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Taranaki Rugby Football Union

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The Taranaki Rugby Football Union (also referred to as Taranaki Rugby) is the governing body for rugby union in Taranaki, New Zealand and was established in 1889. Taranaki is a region of New Zealand that covers areas in the districts of New Plymouth, Stratford and South Taranaki. Taranaki Rugby's two most senior representative teams are the men's NPC side, Taranaki Bulls, and the women's Farah Palmer Cup side, Taranaki Whio. The union is affiliated with the Chiefs Super Rugby franchise. Their playing colours are amber and black and they play their home games at Yarrow Stadium in New Plymouth.

Taranaki Rugby
SportRugby union
JurisdictionTaranaki Region
AbbreviationTRFU
Founded1889; 135 years ago (1889)
AffiliationNew Zealand Rugby
HeadquartersNew Plymouth
CEOMike Sandle
Men's coachNeil Barnes
Women's coachMaifea Maifea
Official website
www.trfu.co.nz
New Zealand

History

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Early years

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Taranaki was officially established in 1889 after a team chosen from the surrounding clubs in existence played as Egmont in 1885. They began with a brown coloured jersey before adopting the amber and black hoops in 1892. During the amateur period, the team won the Ranfurly Shield on four occasions. It had also won seven-second division titles in the National Provincial Championship, more than any other team. Further notable moments were in 1959, when a record 35,000 spectators attended Rugby Park in New Plymouth to see the province play the British Lions. Two years later 36,000 people were on hand to watch France defeat the side 11-9.[1]

 
1907 Strathmore Dean Cup side.

Their first Ranfurly Shield victory came in 1913 when Auckland was defeated 14-11. Six successful defences followed before a 12-6 loss to Wellington in September 1914. In 1957 shield holders Wellington was defeated in a friendly match early in the year and a rematch was scheduled for later in the season. Otago defeated Wellington, and Otago accepted a special challenge by Taranaki. The match was played on 28 September 1957, the last Saturday of the season, after King Country gave up its scheduled fixture with Taranaki. Taranaki won against Otago for them to, later on, go a 13-match tenure.[1]

In 1963 Taranaki regained the Ranfurly Shield once again off Wellington with a win at Athletic Park. Their third tenure would be its most successful one. The first challenge came from Wanganui who were making their second challenge of the season, having lost earlier to Auckland. Wanganui later would suffer a further defeat in 1964. Taranaki lost to Auckland in their last defence in 1965 and would not reclaim the shield again until 1996 when they edged Auckland 42-39. North Harbour lost narrowly in a tight contest before Taranaki was beaten by 20 points against Waikato.[1]

Professional era

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In August 2011 Taranaki defeated Southland 15-12 in Invercargill to begin a fifth tenure of the shield.[2] This ended in October 2012 when Waikato won the last challenge of the season.[3] In 2013 Taranaki RFU assembled a women's professional team although it was later disbanded the following year.[4] They claimed the national title for the first time in their history with a win over Tasman in the 2014 ITM Cup.[5]

Referees

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Taranaki has a proud history of producing top level referees. Brian Duffy was the region's first test match referee and controlled six internationals, including one test between the British and Irish Lions and All Blacks in 1977. Paul Williams followed with his test debut coming in 2017.

Cam Stone and Will Johnston are in the National Panel and take charge of domestic competition matches. Richard Kelly featured in the panel for 12 years, including a successful sevens career, where he was the world's most capped sevens referee when he retired in March 2021. He controlled 280 matches over 52 tournaments, including the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in 2018, 2018 World Rugby 7s World Cup and 2016 Rio Olympics, in which he refereed one semi-final.

Other Taranaki referees have been involved in the national scene in the past, these are; Dee Luckin, Darryl Heibner, Chris Pollock, Brian MacDonald, Paul Macfie, Stuart Beissell, Ross Whitmore, Paul Honiss, Russell Hodge and Murray Dombroski.

Affiliated clubs

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There are 29 registered clubs incorporated and secondary schools affiliated with the Taranaki RFU, most of which have teams at both senior and junior levels. The Taranaki Rugby Referees' Association is also an affiliated member of the Taranaki RFU. The organisation provides match officials for senior club rugby down to junior grades. They also provide sideline support personnel to home National Provincial Championship, Super Rugby and test matches.

Club Founded Total Premierships

(McMaster's Shield)

Premiership Winning Seasons All Blacks Mergers
Current Clubs Bell Block Rugby Sports and Community Club
Clifton Rugby & Sports Club 1880
Coastal Rugby & Sports Club 2009 Mark Robinson 2000-02, Beauden Barrett, Scott Barrett, Jordie Barrett Merger of the Okato RFC, the Rahotu RFC and the Opunake RFC.
Inglewood United RFC 1898 1940, 1960, 1970, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 2006, 2014, 2021 Rugby in Inglewood began in 1893, when Inglewood’s first rugby club, the Athletic Club, was formed. Shortly after in 1896, the Pirates Club was formed. These two clubs united to form one club in 1898
Kaponga RFC 1907 Ian Eliason 1972-73, Kieran Crowley 1984-91
New Plymouth HSOB RFC 1919 17 1995 H.W. Brown 1924-26, R.A. Roper 1949-50, G. Beatt, 1950, N.J. Bowden, 1952, R.H. Brown, 1955–62, R.J. Boon, 1960, J.T. McEldowney, 1976–77, M. Watt, 1979–80, G. Slater, 1999, T. Tahuriorangi 2018, T. Vaa’i 2020
Okaiawa RFC
Patea Rugby and Sports Club:
Southern Rugby Club 2013 Jarrad Hoeata 2011 Merger of the Hawera RFC, the Hawera Athletic RFC and the Waimate RFC (Manaia).
Spotswood United Rugby & Sports Club 1991 2019 Merger of the Star RFC and the Spotswood Old Boys RFC.
Stratford-Eltham Rugby & Sports Club 2016 Merger of Stratford RFC and Eltham RFC.
Toko RFC
Tukapa Rugby & Sports Club 1892 17 2017, 2020, 2022
Former (defunct or merged) clubs Eltham RFC Francis Glasgow 1903–05, Roger Urbahn 1959–60, Brian Muller 1967–71, Bryce Robins 1985.
Hawera Athletic RFC 1925
Hawera RFC 1886
Okato RFC
Opunake RFC
Rahotu RFC
Star RFC 1889 1947, 1948 Lewis (Snip) Allen 1896-1901, A.L. Humphries 1897, H.L. Abbott 1905-06, T.N. Wolfe  1961-1968, R.J. Fraser 1979
Stratford RFC
Spotswood College Old Boys RFC 1964
Waimate RFC (Manaia) 1886

Players

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Taranaki Bulls

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For the side that represents Taranaki Rugby Football Union in the Bunnings NPC, see Taranaki (National Provincial Championship).

Taranaki RFU has several teams under its control, one of note is the Taranaki Bulls who compete in New Zealand's national rugby union competition the Mitre 10 Cup. Their top professional team, the Bulls is coached by Willie Rickards and co-captained by lock Mitchell Brown and midfielder Teihorangi Walden.[23] Their traditional colors are amber and black hoops with white shorts, with Canterbury of New Zealand being the main manufacturer. They are also sponsored by proud Taranaki firm Yarrows the Bakers.

Taranaki Whio

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Taranaki Whio is the women's representative side that was reintroduced in 2018 to compete in the Farah Palmer Cup.[24] The 2020 squad for the Farah Palmer Cup is coached by former Taranaki men's representative Brendan Haami. The squad consists of 29 players, they are; Leah Barnard, Gayle Broughton, Sharee Brown, Tiana Davison, Freedom Edmonds, Chelsea Fowler, Tachelle Gardiner, Natale Haupapa, Iritana Hohaia, Kaya-Rose Kahui, Donia King, Alicia Manuirirangi, Kelsyn McCook, Victoria McCullough, Hannah McLean, Danielle Muggeridge, Paige Neilson, Jaymi Ngaia, Kate Parkinson, Chloe Sampson, Brooke Sim, Lyn Smith, Jalana Smith, Kate Thomson, Catriona Tulloch, Aliene Wallis, Sharniqua Weston-Jacobson, Nicole Whittle, Sarah Winter.[25]

Notable players

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Taranaki has produced 83 men's New Zealand internationals to date.[26] Below is a list of New Zealand national rugby union players along with their number and year of debut in brackets.

Personnel and statistics

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Seasonal record

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Year Pos. Division GP W L D PTS Captain Head coach
2006 11th N/A 9 3 6 0 16 Paul Tito Kieran Crowley
2007 8th N/A 11 4 7 0 23 Tony Penn
2008 8th N/A 11 4 6 1 23 Adrian Kennedy
2009 8th N/A 13 6 6 1 28
2010 5th N/A 13 9 4 0 42 Craig Clarke Colin Cooper
2011[a] 3rd Premiership 10 7 3 0 31
2012 4th Premiership 11 7 4 0 33
2013 6th Premiership 10 3 7 0 14 Kane Barrett
2014[b] 1st Premiership 12 9 2 1 38 James Marshall
2015 4th Premiership 11 6 5 0 32 Charlie Ngatai
2016 2nd Premiership 11 7 3 1 37 Mitchell Crosswell
2017[c] 1st Premiership 11 8 3 0 42 Charlie Ngatai
2018 7th Premiership 10 2 8 0 13 Mitchell Crosswell Willie Rickards
2019 5th Championship 10 4 6 0 18 Mitchell Brown
2020[d] 4th Championship 11 4 7 0 24
2021[e] 1st Championship 10 10 0 0 39 Mitchell Brown & Teihorangi Walden Neil Barnes
The table above shows the Taranaki RFU men's team progression throughout the professional era.
Source: New Zealand Rugby History
  1. ^ Taranaki won the Ranfurly Shield in 2011. It was their fifth tenure and defended it seven times.
  2. ^ Taranaki won the ITM Cup Premiership in 2014. It was their first time winning a first division title.
  3. ^ Taranaki won the Ranfurly Shield in 2017. It was their sixth tenure and defended it five times.
  4. ^ Taranaki won the Ranfurly Shield in 2020. It was their seventh tenure but failed to defend it.
  5. ^ Taranaki won the Bunnings NPC Championship Division in 2021, however weren't promoted.

List of centurions

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Pos. Name Year Primary position Games played
1 Kieran Crowley 1980–1994 Fullback 199
2 Ian Eliason 1964–1981 Lock 222
3 Andrew Slater 1989–2001 Lock 183
4 Gordon Slater 1991–2005 Prop 174
5 Kevin Barrett 1986–1999 Lock 167
6 Bryce Robins 1980–1992 Wing 147
7 Dave Loveridge 1975–1986 Half-back 123
7 Murray Watts 1978–1985 Wing 123
9 Tony Penn 1999–2009 Prop 117
10 Shane McDonald 1991–2000 Hooker 116
11 Bull Allen 1988–1996 Prop 110
12 Warren Bunn 1979–1989 Prop 109
13 Dwight Murfitt 1984–1993 Wing 106
14 Graham Mourie 1975–1982 Flanker 104
14 Felix O'Carroll 1975–1983 Hooker 104
14 Lindsay Thomson 1983–1991 Lock 104
17 Ross Elmes 1980–1989 Prop 103
17 Kerry Eynon 1991–2000 Centre 103
19 Ian Eliason 1975–1981 Lock 102
20 Colin Cooper 1979–1987 Number 8 100
20 Paul Tito 1997–2006 Lock 100
The table above shows the Taranaki RFU men's centurions from 1975.
Source: New Zealand Rugby History
Updated: 11 September 2020

List of top try-scorers

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Pos. Name Year Primary position Tries scored
1 Kieran Crowley 1980–1994 Fullback 64
2 Bryce Robins 1980–1992 Wing 59
3 Murray Watts 1978–1985 Wing 57
4 Shayne Austin 1998–2009 Wing 48
5 Charlie McAlister 1983–1987 Wing 36
6 Dwight Murfitt 1984–1993 Wing 33
7 Tony Arnold 1983–1987 Wing 32
8 Bull Allen 1988–1996 Prop 28
9 Andre Taylor 2010–2013 Fullback 27
10 Seta Tamanivalu 2012–2018 Centre 26
The table above shows the Taranaki RFU men's top 10 try-scorers from 1975.
Source: New Zealand Rugby History
Updated: 11 September 2020

List of top point-scorers

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Pos. Name Year Primary position Points scored
1 Kieran Crowley 1980–1994 Fullback 1,723
2 Daryl Lilley 1993–2003 Fullback 777
3 Jamie Cameron 1992–1999 First five-eighth 614
4 Stephen Davidson 1975–1982 Fullback 588
5 Marty McKenzie 2014–2017 First five-eighth 392
6 Mark Urwin 1997–2003 First five-eighth 361
7 Willie Ripia 2008–2010 First five-eighth 317
8 Jason Holland 1997–1998 First five-eighth 259
9 Bryce Robins 1980–1992 Wing 258
10 Kelvin Mahon 1985–1993 Fullback 247
The table above shows the Taranaki RFU men's top 10 point-scorers from 1975.
Source: New Zealand Rugby History
Updated: 11 September 2020

References

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  1. ^ a b c Ministry for Culture and Heritage (9 October 2015). "Taranaki Rugby History". New Zealand History. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  2. ^ Logan Savory (25 August 2011). "Taranaki claim Ranfurly Shield from Southland". Stuff. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  3. ^ "Waikato take Ranfurly Shield". Radio New Zealand. 4 October 2012. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  4. ^ "Two provinces join women's rugby competition". Radio New Zealand. 13 August 2014. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  5. ^ "Taranaki win 2014 ITM Cup Premiership". TVNZ. 25 October 2014. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  6. ^ "Bell Block Rugby Sports & Community Club". New Zealand Business Number. 17 October 1979. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  7. ^ "Central Rugby and Sports Club". New Zealand Business Number. 11 January 2008. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  8. ^ "Clifton Rugby and Sports Club". New Zealand Business Number. 7 August 1979. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  9. ^ "Coastal Rugby Football Club". New Zealand Business Number. 21 January 1997. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  10. ^ "Eltham Rugby Football Club". New Zealand Business Number. 15 October 1931. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  11. ^ "Inglewood United Rugby Football Club". New Zealand Business Number. 8 February 1932. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  12. ^ "Kaitake Rugby Football Club". New Zealand Business Number. 30 April 1985. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  13. ^ "Kaponga Rugby Football Club". New Zealand Business Number. 22 July 1928. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  14. ^ "New Plymouth High School Old Boys' Rugby Football and Sports Club". New Zealand Business Number. 8 May 1931. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  15. ^ "Okaiawa Rugby Football Club". New Zealand Business Number. 13 December 1928. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  16. ^ "Okato Rugby Football Club". New Zealand Business Number. 15 February 1929. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  17. ^ "Rahotu Community And Sports Club". New Zealand Business Number. 5 November 1984. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  18. ^ "Southern Rugby Football Club". New Zealand Business Number. 27 January 1995. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  19. ^ "Spotswood United Rugby Football & Sports Club". New Zealand Business Number. 22 July 1929. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  20. ^ "Stratford Eltham Rugby & Sports Club". New Zealand Business Number. 2 April 1925. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  21. ^ "Toko Rugby Football Club". New Zealand Business Number. 7 June 1976. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  22. ^ "Tukapa Rugby and Sports Club". New Zealand Business Number. 14 May 1929. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  23. ^ "2015 Port Taranaki Bulls ITM Cup Squad Announced". Taranaki Rugby. 17 July 2015. Archived from the original on 21 July 2015. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
  24. ^ "Port Taranaki Whio name squad and prepare for Farah Palmer Cup". Taranaki Rugby. 14 August 2018. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  25. ^ "Port Taranaki Whio 2020 Team Preview". Taranaki Rugby. 30 August 2020. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  26. ^ "Taranaki All Blacks". Taranaki Rugby. 10 September 2020. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
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