Taranaki Rugby Football Union

Taranaki Rugby Football Union

Nickname(s)	Amber and Blacks
Founded	1885
Region	Taranaki
Ground(s)	Yarrow Stadium (Capacity: 25,000)
Coach(es)	Colin (Coops) Cooper
Captain(s)	Craig Clarke
League(s)	ITM Cup
3rd (2011)

Taranaki Rugby Football Union (TRFU) is the governing body of Rugby in the New Zealand province of Taranaki. The main stadium is Yarrow Stadium which is in the main centre of New Plymouth. Taranaki plays in the annual ITM Cup in which it also competes for the Ranfurly shield. Taranaki are the current holders of the Ranfurly Shield due to their hard-fought 15-12 victory over Southland on 24th August, 2011. Before 2006 the team competed in the National Provincial Championship (NPC), with its best finishes coming in 1998 and 2000 when they came fourth over all, both times being knocked out in the semifinals. In 2011 they placed 3rd in the ITM Cup, their best placing since the national championship began in 1976. Taranaki has won the NPC second division more than any other Union in New Zealand, a record that the club will keep now the NPC is defunct. Taranaki also plays for the Ryan Wheeler memorial trophy, a trophy played for annually with the Waikato Rugby Union.

History

The justification for marking the year 1885 as the Formation of the Taranaki Rugby Union is based not on the fact that the Union itself was created then, but because 1885 marked the first occasion on which Taranaki placed a touring team in the field, the Union was not actually established until 1889.

On 31 May 1898 the Hawera club convened a meeting at Hawera, of delegates from the Hawera, Waimate (Manaia), New Plymouth, Okaiawa, and Eltham clubs. This meeting agreed to form the Taranaki union. During the year Stratford and Midhirst clubs united as Manganui club, Tikorangi and Waitara clubs combined as Clifton club, and Inglewood and New Plymouth Star clubs were (among others) founded and became part of the union. By the turn of the century, Taranaki RFU had produced 11 All Blacks, six of whom toured Great Britain in 1905. In 1956 they held the South African tourists to a 3-3 draw.

Match Centurions

Across Taranaki rugby history 32 players have now played 100 or more matches for the Taranaki union.

The 32 players and the details are:

Name	Career Span	Matches		Name	Career Span	Matches		Name	Career Span	Matches
Mark Allen	1988 – 96	110		I.C.A. Flavell	1956–1965	105		R.J. Fraser	1973–1982	107
K.F. Barrett	1986 – 99	167		A.J. Gardiner	1966–1975	102		K.P. Hurley	1959–1971	120
Ross Brown	1953–1968	144		Dave Loveridge	1974–1986	135		I.H. MacDonald	1956–1966	121
W.G. Bunn	1979–1989	109		S.R. McDonald	1991–1998, 2000	116		J.T. McEldowney	1967, 1969–1980	125
P.S. Burke	1948–1959	117		P. Martin	1967, 1970–1979	125		Graham Mourie	1975–1982	104
C.G. Cooper	1979–1987	100		D.J. Murfitt	1984–1985 1987–1993	106		F.K. O’Carroll	1973–1983	128
Kieran Crowley	1980–1994	200		T.P.A. O’Sullivan	1955–1959 1961–1966	104		B.G. Robins	1980–1992	147
I.M. Eliason	1964–1981	223		A.W. Slater	1989–2001	180		Gordon Slater	1991–1995 1997–2005	176
R.I. Elmes	1980–1982 1984 - 1989	103		L.J. Thomson	1983–1985 1987–1991	104		J.M. Thwaites	1969–1981	120
K.W. Eynon	1991–1995 1999–2000	103		Paul Tito	1998–2006	100		M.G.Watts	1978–1985	123
M.C.Wills	1962–1972	131		Tony Penn	1999 - 2009	103

• The primary source for this table is the official Taranaki web-site. It is worth noting that the basis of these figures is matches recognised by the Taranaki Union and not its parent body the NZ union. Two players have significant differences between the NZ union recognised figures and the Taranaki figures. Firstly, Ian Eliason's NZRFU recognised figure is 222 which gives him a share of the NZ record of most matches for a union while the Taranki figure includes a non-first class match which takes the figure to 223 which would give him the record outright. Kieran Crowley played in that same non-first class match and thus the NZRFU recognise just 199 of his matches as being first class.

Major Sponsors

The Major Sponsors for the Taranaki Rugby Team are:

• Port Taranaki
• Canterbury
• Tui
• SHUK

Principal Sponsor

• Tenderlink

Jersey

Amber and Black hoops with white shorts. Jerseys are made by Canterbury.

Honours

• Ranfurly Shield August 24, 2011
• Ranfurly Shield August 24, 1996 (1 defence)
• 1995 National Provincial Championship Second Division Champions
• 1992 National Provincial Championship Second Division Champions
• 1985 National Provincial Championship Second Division Champions
• 1984 National Provincial Championship Second Division Champions
• 1983 National Provincial Championship Second Division Champions
• 1982 National Provincial Championship Second Division Champions
• 1976 National Provincial Championship Second Division Champions
• Ranfurly Shield September 7, 1963 (15 defences)
• Ranfurly Shield September 28, 1957 (13 defences)
• Ranfurly Shield 1913 (6 defences)

Club Rugby

Taranaki senior grade club rugby has a number of different divisions, with Senior A, Development (B), Senior 3rds and Under 20. The Senior A and Development competitions involve a seeded first round competition and a round-robin second round with both teams playing at the same venue. The Senior 3rd and U20 competitions are organised differently with the two grades each splitting late in the season. The top 5 teams in Senior 3rds compete for the Senior 3rd title, with the balance competing for the Senior 4ths title. The top 6 teams in U20 compete for their title with the balance competing in a subsidiary competition.

Club finals day sees all 6 titles decided at Yarrow Stadium, along with the U13 title. The clubs also organise junior teams for age groups from Under 6 to Under 13 competing in the Ferdie Rugby competitions.

A number of amalgamations have taken place in recent years and created merged clubs at Senior levels though some of these clubs have retained teams in lower grades under their own identities. Also New Plymouth Boys' High School and Francis Douglas Memorial College supply teams that compete in the U20 competition. FDMC's 1st XV and NPBHS' 2nd XV compete in this grade. NPBHS's 1st XV formerly competed in this grade as well but in recent years have chosen to focus on their college fixtures.

Clubs

Current clubs and 2009 teams are (2008 teams listed - champions in Bold):

• Bell Block RFC - Senior 3rds
• Border RFC - Senior A
• Clifton RFC - Senior A, Senior B, U20s
• Coastal RFC - Senior A, Senior B, Senior 3rds, U20s
• Eltham/Kaponga RFC - Senior A, Senior B, Senior 3rds (Kaponga and Eltham compete as separate entities in Senior 3rds)
• Kaitake RFC - Senior 3rds (Senior 4ths)
• Inglewood RFC - Senior A, Senior B, U20s
• New Plymouth Old Boys RFC - Senior A, Senior B, U20s
• Okaiawa RFC - Senior B, Senior 3rds, U20s
• Spotswood United RFC - Senior A, U20s
• Southern RFC - Senior A, Senior B, Senior 3rds, U20s
• Stratford RFC - Senior A, Senior B, Senior 3rds, U20s
• Toko RFC - Senior 3rds
• Tukapa RFC - Senior A, Senior B, Senior 3rds, U20s
• Whangamomona RFC - No 2008 teams
• Francis Douglas Memorial College - U20s champions for the 4th time in a row
• New Plymouth Boys' High School - U20

For historical purposes the merged clubs are:

• Spotswood United RFC - Merger of the Spotswood College Old Boys and Star clubs
• Coastal RFC - Merger of the Okato, Rahotu and Opunake clubs
• Eltham/Kaponga RFC - Merger of the Eltham and Kaponga clubs
• Southern RFC - Merger of the Hawera, Hawera Athletic and Waimate clubs
• Border RFC - Merger of the Patea and Waverley clubs

Rugby at Secondary school level is organised by the TRFU via the Taranaki Secondary Schools Sports Association. The competition grades are Premier 1, Premier 2, Premier 3, U15 across 4 divisions (also open to players U16 and under 65 kg) and Girls The schools that participate in these grades are:

• New Plymouth Boys High school
• Francis Douglas Memorial College
• Stratford High School (as 'Central')
• Inglewood High School
• Hawera High School
• Spotswood College
• Waitara High School
• Coastal/Opunake (as 'Coastal')
• Sacred Heart Girls College
• New Plymouth Girls High School

Central includes players from the Eltham and Kaponga areas that may no longer attend school but are eligible to play due to their age. It also includes players who travel through to either NPBHS, FDMC or Hawera HS for their schooling but wish to continue playing for the area. Coastal is an amalgamation of the two schools in the area and operates in the same manner.

Referees

Referee's play a major part in all rugby. The Taranaki Rugby Referee's Association (TRRA) is affiliated to the TRFU and provides referees for matches at all levels from high school, to the TRFU Senior A competition. The TRRA's major sponsor is Taranaki Farmers where they still hold a very tight relationship and have done for many years. The TRRA annually names a Top 5 panel based on performances at the conclusion of the senior club season.

Top 5 for 2011 (same as 2010)

• 1) Richard Kelly (NZRU National Referees Squad)
• 2) Darryl Heibner
• 3) Chris Morrison (Regional Squad Squad)
• 4) Danny Dalleston
• 5) Neville Ritson

These top 5 referees are involved in Assistant Referee and other appointments for Taranaki's home ITM matches, and Super 14 and Internationals matches where required. Kelly has refereed in this years ITM Cup and Heartland Competition, where as Morrison will referee in age group and B representative matches in the Central Zone.

• William Johnston (20) was in the Hurricanes Development Regional Squad in 2008/09 and has finished his 2 allocated years in the New Zealand Rugby Union High Performance Referee Academy. Johnston was awarded with the Doug Bell Top Senior Referee Award in 2009 and was the most Promising Referee in his first year of refereeing in 2007. He then moved to Canterbury to study at the New Zealand Broadcasting School and refereed Senior Rugby in the Canterbury competition. Johnston was selected to referee at the Southern Zone U16 Tournament in Queenstown in 2010, his 3rd U16 Tournament in recent years, in which he has refereed the final of the last 2. He is currently in the Canterbury Referees Academy and involved in representative rugby.
• Max O'Leary was in the 2009 Hurricanes Development Regional Squad and refereed at the 2009 Hurricanes U16 Tournament. He continues to strive for top appointments. He's also a duty manager at Crowded House - the official bar of Taranaki rugby.
• Garth Wilson was selected to referee at the 2010 Hurricanes U16 Tournament and is a senior referee.

Current squad

2010 Taranaki Squad:

Forwards Shane Cleaver (Prop) Laurence Corlett (Hooker) Michael Bent (Prop) Tony Penn (Prop) James Hincho (Hooker) Andrew Hore (Hooker) Timothy Tutavaha (Hooker)	Forwards James Broadhurst (Lock) Jason Eaton (Lock) Craig Clarke (Lock) Jarrad Hoeata (Lock/Loose Forward) Leon Power (Lock) Nemia Soqeta (Lock/Loose Forward) Ben Souness (Loose Forward) Samuela Vunisa (No 8) Scott Waldrom (Loose Forward) Chris Walker (Loose Forward) Johnny Willis (Flanker)	Backs Beauden Barrett (1st Five) Jack Cameron (Midfield) Willie Rickards (Midfield) Willie Ripia (1st Five) Paul Perez (Wing/Midfield) Tyson Keats (Halfback) Ed Jenkins (Wing) Asalemo Malo (Fullback/Wing) Brett Goodin (Halfback) Jayden Hayward (Midfield) Nathan Hohaia (Midfield) Andre Taylor (Fullback)

Awards (Amber & Black Awards)

2010 Amber & Black Awards.

• Player of the Year (Craig Clarke)
• Dalgleish Diamond Jeweller MVP of the Year (James Broadhurst)
• Try of the Year (Andre Taylor)
• Sportsman's Trophy (Chris Walker)
• Top Points Scorer (Willie Ripia)
• Top Try Scorer (Jayden Hayward)
• Most Promising Player (Beauden Barrett)
• Back of the Year (Jayden Hayward)
• Forward of the Year (James Broadhurst)

Notable players (current and former players)

• Paul Tito
• Mark Allen
• Kieran Crowley
• Tony Penn
• Jarrod Hoeata
• Gordon Slater
• Chris Masoe
• Paul Perez
• Jayden Hayward
• Scott Waldrom

Taranaki All Blacks

Current All Blacks

• Jarrad Hoeata
• Andrew Hore

Former All Blacks

H L Abbott- 1905-06 L Allen - 1896-97 1901 M R Allen-1993-95-96 A Bayly - 1893-94-97 W Bayly - 1894 G E Beatty -1950 R J Boon -1960 N J G Bowden -1952 K C Briscoe(Monkey) -1959-60-62-63-64 C Brown -1913-20 H W Brown -1924-25-26 R H Brown -1955-56-57-58-59-61-62 P S Burke- 1951-55-57 M J Cain -1913-14 D Cameron -1908 R L Clarke -1932 M S Cockerill -1951 A H Collins -1932-34 K J Crowley -1983-84-85-86-87-90-91 W D R Currey -1968 H Dewar - 1913 J J Eaton- 2005-06 I M Eliason -1972-73 R Fogarty -1921

A J Gardiner -1974 F T Glasgow -1905-06 W S Glenn -1904-05-06 A Good 1893- H M Good -1894 A H Hart -1924-25 P H Hickey -1922 J Hoeata -2011 A K Hore -2002-04-05-06 D J Hughes -1897-1901-03 A L Humphries -1897-1901 J Hunter -1905-06-07-08 D Johnston -1925 C N Kingstone -1921 A L Kivell -1929 J T Lambie -1893-94 D S Loveridge -1978-79-80-81-82-83-85 G Loveridge -1913-14 J F McCullough -1959 J T McEldowney -1976-77 J Major -1963-64-67 C M Masoe -2005-06 F H Masters -1922 H P Mills -1897

G N K Mourie- 1976-77-78-79-80-81-82 B L Muller -1967-68-69-70-71 H J Mynott -1905-07 B C O’Dowda -1901 J M O’Sullivan -1905-07 T P O’Sullivan -1960-61-62 R W Roberts -1913-14 B G Robins -1985 R A Roper -1949-50 A I Scown -1972-73 G L Slater -1997-2000 A E Smith -1967-69-70 L Stohr -1910-13 J L Sullivan -1936-37-38 R Taylor -1913 R J Urbahn -1959-60 S Waldrom -2008 J Walter -1925 E P Ward -1928 J D Watson -1896 M G Watts -1979-80 W J G Wells -1897 A H West -1920-21-23-24-25 M C Wills -1967 T N Wolfe -1963-68

Life Members

Hon R J MASTERS* WA O'SULLIVAN* WH GUY* AL MOYES* GF HUMPHRIES* JS BERTRAND* AR HICKEY* C DAVIS* RD BROWN* JJ SPENCE* GA GOODWIN* JDA KENNY* H MACKAY* GH GILHOOLEY* CP THOMSON* W CROWLEY* S THOMSON* KP STURMEY* R LANGMAN*	JL SULLIVAN* FT BELLRINGER* U WALKER* J SCOTT* AJ PATTERSON* D O'DEA* RB YOUNG* NH STANLEY* JJ STEWART* H BUTCHART* RA ROPER GC GRACE* VK MORRIS* WE CHARLTON* LA HOLLOWAY* R WALKER* JA WETTON* RH BROWN	PS BURKE IM ELIASON WE SANGER* JD GILBERT* TN MACLEOD BD WRIGHT* GS BOWEN* G MCKENNA* AB THOMAS* SC HOLDT* RA LITHGOW (Member of the Taranaki Rugby Referees Association) LRG EARBY GR RATTENBURY NL MCLEAN KJ CROWLEY LF WALSH DH BELL AW SLATER
*Deceased

All Black captains

Reuben Thorne is the fourth old boy from New Plymouth Boys' High School to captain the All Blacks in a test match. Just one school, Southland Boys High School has produced more - with six.

New Plymouth’s four have been:

Name	Year	Tests
A R (Ponty) Reid	1957	2 Tests
D J (John) Graham	1964	3 Tests
G N K (Graham) Mourie	1977-82	19 Tests
R D (Reuben) Thorne	2001	22 Tests

The Dean Cup

This picture shows the 1907 Strathmore Dean Cup side, which defeated Whangamomona to become the first holder of the Dean Cup.

The Dean Cup is believed to be the oldest competition trophy still being played for in the sport of Rugby Union. Played for between three rural Taranaki clubs, Strathmore, Whangamomona and Toko, it was originally presented by Mrs Athalinda Dean in 1906 for a cricket match, however due to poor playing conditions this was canceled and a rugby match began the tradition in 1907.

In 2003 when Whangamomona challenged Strathmore for the cup and the game was played at Yarrow Stadium on April 19 as a curtain raiser to the Hurricanes Vs Highlanders Super 12 match. Strathmore were victorious, on this occasion, holding on to defended the cup and winning 17-16 in front of a capacity crowd. This is the first time that the Dean Cup has been played for outside of the Eastern Districts.

External links

• Official Site
• Taranaki Referee Associations website
• Taranaki rugby (NZHistory.net.nz)