Representative
National Premiership
Northland
Auckland
Waikato
Rotorua Midlands
Gisbourne East Coast
Hawke's Bay
Manawatu
Taranaki
Wellington
West Coast
Canterbury
Otago
Southland
Inter Island games were played from 1925 to 1965, between Auckland, and Canterbury, West Coast and Southern, with Auckland winning most of the games. The emphasis switched to Inter Zone matches, played until 1979, and then Inter District matches, played until 1987, when the series died. The NZRL attempted to revive the series in 1996.
The games attracted virtually no public support, but there was a lot of interest from within the game as selection for the Pacific Tournament and the Lion Red Cup XIIIs followed from them.
North drew its team from the three Auckland based clubs, Waitakere City, Counties Makukau, and North Harbour, plus Waikato and Bay of Plenty, and the Soth drew theirs from everywhere else.
North Zone 22 beat South Zone 16
on Wednesday 29th May at Christchurch.
North Zone 21 beat South Zone 14
on Wednesday 12th June at Palmerston North.
North Zone 38 beat South Zone 16
on Friday 28th June at Auckland.
New Zealand 74 beat Papua New Guinea 0
at Rotorua.
New Zealand 88 beat Papua New Guinea 0
at Palmerston North.
New Zealand 35 beat Great Britain Juniors 14
at Auckland.
New Zealand 27 beat Great Britain Juniors 24
at Palmerston North.
New Zealand 37 beat Great Britain Juniors 36
at Christchurch.
Division One
1 Auckland I 5 4 1 0 - 264 28 9
2 Canterbury I 5 3 2 0 - 146 65 8
3 Taranaki 5 2 1 2 - 89 128 5
4 Rotorua Midlands 5 1 1 3 - 72 148 3
5 Wellington 5 1 1 3 - 70 158 3
6 Manawatu 5 1 0 4 - 72 178 2
Division Two
1 Waikato 5 5 0 0 - 146 78 10
2 Hawkes Bay 5 4 0 1 - 120 74 8
3 Northland 5 3 0 2 - 88 90 6
4 Auckland II 5 2 0 3 - 108 72 4
5 Canterbury II 5 1 0 4 - 72 76 2
6 West Coast 5 0 0 5 - 38 208 0
Division Three
1 Auckland III 5 5 0 0 - 244 10 10
2 Coastline 5 4 0 1 - 122 76 8
3 Nelson Marlborough 5 3 0 2 - 104 120 6
4 Gisbourne East Coast 5 1 1 3 - 92 122 3
5 Southland 5 1 1 3 - 74 128 3
6 Otago 5 0 0 5 - 40 220 0
Final:
Auckland 22 drew with Canterbury 22.
Best Back: Tai Savea (Auckland).
Best Forward: Kyle Leuluai (Auckland).
Warrior Player of the Tournament: Tai Savea (Auckland).
The following team was selected to play the Fiji Under-18s team in curtain raisers to the visiting Great Britain side.
Coach: Trevor McLeod.
Team: Joe Galuvao (Auckland); Leslie Vainakolo (Auckland),
Tai Savea (Auckland), David Mu (Auckland), Mark Fakahua (Auckland);
Chris McClausland (Canterbury), David Noda (vc) (Waikato);
David Solomona (c) (Auckland), Shane Beyers (Canterbury),
Richard Forster (Canterbury), Kyle Leuluai (Auckland),
Greg Cameron (Waikato), Tone Kopelani (Canterbury);
Lee Wetherill (Auckland), Brett Taylor (Canterbury),
Gareth Cook (West Coast), Branden Henderson (Hawkes Bay).
New Zealand 32 beat Fiji 16
at Lautoka.
New Zealand 22 beat Fiji 4
at Nadi Stadium Suva.
Played at Hopuhopu.
Division One
1 Auckland I 5 5 0 0 - 216 34 10
2 Waikato 5 4 0 1 - 142 82 8
3 Canterbury I 5 3 0 2 - 102 72 6
4 Manawatu 5 2 0 3 - 82 40 4
5 Northland 5 1 0 4 - 80 170 2
6 Taranaki 5 0 0 5 - 34 196 0
Division Two
1 Auckland II 5 5 0 0 - 162 36 10
2 Hawkes Bay 5 3 0 2 - 142 104 6
3 Rotorua Midlands 5 3 0 2 - 120 82 6
4 Wellington 5 2 0 3 - 82 64 4
5 Canterbury II 5 2 0 3 - 82 92 4
6 West Coast 5 0 0 5 - 30 240 0
Division Three
1 Auckland III 5 5 0 0 - 331 2 10
2 Coastlines 5 3 1 1 - 104 132 7
3 Southland 5 2 1 2 - 98 122 5
4 Otago 5 1 2 2 - 68 138 4
5 Gisbourne East Coast 5 1 0 4 - 82 158 2
6 Nelson Marlborough 5 1 0 4 - 30 130 2
Final:
Auckland 36 beat Waikato 10.
Best Back: Mark Leafa (Auckland).
Best Forward: Kurt Cawdron (Auckland).
Warrior Player of the Tournament: Turei Karaka (Auckland).
Fair Play Award: Manawatu.
A.C.C. Award: West Coast.
The following team was selected to make a short tour to Australia to play some Australian junior sides.
Coach: Jeff Whittaker.
Team: David Vaealiki (Canterbury); Iese Lavea (Auckland),
Hirini Maguire (Canterbury), Joel Edmonds (Auckland),
Rickie Pickering (Auckland); Mark Leafa (Auckland),
Kurt Bredenback (c) (Auckland); Kurt Cawdron (Auckland),
Kyle Reben (Canterbury), David Palelei (Auckland),
Waurangi Koopu (vc) (Waikato), Adam Baker (Waikato),
Turel Karaka (Auckland); David Fa'alogo (Auckland),
Dallas Moana (Waikato), Tawhakahewea Rapana (Waikato),
Matthew Asoau (Auckland), Junior Lemafa (Auckland),
Euesa Lavea (Auckland).
New Zealand 32 beat Cronulla Under-16s 4.
New Zealand 34 beat Penrith Under-16s 18.
New Zealand 31 beat Canberra Under-16s 22.
Played at Hopuhopu.
Division One 1 Auckland I 5 5 0 0 - 246 22 10 2 Wellington 5 3 0 2 - 110 106 6 3 Canterbury 5 3 0 2 - 98 124 6 4 Waikato 5 2 0 3 - 88 96 4 5 Northland 5 1 0 4 - 72 154 2 6 Taranaki 5 1 0 4 - 52 162 2 Division Two 1 Auckland II 5 5 0 0 - 230 8 10 2 Manawatu 5 3 0 2 - 124 80 6 3 Hawkes Bay 5 2 2 1 - 86 124 6 4 Rotorua 5 2 1 2 - 136 78 5 5 Midlands 5 1 0 4 - 52 148 2 6 West Coast 5 0 1 4 - 44 234 1 Division Three 1 Auckland III 5 5 0 0 - 254 44 10 2 Coastline 5 4 0 1 - 190 73 8 3 Gisbourne East Coast 5 3 0 2 - 171 90 6 4 Southland 5 2 0 3 - 162 114 4 5 Nelson Marlborough 5 1 0 4 - 30 228 2 6 Otago 5 0 0 5 - 22 280 0
Best Back: Ben Vaeau (Auckland).
Best Forward: Jeffrey Ierome (Auckland).
Warrior Player of the Tournament: Jeffrey Ierome (Auckland).
Tournament Team: Mauuga Folasa (Wellington); Arapeta Hiraka (Auckland), Ben Vaeau (Auckland), Jade Rauhihi (Canterbury), Daniel Waitai (Auckland); Duane Hihi (Gisbourne East Coast), Jamie MacDonald (vc) (Wellington); Richard Puru (Auckland), Ben Paki (Northland), Eddie Wihongi (Auckland), Salotielu Saolele (Wellington), Mark Meredith (Auckland), Jeffrey Ierome (c) (Auckland); Michael Walker (Waikato), Matthew Gear (Canterbury), Hayden Wilson (Waikato), Thomas Katene (Coastline).
1 Waitakere City 22 19 0 3 - 697 342 355 38
2 Counties-Manukau 22 18 0 4 - 766 399 367 36
3 North Harbour 22 15 0 7 - 624 393 231 30
4 Waikato 22 13 1 8 - 515 472 43 27
5 Bay of Plenty 22 11 3 8 - 440 441 -1 25
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6 Hutt Valley 22 11 2 9 - 444 469 -25 24
7 Taranaki 22 11 0 11 - 516 483 33 22
8 Wellington City 22 9 0 13 - 536 532 4 18
9 Hawkes Bay 22 7 1 14 - 377 583 -206 15
10 Canterbury Country 22 6 1 15 - 365 555 -190 13
11 Manawatu 22 5 0 17 - 404 732 -328 10
12 Christchurch City 22 3 0 19 - 360 643 -283 6
Preliminary Semifinals:
Counties-Manukau 14 beat North Harbour 10.
Waikato 35 beat Bay of Plenty 18.
Semifinals:
Waitakere City 26 beat Counties-Manukau 8.
Waikato 20 beat North Harbour 14.
Preliminary Final:
Counties-Manukau 22 beat Waikato 6.
Grand Final:
Counties-Manukau 34 beat Waitakere City 22.
Final:
Bay of Islands 28 beat Whangarei 24.
Valley's United were new for 1996.
Teams: Hokianga Pioneers, Kaikohe Lions, Moerewa Tigers,
Valley's United, others...?
Grand Final:
Kaikohe Lions 22 beat Hokianga Pioneers 21 after extra time
at Marlin Park Kaikoke. Full time: 18-18.
Grand Final:
Whangatauatia Mountain Men 24 beat Pawarenga Broncos 12.
Rhema Rhinos were new for 1996.
Teams: Otaika Eagles, Portland Panthers, Rhema Rhinos,
Takahiwai Warriors, others...?
Minor premiers: Takahiwai Warriors.
Grand Final:
Takahiwai Warriors 12 beat Otaika Eagles 4
at Jubilee Park.
Roope Rooster Final:
Manurewa 31 beat Otara 26.
Preliminary Round:
1 Otara 13 10 1 2 - 454 291 21
2 Ellerslie 13 9 2 2 - 337 205 20
3 Otahuhu 13 9 1 3 - 392 211 19
4 Manurewa 13 9 1 3 - 319 239 19
5 Northcote 13 8 0 5 - 316 266 16
6 Mt Albert 13 7 2 4 - 296 298 16
7 City-Pt Chev 13 6 1 6 - 279 242 13
8 Mangere East 13 5 2 6 - 318 388 12
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9 Richmond 13 5 1 7 - 318 301 11
10 Manukau 13 5 1 7 - 259 280 11
11 Marist 13 5 0 8 - 244 387 10
12 Te Atatu 13 3 0 10 - 266 317 6
13 Glenora 13 3 0 10 - 248 371 6
14 Hibiscus Coast 13 1 0 12 - 154 404 2
Second Round:
1 Otahuhu 7 6 0 1 - 182 108 12
2 Ellerslie 7 4 1 2 - 152 127 9
3 Otara 7 4 0 3 - 220 122 8
4 Northcote 7 4 0 3 - 129 113 8
5 Manurewa 7 4 0 3 - 129 113 8
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6 Mt Albert 7 3 1 3 - 132 178 7
7 Mangere East 7 1 0 6 - 156 246 2
8 City-Pt Chev 7 1 0 6 - 103 175 2
Otahuhu won the Rukutai Shield.
Preliminary Semifinals:
Northcote 30 beat Manurewa 26.
Otara 33 beat Ellerslie 31.
Semifinals:
Ellerslie 10 beat Northcote 7.
Otahuhu 34 beat Otara 23.
Preliminary Final:
Otara 23 beat Ellerslie 6.
Grand Final:
Otara 36 beat Otahuhu 28 after extra time.
Champion of Champions Stormont Shield:
Otahuhu 30 beat City-Pt Chev 16.
Premier One Sharman Cup Grand Final:
Glenora 42 beat Richmond 34.
Premier One Reserve Final:
Otara 36 beat Otahuhu 28.
Premier One Reserve Plate Final:
City-Pt Chevalier 16 beat Marist 14.
Premier Two Championship Final:
Mt Wellington 31 beat Papakura 12.
Premier Two Plate Final:
Howick 12 beat Bay Roskill 6.
Premier Two Reserve Grand Final:
Mt Wellington 13 beat Ponsonby 10.
Premier Two Reserve Plate Final:
Bay Roskill 36 beat Papatoetoe 30.
Senior A Final:
Otahuhu White 26 beat Otahuhu Tongans 18.
Senior B Grand Final:
North Shore Navy 50 beat Richmond Fossils 12.
Open Aged Restricted Championships Grand Final:
Mt Albert White 23 beat Mangere East Brothers 6.
Open Aged Restricted Final:
Pt Chevalier 22 beat Ellerslie Red 18.
Under-21s Grand Final:
Maukau 30 beat Te Atatu 16.
Under-19s Final:
Northcote 24 beat Otara 22.
Under-18s Final:
Mangere East 23 beat Marist 2.
Under-17s Grand Final:
Mangere East 30 beat Marist 12.
Under-16s Final:
New Lynn 36 beat Mt Albert 26.
Under-15s Final:
Richmond 22 beat Marist 20.
Under-16s Restricted Final:
New Lynn 20 beat Howick 14.
Under-14s Championship Final:
Mangere East 22 drew with Marist 22.
Under-14s Plate Final:
Mt Wellington 28 beat Te Atatu 10.
Under-14s Restricted Final:
Glenora 36 beat Hibiscus Coast 6.
Under-13s Championship Final:
Marist 40 beat Otahuhu White 1.
Under-13s Plate Final:
Mt Albert 14 beat Otara 12.
Ladies Penant Final:
Manukau Duchess 16 beat Mangere East 10.
Ladies Championship Grand Final:
Bay Roskill 18 beat Richmond Maroon 16.
Under-6s, Under-7s, Under-8s, Under-9s, Under10s, Under-11s, and Under-12s were also played.
Cambridge Raiders dropped out as they could not find enough players. The senior firsts and senior seconds competitions were scrapped due to a lack of players. Three teams survived to join the premier sides: Jaradites, Waipa, and Frankton Albion.
1 Taniwharau 16 15 0 1 - 624 247 30
2 Turangawaewae 17 13 0 4 - 787 314 26
3 Hukanui 16 12 0 4 - 546 316 24
4 Victoria Tavern Tigers
17 12 0 5 - 499 392 24
5 Jaradites 17 11 0 6 - 592 370 22
6 Frankton Albion 17 8 0 9 - 372 382 16
7 Ngaruawahia 17 4 0 13 - 313 480 8
8 Huntly South 17 4 0 13 - 268 608 8
9 Waipa 16 3 0 13 - 252 628 6
10 Hillcrest 17 2 0 15 - 258 680 4
Round 1 (Cambridge Independant Trophy): Taniwharau.
Round 2 (Terry Power Trophy): Taniwharau.
Winner of most points (S Muir Shield): Taniwharau.
Grand Final: (Lion Red Shield)
Turangawaewae 26 beat Taniwharau 18.
Grand Final: (T Melgren Cup)
Victoria Tavern Tigers 28 beat Taniwharau 26.
Grand Final:
Turangawaewae beat Taniwharau.
Grand Final:
Ngaruawahia beat Taniwharau.
Putaruru United returned after several years absence. The board chose to reduce the premier league to 8 teams, forcing Western Heights to drop back to Premier Reserves.
The board suspend City Tigers from playing in the playoffs because they had not paid their full subscription by the due date. They took out an injunction against the suspension and a high court judge subsequently ruled that they could play.
Teams (8): City, Pikiao, Putaruru United, Turangi, others...?
Grand Final:
Putaruru United 35 beat Pikiao 8.
Grand Final:
Pikiao 32 beat Taupo Broncos 28.
Formed to replace the previous year's Under-19s competition. It was initially contested by seven teams, but quickly disintegrated to a three team contest when two clubs could not produce teams and two others withdrew. The three clubs were Pikiao, Central, and Pytaruru United.
Grand Final:
Pikiao beat Central.
1 Turanga 15 11 1 3 - 580 376 23
2 Uawa 15 10 0 5 - 604 401 20
3 Paikea 15 8 1 6 - 479 410 17
4 Manutuke 15 5 1 9 - 342 522 11
5 Repongaere 15 5 1 9 - 286 468 11
6 Kaiti 15 4 0 11 - 374 484 8
Semifinals:
Paikea 52 beat Manutuke 12.
Turanga 40 beat Uawa 14.
Preliminary Final:
Paikea 41 beat Uawa 30.
Grand Final:
Kaiti 36 beat Turanga 12.
Minor Premiers: Turanga.
Grand Final:
Turanga 42 beat Paikea 36 in extra time.