Taranaki Rugby Football Union

The Taranaki Rugby Football Union is a governing body of rugby union in the New Zealand province of Taranaki. The main stadium is Yarrow Stadium which is located in New Plymouth.

Taranaki Rugby
SportRugby union
JurisdictionTaranaki Region
AbbreviationTRFU
Founded1889 (1889)
AffiliationNew Zealand Rugby
HeadquartersNew Plymouth
Official website
www.trfu.co.nz

The union also represents the Taranaki Bulls, a professional rugby union team competing in the Mitre 10 Cup competition and contest for the Ranfurly Shield. Before 2006 the Bulls competed in the National Provincial Championship.

On 25 October 2014 Taranaki won their first ITM Cup, defeating Tasman 36–32 in New Plymouth. This was the first time a team from outside the main population centres had won the premier New Zealand domestic rugby competition since Manawatu in 1980. 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.

In 2013, Taranaki changed the Super Rugby allegiance to the Chiefs, after severing ties with the Hurricanes, which it had been part of since 1996.

History

On May 31, 1889 the Hawera club convened a meeting in 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 and among others founded and became part of the union. By the turn of the century, Taranaki R.F.U. had produced eleven All Blacks, six of whom toured Great Britain in 1905. Taranaki currently plays in the professional Mitre 10 Cup, which it won in 2014.[1]

Clubs
  • Bell Block Rugby Sports and Community Club
  • Clifton Rugby and Sports Club
  • Coastal Rugby and Sports Club
  • Kaponga Rugby Football Club
  • Inglewood United Rugby Football Club
  • Kaitake Rugby Club
  • Manaia Rugby Football Club
  • New Plymouth High School Old Boys Rugby Football Club
  • Okaiawa Rugby Football Club
  • Patea Rugby and Sports Club
  • Southern Rugby Club
  • Spotswood United Rugby Football and Sports Club
  • Stratford Eltham Rugby and Sports Club
  • Toko Rugby Football Club
  • Tukapa Rugby and Sports Club

For historical purposes the merged clubs are:

  • Spotswood United Rugby Football and Sports Club: Merger of the Star Rugby Football Club and the Spotswood Old Boys Rugby Football Club.
  • Coastal Rugby and Sports Club: Merger of the Okato Rugby Football Club, the Rahotu Rugby Football Club and the Opunake Rugby Football Club.
  • Eltham Kaponga Rugby Football Club: Merger of the Eltham Rugby Football Club and the Kaponga Rugby Football Club.
  • Southern Rugby Club: Merger of the Hawera Rugby Football Club, the Hawera Athletic Rugby Football Club and the Waimate Rugby Football Club.

The schools that participate in these grades are:

Referees

The Taranaki Rugby Referee's Association is considered to be one of the financially viable associations in the country and is affiliated to Taranaki Rugby. It provides referees for matches at all levels from junior and high school matches to the Taranaki premier competition. The Taranaki Rugby Referee's Association has the backing of sponsors Sutherland Governance, Beach Energy and the Taranaki Community Rugby Trust.

Taranaki has one of highest referee retention rates in the country and referee to player ratio is at New Zealand Rugby standards. In the 2017 and 2018, it was one of the most represented provinces in the New Zealand National Referee Squad with four referees selected from Taranaki.

Each year the TRRA names a Top Five. Top Five after the 2020 season is;

  • Cameron Stone
  • Richard Kelly
  • Will Johnston
  • Trent Mischefski
  • Al Kalin

NB: Paul Williams was not considered for the Top 5 given his Super Rugby duties.

These five referees are involved as assistant referees and substitution controllers at the local Mitre 10 Cup, Super Rugby and international matches at Yarrow Stadium. They are also involved in local development and age-group representative matches as New Zealand Rugby Union have given most of the representative appointments back to the local provinces.

The Dean Cup
1907 Strathmore Dean Cup side

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 cancelled 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 19 April as a curtain raiser to the Hurricanes versus Highlanders Super 12 match. Strathmore were victorious, on this occasion, holding on to defend 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.

Representative side
Taranaki Bulls
UnionNew Zealand Rugby Union
Nickname(s)Bulls
Founded1889
LocationNew Plymouth
RegionChiefs
Ground(s)Yarrow Stadium (Capacity: 25,500)
Coach(es)Willie Rickards
Captain(s)Mitch Brown
Most capsIan Eliason (223)
Top scorerUnattached
League(s)Mitre 10 Cup
Team kit
Official website
www.trfu.co.nz

The TRFU has several teams under its control, one of note is the Taranaki Bulls whom compete in New Zealand's national rugby union competition the Mitre 10 Cup. Their top professional team, the Bulls is coached by Willie Rickards and co-captained by lock Mitchell Brown and midfielder Teihorangi Walden.[2] Their traditional colors are amber and black hoops with white shorts, with Canterbury of New Zealand being the main manufacturer. They are also sponsored by proud Taranaki firm Yarrows the Bakers.

Current squad

The Taranaki squad for the 2019 Mitre 10 Cup is:[3]

Taranaki squad

Props

Hookers

Locks

Loose forwards

Halfbacks (Scrum-halves)

First five-eighths (Fly-halves)

Midfielders (Centres)

Outside Backs

(c) Denotes team captain, Bold denotes player is internationally capped

Honours

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 SpanMatches
Name
Career SpanMatches
Name
Career SpanMatches
M. Allen 1988–96 110 I. Flavell 1956–65 105 R. Fraser 1973–82 107
K. Barrett 1986–99 167 A. Gardiner 1966–75 102 K. Hurley 1959–71 120
R. Brown 1953–68 144 D. Loveridge 1974–86 135 I. MacDonald 1956–66 121
W. Bunn 1979–89 109 S. McDonald 1991–98, 2000 116 J. McEldowney 1967, 1969–80 125
P. Burke 1948–59 117 P. Martin 1967, 1970–79 125 G. Mourie 1975–82 104
C. Cooper 1979–87 100 D. Murfitt 1984–85 1987–93 106 F. O'Carroll 1973–83 128
K. Crowley 1980–94 200 T. O'Sullivan 1955–59 1961–66 104 B. Robins 1980–92 147
I. Eliason 1964–81 223 A. Slater 1989–2001 180 G. Slater 1991–95 1997–2005 176
R. Elmes 1980–82 1984–89 103 L. Thomson 1983–85 1987–91 104 J. Thwaites 1969–81 120
K. Eynon 1991–95 1999–2000 103 P. Tito 1998–2006 100 M. Watts 1978–85 123
M. Wills 1962–72 131 T. 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.

Notable players (current and former players)

Taranaki All Blacks

Current All Blacks

Former All Blacks

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
YearTests
Alan Reid19572 Tests
John Graham19643 Tests
Graham Mourie1977–8219 Tests
Reuben Thorne200122 Tests
Beauden Barrett20171 Test
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References
  1. "Taranaki rugby". New Zealand History. New Zealand History. 24 July 2016. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
  2. "2015 Port Taranaki Bulls ITM Cup Squad Announced". Taranaki Rugby. 17 July 2015. Archived from the original on 21 July 2015. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
  3. "Yarrows Taranaki Bulls and Port Taranaki Whio name competition squads" (Press release). Taranaki Rugby. 22 July 2019. Retrieved 22 July 2019.
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