The 2015 Heartland Championship, the tenth edition of the Heartland Championship since the 2006 reconstruction of the National Provincial Championship, was a rugby union competition involving the twelve semi-professional rugby unions in New Zealand. The tournament involved a round-robin stage in which the twelve teams played eight games each and then the top four advanced to the Meads Cup semifinals, while fifth to eighth advanced to the Lochore Cup semifinals. In both of these knockout stages the top seeds (first and fifth) played at home against the lowest seeds (fourth and eighth), the second highest seeds (second and sixth) played at home against the third highest seeds (third and seventh) and the final had the higher seed playing at home against the lower seed.
| Date | 22 August 2015–25 October 2015 |
|---|---|
| Countries |  New Zealand |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Wanganui (Meads Cup) King Country (Lochore Cup) |
| Runner-up | South Canterbury (Meads Cup) North Otago (Lochore Cup) |
← 2014 2016 → | |
Teams
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The 2015 Heartland Championship was contested by the following teams.
| Team | Super Rugby partner | Hometown | Home stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buller | Crusaders | Westport | Victoria Square | 5,000 |
| East Coast | Hurricanes | Ruatoria | Whakarua Park | 3,000 |
| Horowhenua-Kapiti | Hurricanes | Levin | Levin Domain | 6,500 |
| King Country | Chiefs | Taupō | Owen Delany Park | 20,000 |
| Mid Canterbury | Crusaders | Ashburton | Ashburton Showgrounds | 5,000 |
| North Otago | Highlanders | Oamaru | Whitestone Contracting Stadium | 7,000 |
| Poverty Bay | Hurricanes | Gisborne | More FM Rugby Park | 18,000 |
| South Canterbury | Crusaders | Timaru | Fraser Park | 12,000 |
| Thames Valley | Chiefs | Paeroa | Paeroa Domain | 3,000 |
| Wairarapa Bush | Hurricanes | Masterton | Trust House Memorial Park | 10,000 |
| Wanganui | Hurricanes | Wanganui | Cooks Gardens | 15,000 |
| West Coast | Crusaders | Greymouth | Rugby Park | 6,000 |
Standings
edit| Pos. | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TB | LB | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Canterbury | 8 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 346 | 162 | +184 | 7 | 0 | 35 |
| 2 | Mid Canterbury | 8 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 295 | 228 | +67 | 5 | 1 | 34 |
| 3 | Wanganui | 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 318 | 185 | +133 | 6 | 1 | 33 |
| 4 | Wairarapa Bush | 8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 238 | 192 | +46 | 5 | 2 | 23 |
| 5 | Horowhenua-Kapiti | 8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 263 | 261 | +2 | 5 | 2 | 23 |
| 6 | Buller | 8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 200 | 187 | +13 | 3 | 2 | 21 |
| 7 | King Country | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 245 | 192 | +53 | 3 | 0 | 21 |
| 8 | North Otago | 8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 189 | 252 | −63 | 2 | 2 | 20 |
| 9 | Thames Valley | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 206 | 255 | −49 | 4 | 0 | 16 |
| 10 | West Coast | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 184 | 208 | −24 | 3 | 1 | 16 |
| 11 | Poverty Bay | 8 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 227 | 333 | −106 | 4 | 2 | 10 |
| 12 | East Coast | 8 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 112 | 368 | −256 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Meads Cup qualification | |
| Lochore Cup qualification |
In the case of two teams being tied on points, the ranking of teams is decided by:
- (1) the winner of the round robin match between the two provinces; then
- (2) highest point difference; then
- (3) most tries scored; then
- (4) a coin toss.
In the case of three or more teams being tied on points, the ranking of teams is decided by:
- (1) the province with the most wins against other tied provinces in the Round Robin; then
- (2) if two teams remain tied they shall be ranked according to the criteria listed above, but if more than two teams remain tied, they shall be ranked according to criteria (2) to (4) only.
Finals
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Semifinals
edit- Meads Cup
| 17 October 2015 | South Canterbury | 25–21 | Wairarapa Bush | Fraser Park, Timaru | ||
| 14:30 (NZST) | Report |
| 17 October 2015 | Mid Canterbury | 11–26 | Wanganui | Ashburton Showgrounds, Ashburton | ||
| 14:30 (NZST) | Report |
- Lochore Cup
| 17 October 2015 | Horowhenua-Kapiti | 12–57 | North Otago | Levin Domain, Levin | ||
| 14:00 (NZST) | Report |
| 17 October 2015 | Buller | 6–20 | King Country | Victoria Square, Westport | ||
| 14:30 (NZST) | Report |
Finals
edit- Meads Cup
| 24 October 2015 | South Canterbury | 11–28 | Wanganui | Fraser Park, Timaru | ||
| 16:35 (NZST) | Report |
- Lochore Cup
| 24 October 2015 | King Country | 47–34 | North Otago | Rugby Park, Te Kūiti | ||
| 13:35 (NZST) | Report |
See also
edit- Hanan Shield competed for by Mid Canterbury, North Otago and South Canterbury
- Rundle Cup played between Buller and West Coast
- New Zealand Heartland XV
- Ranfurly Shield 2010–2019
- 2015 ITM Cup