The Rundle Cup is a rugby trophy that has been contested between the West Coast and Buller rugby unions since 1911. It replaced the Molloy Cup.Grey River Argus, 14 September 1910 Of the 37 challenge trophies contested by two provinces in New Zealand rugby it is of the longest continuous existence.Rugby News vol 40 issue 10 page 15 It is also the second oldest provincial trophy after the Ranfurly Shield, which commenced in 1904.
Origins The Rundle Cup was donated to the West Coast provincial union during their Annual General Meeting at the Albion Hotel on 24 May 1911 by William Rundle as a trophy for Buller-West Coast matches.Grey River Argus, 24 May 1911 Rundle was a local business man in the mining industry and former player for the Grey Football Club. He later perished on the frontline in France during World War One.Grey River Argus, 15 May 1918 The first contest for the cup was held in 1911 in Westport and was won by Buller.
Rundle Cup results
Since the introduction of the National Provincial Championship (1976–2005) and the Heartland Championship the draws for those competitions have dictated the fixture date and venues for the Rundle Cup.
In past years Buller and West Coast have often played two or more times in a single season. It is often not recorded in sources, such as the New Zealand Rugby Almanac, whether the Rundle Cup was at stake in those games. Matches between the unions have included the following.Crawshaw, Norman. (2018) One For All. 125 years of the Buller Rugby Union,. ISBN 0-9582552-9-6
Year Venue Winner Score12-08-1911WestportBuller16-1026-08-1911 Greymouth West Coast 20-13 1912 did not play 23-08-1913 Greymouth Buller 20-920-09-1913 Westport Buller 9-522-08-1914 Westport Buller 24-805-09-1914 Greymouth Buller 12-1130-08-1919Westport Buller 14-616-07-1921Westport West Coast 9-329-07-1922 GreymouthWest Coast 14-1207-07-1923 Greymouth West Coast 9-617-05-1924Greymouth Buller 5-326-06-1925Greymouth West Coast 8-606-07-1929Westport West Coast 5-004-07-1931Westport Buller 11-309-07-1932Greymouth Buller 9-601-07-1933 Westport West Coast 11-823-06-1934Greymouth West Coast 19-025-05-1935WestportWest Coast19-627-07-1935GreymouthBuller 11-611-07-1936Westport Drawn 3-326-06-1937WestportWest Coast 18-025-06-1938GreymouthWest Coast10-316-07-1938WestportBuller 17-601-07-1939Westport Buller 8-615-07-1939GreymouthBuller12-306-07-1940Westport West Coast 18-620-07-1940GreymouthWest Coast12-819-07-1941GreymouthDrawn6-609-08-1941Westport Buller 6-313-09-1941GreymouthWest Coast4-304-07-1942Westport West Coast 17-018-07-1942GreymouthWest Coast8-612-09-1942WestportDrawn3-303-07-1943GreymouthWest Coast8-017-07-1943 WestportBuller 13-9 11-09-1943Westport Buller7-317-06-1944Westport Buller 8-529-07-1944Greymouth West Coast11-609-09-1944WestportDrawn0-007-10-1944 Greymouth West Coast 14-1130-06-1945 Greymouth Buller 13-9 14-07-1945 Westport West Coast 9-825-08-1945 Westport Buller 14-822-06-1946 Westport Buller 16-11 29-06-1946 Greymouth Buller 14-614-06-1947 Hokitika Buller 16-828-06-1947 Westport West Coast 15-1202-08-1947GreymouthBuller6-326-06-1948 Westport West Coast 15-1217-07-1948 Greymouth Buller 13-618-09-1948WestportBuller21-625-06-1949 Westport Buller 14-316-07-1949 Hokitika Buller6-5 06-08-1949 Westport Drawn 9-906-05-1950Greymouth Drawn 19-19 24-06-1950WestportWest Coast24-1222-07-1950WestportBuller13-6 23-06-1951Westport Drawn 8-807-07-1951 Hokitika West Coast 11-601-09-1951GreymouthWest Coast18-307-06-1952Hokitika Buller 14-821-06-1952 WestportWest Coast 26-1205-07-1952 West Coast11-013-06-1953 WestportWest Coast 14-9 27-06-1953 Hokitika West Coast 29-605-09-1953GreymouthBuller0-8 19-06-1954 Hokitika West Coast 22-19 10-07-1954 Westport West Coast 6-307-08-1954WestportWest Coast21-0 18-06-1955 HokitikaBuller 15-3 02-07-1955Westport Buller 9-6 05-05-1956 Westport West Coast 17-14 26-05-1956 Hokitika Buller 14-513-04-1957Hokitika Buller 16-1206-07-1957 West Coast19-814/09/1957GreyymouthBuller22-1121-06-1958 Westport West Coast 8-319-07-1958 Drawn0-030-08-1958WestportWest Coast15-1416-05-1959Hokitika West Coast 25-602-07-1960Greymouth Buller 11-617-06-1961 HokitikaWest Coast 16-8 15-07-1961 Westport West Coast 8-530-06-1962Westport West Coast13-6 21-07-1962 Hokitika West Coast 11-629-06-1963Hokitika West Coast 8-613-07-1963 Westport West Coast 14-924-08-1963 Westport Buller 9-616-05-1964 WestportWest Coast 9-5 11-07-1964 Greymouth West Coast 17-1529-08-1964 Greymouth Buller 14-315-05-1965 GreymouthBuller 17-612-06-1965 Westport West Coast 14-928-05-1966Westport West Coast 8-6 11-06-1966 Greymouth West Coast 17-1527-05-1967Hokitika Buller 11-5 22-07-1967 Westport West Coast 14-1211-05-1968Westport West Coast 22-19 20-07-1968 Hokitika West Coast 12-617-05-1969Greymouth West Coast 16-6 19-07-1969 Westport West Coast 13-1104-07-1970 WestportBuller 11-3 22-08-1970 HokitikaWest Coast 21-915-05-1971 HokitikaWest Coast 25-20 08-08-1971 Ngakawau West Coast21-1627-05-1972 WestportBuller 7-4 17-06-1972 Greymouth Buller13-6 05-08-1972 Greymouth Buller 13-1016-06-1973 Westport West Coast 24-7 11-08-1973 Hokitika West Coast 16-914-07-1974 Greymouth West Coast 14-6 17-08-1974 Westport Buller 18-1521-06-1975 Westport Buller 16-0 31-07-1976 Greymouth Buller 16-6 11-06-1977 WestportWest Coast 12-324-06-1978 Greymouth West Coast 17-6 12-08-1978 Westport West Coast 15-723-06-1979Westport Buller 17-609-08-1980Hokitika West Coast 32-927-06-1981WestportBuller 16-12 10-07-1982 Greymouth West Coast 16-12 28-05-1983 Greymouth West Coast 18-10 26-08-1983Westport Buller 21-923-06-1984 Greymouth Buller 6-4 26-05-1985 Greymouth Buller 20-18 07-09-1985WestportBuller 17-614-06-1986 Greymouth Buller 23-630-05-1987 Greymouth West Coast 14-027-06-1987WestportDrawn7-706-06-1988Westport Buller 37-303-06-1989 Westport Buller 13-402-06-1990 Greymouth West Coast 24-303-06-1991 Westport Buller 13-1201-06-1992 Greymouth Buller 31-305-06-1993 Westport Buller 33-1004-06-1994 Westport Buller 20-1303-06-1995 GreymouthWest Coast 19-018-05-1996 Westport Buller 34-2317-08-1997 Greymouth West Coast 16-710-05-1998 WestportBuller 16-607-08-1999 GreymouthWest Coast29-1203-06-2000Westport West Coast 17-507-10-2000GreymouthBuller23-1004-06-2001GreymouthBuller 20-908-09-2001GreymouthBuller27-831-08-2002Westport West Coast 25-2002-06-2003Westport Buller 7-313-09-2003GreymouthBuller25-1304-09-2004GreymouthWest Coast 23-003-09-2005WestportBuller24-1216-09-2006GreymouthBuller17-1620-09-2008GreymouthBuller20-1912-09-2009GreymouthWest Coast26-20 24-10-2009Greymouth West Coast53-22 16-10-2010WestportBuller 20-11 24-09-2011WestportBuller 21-15 13-10-2012WestportBuller 26-18 24-08-2013GreymouthWest Coast 23-17 04-10-2014WestportBuller 29-24 29-08-2015GreymouthWest Coast 21-717-09-2016WestportBuller 48-0 02-09-2017GreymouthBuller 34-19 22-09-2018Westport West Coast 34-28 05-10-2019GreymouthBuller 47-7 30-10-2021WestportWest Coast 22-14 10-09-2022GreymouthBuller 36-32 23-09-2023Christchurch Buller 29-11 7-09-2024WestportWest Coast 20-174-10-2025GreymouthWest Coast34-11
The second match in 2009 was a semi-final of the Lochore Cup.
There was no match in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.
See also
Heartland Championship Lochore Cup Meads Cup Hanan Shield competed for by Mid Canterbury, North Otago and South Canterbury
References