The 2006 Heartland Championship was the inaugural season of the Heartland Championship, an amateur rugby union competition in New Zealand, following the reorganisation of the Second and Third Divisions of the country's former rugby competition, the National Provincial Championship. The competition featured 12 teams, divided into two pools of six.
At the end of Round 1, the top three teams from each pool contested the Meads Cup, and the bottom three from each pool contested the Lochore Cup. Competition points from Round 1 carried over to Round 2, in which each team in each cup competition played a round-robin with the three teams it did not play in Round 1. At the end of Round 2, the top four teams in each cup competition entered a single-elimination playoff for the Meads and Lochore Cups. The cups were named after Colin Meads and Brian Lochore, both legendary players for the country's national team.
The inaugural Meads Cup champion was Wairarapa Bush, and Poverty Bay lifted the first Lochore Cup.
Round 1 Standings
The top three places in each pool, highlighted in blue, advanced to the Meads Cup. The remaining teams entered the Lochore Cup.
Pool A Qualified for Meads Cup
PosTeamPldWDLForAgainst+/−BPPts1Wairarapa Bush550011174+371212North Otago540120074+1264203Mid Canterbury52039298−62104Buller520393125−32195East Coast510464125−61266West Coast510481145−6426
Pool B Qualified for Meads Cup
PosTeamPldWDLForAgainst+/−BPPts1Wanganui541018679+1073212South Canterbury53027776+12143Horowhenua-Kapiti521298133−352124Poverty Bay5203123140−172105Thames Valley520385126−412106King Country50237792−1526
Results
Week 1 19 August 2006East Coast7–25Mid CanterburyRuatoria 19 August 2006Wairarapa Bush31–13BullerMasterton19 August 2006North Otago67–3West CoastOamaru19 August 2006Wanganui65–18Thames ValleyWanganui19 August 2006Horowhenua-Kapiti23–23King CountryLevin19 August 2006Poverty Bay22–30South CanterburyGisborne
Week 2 26 August 2006Thames Valley19–21Poverty BayPaeroa 26 August 2006Horowhenua-Kapiti20–12South CanterburyLevin26 August 2006King Country23–23WanganuiTe Kūiti26 August 2006Mid Canterbury16–28North OtagoAshburton26 August 2006Buller28–18East CoastWestport26 August 2006Wairarapa Bush31–18West CoastMasterton
Week 3 2 September 2006East Coast6–10Wairarapa BushRuatoria 2 September 2006West Coast24–9Mid CanterburyGreymouth2 September 2006North Otago37–24BullerOamaru2 September 2006South Canterbury16–13Thames ValleyTimaru2 September 2006Wanganui46–3Horowhenua-KapitiWanganui2 September 2006Poverty Bay19–18King CountryGisborne
Week 4 9 September 2006Horowhenua-Kapiti32–31Poverty BayLevin 9 September 2006King Country3–13Thames ValleyTaupō9 September 2006Wanganui11–5South CanterburyWanganui9 September 2006Wairarapa Bush19–18North OtagoMasterton9 September 2006Buller19–23Mid CanterburyWestport9 September 2006East Coast22–20West CoastRuatoria
Week 5 Pool Date Time Home team Score Away team Score A 16 September 14:30 Mid Canterbury (1 BP) 19 Wairarapa Bush 20 A 16 September 14:30 North Otago (1 BP) 50 East Coast 12 A 16 September 14:35 West Coast (1 BP) 16 Buller 17 B 16 September 14:30 South Canterbury 14 King Country (1 BP) 10 B 16 September 14:30 Thames Valley 22 Horowhenua-Kapiti (1 BP) 21 B 16 September 14:30 Poverty Bay (1 BP) 30 Wanganui (1 BP) 41
Round 2 Standings Meads Cup Pool PosNamePldWDLFA+/−BPPts1Wanganui871012367+565352Wairarapa Bush870110056+443313North Otago860213280+527314Mid Canterbury84046380−173195South Canterbury830528102−742146Horowhenua-Kapiti821565126−61313
Lochore Cup Pool PosNamePldWDLFA+/−BPPts1Poverty Bay850312054+664242Thames Valley840410751+565213King Country83238140+414204Buller83054657−112145East Coast810744130−86266West Coast810755121−6626
Results
Week 6 Pool Date Time Home team Score Away team Score MC 23 September 14:30 Wanganui (1 BP) 46 Mid Canterbury 8 MC 23 September 14:30 Wairarapa Bush 31 Horowhenua-Kapiti 11 MC 23 September 14:30 North Otago (1 BP) 36 South Canterbury 6 LC 23 September 14:30 Thames Valley (1 BP) 51 West Coast 16 LC 23 September 14:30 Poverty Bay 33 East Coast 15 LC 23 September 14:30 Buller (1 BP) 6 King Country 11
Week 7 Pool Date Time Home team Score Away team Score MC 30 September 14:30 Mid Canterbury (1 BP) 36 Horowhenua-Kapiti (1 BP) 29 MC 30 September 14:30 North Otago (1 BP) 37 Wanganui (1 BP) 49 MC 30 September 14:30 Wairarapa Bush (1 BP) 47 South Canterbury 17 LC 30 September 14:30 East Coast 17 Thames Valley (1 BP) 40 LC 30 September 14:30 Buller 22 Poverty Bay (1 BP) 30 MC 30 September 14:30 West Coast 22 King Country (1 BP) 32
Week 8 Pool Date Time Home team Score Away team Score MC 7 October 14:30 Wanganui 28 Wairarapa Bush (1 BP) 22 MC 7 October 14:30 Horowhenua-Kapiti 25 North Otago (1 BP) 59 MC 7 October 14:30 South Canterbury 5 Mid Canterbury 19 LC 7 October 14:00 Thames Valley (1 BP) 16 Buller 18 LC 7 October 14:30 Poverty Bay (1 BP) 57 West Coast 17 LC 7 October 14:30 King Country (1 BP) 38 East Coast 12
Semifinals Results Meads Cup Date Time Home team Score Away team Score 14 October 16:35 Wanganui 30 Mid Canterbury 17 14 October 14:30 Wairarapa Bush 25 North Otago 19
Lochore Cup Date Time Home team Score Away team Score 14 October 14:30 Poverty Bay 36 Buller 10 14 October 14:00 Thames Valley 15 King Country 17
Finals Results Meads Cup Date Time Home team Score Away team Score 21 October 16:30 Wanganui 14 Wairarapa Bush 16
Lochore Cup Date Time Home team Score Away team Score 21 October 14:15 Poverty Bay 46 King Country 34
See also
Hanan Shield competed for by Mid Canterbury, North Otago and South Canterbury Rundle Cup played between Buller and West Coast New Zealand Heartland XV Ranfurly Shield 2000–2009 2005 Air New Zealand Cup
References
External links 2006 Heartland Championship Draw Heartland draw and results on Allblacks.com