Rugby League Cup Explained

The Rugby League Cup is a New Zealand rugby league trophy that is contested between districts on a challenge basis. The trophy used to be known as the Northern Union Challenge Cup.

It is the oldest rugby league competition in New Zealand.^[1]

History

New Zealand rugby league was born with events such as the All Golds tour of England,^[2] and matches in Wellington and Auckland in 1908.^[3] John Coffey writes in Te Ara, "The Auckland Rugby League was formed in July 1909, and North Shore played City as the forerunner to an inter-club competition that started in 1910. By this time, league was also being played in Taranaki, Rotorua, Hawke’s Bay, Nelson, Marlborough and Southland."^[3]

The Cup was made in Bradford and donated to Auckland for inter-provincial competition by the touring 1910 Great Britain Lions.^[4]

The Cup was first contested in 1911, when Auckland successfully defended it four times.^[5] The Cup was held by Auckland until 1922.^[6]

Auckland are the current holders of the Cup after they defeated Canterbury in a one-off match on 4 June 2012. This was marked as a "centennial" match.^[7]

Past winners

Year by year

Year Champions 1910 Auckland[8] 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 Auckland 1922 South Auckland 1923 South Auckland 1924 South Auckland 1925 South Auckland Auckland 1926 Auckland 1927 Auckland South Auckland 1928 South Auckland Auckland (June) 1929 Auckland 1930 South Auckland 1931 North Auckland 1932 South Auckland 1933 West Coast 1934 West Coast Canterbury (18 August[9]) 1935 Canterbury 1936 Canterbury West Coast 1937 West Coast 1938

Year Champions World War II 1946 West Coast 1947 West Coast Wellington[10] 1948 Wellington 1949 Wellington 1950 Auckland 1951 Auckland 1952 Auckland Wellington Auckland 1953 Auckland 1954 1955 Auckland West Coast Auckland 1956 Auckland 1957 1958 1959 1960 Auckland[11] West Coast Auckland 1961 Auckland 1962 Auckland Canterbury West Coast 1963 West Coast Canterbury 1964 Canterbury Auckland 1965 Auckland 1966 1967 Auckland 1968 Auckland West Coast Canterbury 1969 Renamed Rugby League Cup. Canterbury West Coast 1970 West Coast Canterbury

Year Champions 1971 Canterbury Wellington West Coast 1972 West Coast 1973 West Coast 1974 West Coast Canterbury 1975 Canterbury Taranaki Waikato 1976 Waikato 1977 Taranaki 1978 Taranaki 1979 Taranaki 1980 Wellington Canterbury 1981 Canterbury 1982 Canterbury Wellington 1983 Wellington 1984 1985 Wellington Taranaki Canterbury[12] 1986 Canterbury Auckland 1987 Auckland 1988 1989 1990 Auckland Canterbury (29 April[13]) Wellington 1991 Wellington Auckland Canterbury 1992 Canterbury Wellington (17 May[14]) Canterbury

Year Champions 1993 Canterbury[15] 1994 Canterbury 1995 Canterbury Auckland 1996 Auckland 1997 Auckland Canterbury (June) Waikato (12 October[16]) 1998 Waikato 1999 Waikato Taranaki (24 April[17]) 2000 Taranaki Coastline[18] 2001 Coastline Tasman[19] 2002 Tasman Otago (8 September[20]) 2003 Otago 2004 2005 Gisborne Tairawhiti 2006 2007 Gisborne Tairawhiti Hawke's Bay (15 September) Canterbury 2008 Canterbury Auckland (28 September)[21] 2009 Auckland Canterbury (23 August)[22] [23] 2010 Canterbury 2011 2012 Auckland (4 June)[24] [25]

Notes and References

1. Coffey . John . Rugby league overview . Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand . 5 September 2013 . 1.
2. Coffey . John . Origins of rugby league . Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand . 5 September 2013 . 2.
3. Coffey . John . Arrival in New Zealand . Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand . 5 September 2013 . 3.
4. Coffey, John and Bernie Wood Auckland, 100 years of rugby league, 1909-2009, 2009., p.39.
5. http://www.hawkesbaytoday.co.nz/sport/news/rugby-league-bay-crowned-cup-kings/3748803/ Bay crowned cup kings
6. Coffey . John . Domestic competition: Rugby League Cup . Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand . 5 September 2013 . 5.
7. Web site: Collection of rugby league programmes. 1950s, 1970, 2012 . National Library of New Zealand.
8. News: Representative Match/Auckland V Hawke's Bay. 9. The New Zealand Herald. LVI. 17235. 11 August 1911. 18 August 2019.
9. Coffey, John. Canterbury XIII, Christchurch, 1987.
10. http://www.sportingpulse.com/assoc_page.cgi?c=1-4979-0-0-0&sID=155965 History Of Wellington Rugby League Association
11. http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/1966/rugby-league-football/1 Rugby League Football
12. Web site: FLASHBACK FRIDAY: CANTERBURY WINS 1985 RUGBY LEAGUE CUP (August 30, 2019) . Canterbury Rugby League – Home to the Canterbury Bulls.
13. Lion Red Rugby League Annual 1990 New Zealand Rugby League, 1990.
14. Lion Red Rugby League Annual 1992 New Zealand Rugby League, 1992. p.130
15. Lion Red Rugby League Annual 1993, New Zealand Rugby Football League, 1993. p.137
16. Coffey, John and Bernie Wood Auckland, 100 years of rugby league, 1909-2009, 2009., p.317.
17. http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-23973355.html Sharks put bite on Waikato Cougars
18. News: Rugby League: Orcas give Mariners incentive for Challenge Cup . 22 August 2001 . . . 6 November 2011.
19. http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-14378729.html Orcas fired up to retain league cup
20. http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-14380155.html Otago snatches cup from muddled Orcas
21. Coffey, John and Bernie Wood Auckland, 100 years of rugby league, 1909-2009, 2009., p.357.
22. http://www.aucklandleague.co.nz/display_page.asp?item=333 Bulls regain league cup
23. Geoff Longley It's go the South Island, No Bull The Press, 4 June 2010
24. http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/sport/rugby-league/6590649/League-cup-match-returns-to-spiritual-home-in-June League cup match returns to spiritual home in June
25. http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/sport/7041936/Auckland-spoil-Bulls-coachs-finale/ Auckland spoil Bulls coach's finale