegation system over two divisions – Premiership [teams one to seven] and the Championship [teams eight to fourteen] This style and the high frequency of games involves matches played from Wednesday to Sunday every round, a fresh schedule that offers something for everyone. That format sees every team play the other in their division, plus two cross-division games as well as Ranfurly Shield home defenses from the current holder Hawkes Bay.
The ITM Cup teams are: Premiership – Taranaki, Auckland, Canterbury, Tasman, Manawatu, Counties-Manukau and Waikato.
Champonship – Hawkes Bay [Ranfurly Shield holders] Wellington, Southland, Bay of Plenty, North Harbour, Otago and Northland
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Round One results
Southland 23 Auckland 23; Waikato 20 Tasman 35; Bay of Plenty 20 North Harbour 11; Taranaki 14 Wellington 19; Otago 24 Canterbury 38; Counties-Manukau 36 Manawatu 35; Hawkes Bay 39 Northland 10.
The good things to come out of this weekend were – Wellington grabbing their opportunity and taking a victory away from last years Premiership winning side. It was a huge reversal of fortunes from the 2014 Wellington side, who only managed the single win last year and this young side is brimming with Super Rugby players, high on confidence and with some fresh young faces who complimented a good defence with a good sense of attack. Taranaki will be loathe to review this match, as in the second half they looked primed to respond, until resolute defense halted their course.
We saw good things from Canterbury first match into the season, who began with a physical match at Forsyth-Barr Stadium. They took advantage of the perfect conditions to run over the Otago side. Taking maximum points (with four tries) it bodes well for them, but Otago will want to work on their set piece and utilize their forward packs weight more. Losing at home will undermine their chances, so they must make the most of the next home game against Hawkes Bay next Saturday night.
The thrilling win on Sunday afternoon by the Tana Umaga coached Counties-Manukau side was just what the competition needed. Manawatu have shown so much in the last few years and it should have been an easy match to bank, but as so many sides do when they don’t take the opposition seriously [All Blacks last week} this South Auckland side had the belief and made themselves proud with a credible performance. They played to win, and what a win to begin with. Full credit boys.
What to look forward to.
As the first round of matches are completed, we gain an insight into which teams have hit the ground running. One common denominator is that you need to gain early points to retain any momentum gained from pre-season and maximise their returning Super Rugby players. Having those players from the start will help most teams, even while many leading All Blacks are still with the test side, it is just as important to have a strong roster of high caliber players who can step up to the level.
That can be a big ask for teams like Northland and Counties Manukau, but with provincial pride on the line; and potentially a Super Rugby contract on offer, each side needs to have good depth in 2015 but it is early days, and when it gets to the fourth or fifth rounds, we should see ‘the cream rise to the top’. Not just the best sides, but also the sides who can adapt to the heavy schedule – Bay of Plenty and Southland will be the first sides to have dual-games during week three, so those two sides need to make the most of those results. With up to three victories available (maximum of 15 points) teams who can meet that high ratio of rugby without injuries will be well placed to reach the post-season.
The action to open with might not have been ‘red hot’ with a draw down at Invercargill, a few low scoring games and the upset loss by Taranaki, some teams need to step it up next week. I’m not forecasting any big drubbings or 50 point scores, but as the sides become accustomed to the competition, performance levels will pick up.
As the ITM gets started fans get to enjoy the great selection of matches, and they will vote with their feet. The admission prices are very affordable and it will grow in popularity as fans plan out their schedule. I for one am hoping to see good attendance for the majority of games as well as good viewing figures on Sky and free-to-air Prime TV. A great selection, whether it’s Auckland playing Manawatu on a Wednesday night at Eden Park or Tasman hosting Canterbury in Nelson on a Saturday afternoon. Nothing better than sitting in the stands on a Sunday afternoon – grassroots rugby at it’s best.
With so much choice, fans will have a wealth of choice games to attend, and I will be attending North Harbour and Counties Manukau home games, and possibly travel up for the Northland home game on 6th of September. As a sports fan, I would encourage you to get down to the ground and show your support. And the best thing is, at most matches you can get close to the players and feel the atmosphere of a genuine contest.
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Women’s Provincial Championship
Our women’s team are in full preparation for their 2015 competition to begin on 22nd August. Expect to see the best players on show to highlight these strong women’s sides that support the ITM Cup. With many matches being pre-match games before ITM Cup fixtures, that will give these sides great exposure and myself I will be sure to arrive early for games that I attend to enjoy the fast paced action and very physical rugby these ladies demonstrate.
Many players on display are members of the all conquering Black Ferns New Zealand Women’s side, including Honey Hireme, Kendra Cocksedge and Renee Wickcliffe to name just a few. All the women involved will bring their skill and determination to challenge the current holders Auckland, so there will be some tremendous matches to look forward to nationwide and unlike the full round robin format of previous seasons, this year each team will play six matches; three home and three away games over a seven week period, with one bye week per side.
The teams are: Auckland Storm; Bay of Plenty Volcanix; Counties Manukau Heat; Canterbury; Hawke’s Bay Tuis; Manawatu Cyclones; Otago Spirit; Waikato and the Wellington Pride.
As well as the Provincial title on the line, teams will also contest the JJ Stewart Trophy, the women’s equivalent of the Ranfurly Shield. Held by the Volcano’s, this prestigious prize is on the line in every home match for the holder, as it is with the ‘Log o’Wood’. Canterbury challenge first, so that will add some impetus on many matches, so by the end of the seven week round-robin play, we will see the best of women’s rugby on display.
I’m really looking forward to this competition, round one kicks off 22nd August and combined with the ITM Cup, there is plenty of rugby to enjoy from now until we reach the qualifying games in October. Get out there guys, and vote with your feet. Take the kids down, enjoy a day out with mates or sit back and watch the matches at home. It’s our game, and by the end of the season, we will see which province can call themselves the best in the land.
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Next week
I look at the Heartland Championship “It’s in our blood”. I cover Round Two of ITM Cup and begin to look at the selections for Rugby World Cup 2015. So I hope you enjoy my series on the RugbyNZ_ landscape. It’s great to share some aspects of the game from a New Zealand perspective, and of course enjoy all the rugby you get to watch. It’s the best time of the year if you ask me. Enjoy.
“Main Photo”
