| Clubname: | Waikato rugby league team |
| Fullname: | Waikato Rugby League Football Club |
| Nickname: | Cougars |
| Colours: | Black Red Yellow |
| Founded: | 1921 |
| Exited: | 2009 |
| Ground: | Trustbank Park, Hamilton |
| Ground2: | Davies Park, Huntly |
| Capacity: | 10,000 |
| League: | Bartercard Premiership |
| Premierships: | 1997 |
| Cup2: | Rugby League Cup |
| Cup2titles: | 1922-24, 1927, 1930, 1932, 1975-76, 1997-99 |
The Waikato rugby league team (also known as the Waikato Cougars, formerly as South Auckland) is a New Zealand rugby league team that represents the Waikato Rugby League in New Zealand Rugby League competitions. They competed in the Lion Red Cup from 1994 to 1996, the Super League Challenge Cup in 1997 and the Bartercard Premiership in 2008 and 2009.
Between 1994 and 1996, the Waikato region was represented by the Waikato Cougars in the Lion Red Cup competition. The team's inaugural captain was Tukere Barlow while Joe Gwynne was the coach. The team was originally going to be called the Stags or the Chiefs before the Cougars nickname was selected.
Notable players included; Martin Moana, Gavin Hill, Tama Hohaia, Francis Leota, Darryl Beazley, 1994 captain Tukere Barlow, Butch Tua, 1995 captain Aaron Tucker, Tony Waikato, Kiwi Mark Woods and Hekewaru Muru.[1] [2]
| width=30 | Season | width=20 abbr="Played" | Pld | width=20 abbr="Won" | W | width=20 abbr="Drawn" | D | width=20 abbr="Lost" | L | width=20 abbr="Points for" | PF | width=20 abbr="Points against" | PA | width=20 abbr="Points difference" | PD | width=20 abbr="Points" | Pts | width=150 | Position | width=250 | Finals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 22 | 16 | 1 | 5 | 589 | 405 | 184 | 33 | Second | Lost Elimination Semifinal | |||||||||||
| 1995 | 22 | 13 | 1 | 8 | 471 | 379 | 92 | 27 | Fourth | Lost Elimination Semifinal | |||||||||||
| 1996 | 22 | 13 | 1 | 8 | 515 | 472 | 43 | 27 | Fourth | Lost preliminary final |
The Waikato Cougars won the Super League Challenge Cup in 1997, defeating Canterbury in the final. During this year they also defeated Auckland at Carlaw Park for the first time since 1943 and won the Rugby League Cup. They defended the Rugby League Cup in 1998.
See main article: Waicoa Bay Stallions. The Waikato region was represented in the Bartercard Cup competition by the Waicoa Bay Stallions, a co-operative team involving players from Waikato, Coastline and Bay of Plenty federations.
| width=30 | Season | width=20 abbr="Played" | Pld | width=20 abbr="Won" | W | width=20 abbr="Drawn" | D | width=20 abbr="Lost" | L | width=20 abbr="Points for" | PF | width=20 abbr="Points against" | PA | width=20 abbr="Points difference" | PD | width=20 abbr="Points" | Pts | width=150 | Position | width=250 | Finals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 16 | 4 | 2 | 10 | 380 | 455 | -75 | 10 | 9th (12) | N/A | |||||||||||
| 2005 | 16 | 3 | 0 | 13 | 368 | 620 | -252 | 6 | 12th (12) | N/A | |||||||||||
| 2006 | 18 | 5 | 2 | 11 | 494 | 662 | -168 | 12 | 8th (10) | N/A | |||||||||||
| 2007 | 18 | 5 | 1 | 12 | 418 | 682 | -264 | 11 | 7th (10) | N/A |
Waikato Rugby League were one of the six teams that compete in the National Provincial Competition in 2008 and 2009. In both years they finished third.
| width=30 | Season | width=20 abbr="Played" | Pld | width=20 abbr="Won" | W | width=20 abbr="Drawn" | D | width=20 abbr="Lost" | L | width=20 abbr="Points for" | PF | width=20 abbr="Points against" | PA | width=20 abbr="Points difference" | PD | width=20 abbr="Points" | Pts | width=150 | Position | width=250 | Finals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 110 | 138 | -28 | 6 | Third | N/A | |||||||||||
| 2009 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 130 | 108 | 22 | 6 | Third | Lost semi-final |
Over the years Waikato has been an infrequent stop for touring international rugby league teams.
| Game | Date | Result | Venue | Attendance | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 September 1913 | New South Wales def. Waikato 20–14 | 1,500 | 1913 NSW Tour of New Zealand | |
| 2 | 18 September 1919 | Australia def. Waikato 58–5 | 1,500 | 1919 Kangaroo tour of New Zealand | |
| 3 | 28 July 1924 | England def. Waikato 30–12 | 1924 Great Britain Lions tour | ||
| 4 | 20 July 1960 | France def. Waikato 32–2 | 3,071 | 1960 French Tour of Australasia | |
| 5 | 5 July 1961 | Australia def. Waikato 26–8 | 866 | 1961 Kangaroo tour of New Zealand | |
| 6 | 25 July 1962 | Great Britain def. Waikato 59–20 | 3,461 | 1962 Great Britain Lions tour | |
| 7 | 9 August 1964 | France def. Waikato 23–16 | 2,737 | 1964 French Tour of Australasia | |
| 8 | 23 June 1965 | Australia def. Waikato 25–4 | 1,800 | 1965 Kangaroo tour of New Zealand | |
| 9 | 3 August 1966 | Great Britain def. Waikato 47–8 | 2,933 | 1966 Great Britain Lions tour | |
| 10 | 10 May 1970 | NSW Country def. Waikato 22–11 | 3,000 | ||
| 11 | 3 August 1976 | Combined Sydney def. Waikato 41–3 | |||
| 12 | 20 September 1983 | Papua New Guinea def. Waikato 28–24 | 1983 Papua New Guinea Kumuls tour | ||
| 13 | 5 July 1988 | Papua New Guinea def. Waikato 38–12 | 1988 Papua New Guinea Kumuls tour | ||