Manawatu Rugby Union
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| Manawatu Rugby Union | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Nickname(s) | Turbos | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Founded | 1886 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ground | FMG Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Capacity | 18,000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chairman |  Tony Murphy |
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| Coach | Dave Rennie |
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| League | Air New Zealand Cup | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006 | 4th, Repechage A | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Manawatu Rugby Union (MRU) is the governing body of Rugby in the Manawatu rugby province. It is based in the city of Palmerston North but has club teams from nearby towns in the province, such as Feilding, Rongotea and Woodville.
The Union's home ground is FMG Stadium, which has been formerly known as the Palmerston North Showgrounds and Arena One. Palmerston North is the home of the New Zealand Rugby Museum[1] and also the Massey University Sport and Rugby Institute.[2]
Manawatu has over 5000 players which makes it the 10th largest union in New Zealand playerwise.[1]
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[edit] Manawatu in Super Rugby
Manawatu is, along with Taranaki, Wanganui, Hawke's Bay, Poverty Bay, East Coast, Horowhenua-Kapiti, Wairarapa Bush and Wellington, in the Hurricanes Super 14 catchment area.
[edit] Ranfurly Shield & NPC
Manawatu's glory days were during the 1970s. Holding the Ranfurly Shield in the years 1976, 1977, 1978. Also winning the 1st Division NPC in 1980. They were Runner-up in the years 1976 and 1981.
[edit] Club Rugby
There are 12 club teams which play at Senior A level. They are:
| Club Name | Colours |
|---|---|
| High School Old Boys (HSOB) | Black and White hoops |
| College Old Boys (COB) | White with Maroon, Gold and Black pinstripes |
| Freyberg | Blue and yellow hoops |
| Kia Toa | Light blue and Dark Blue |
| Marist | Green and White |
| Varsity | Cambridge blue and white |
The above 6 are known as Town clubs
| Club Name | Colours |
|---|---|
| Feilding (Commonly called Feilding Yellows, to differentiate from the below club) | Yellow and black |
| Feilding Old Boys | Black, White, Red |
| Bush from nearby Woodville | Red, blue, black, green and white |
| Te Kawau from nearby Rongotea | Green and black hoops |
| Oroua RFC, from Kimbolton | Blue and black hoops |
| Linton Army RFC, from Linton Military Camp | red and black |
The above 6 are known as Country clubs
[edit] Senior A Club Rugby (Hankins Shield, Goldfinch & Cousins Cup)
The competition is divided into two pools: a Top 6 and Bottom 6. The Top 6 in the Senior A grade play for the Hankins Shield, whilst the Bottom 6 play for the Goldfinch & Cousins Cup.
Other clubs include:
- Ashhurst-Pohangina
- Bunnythorpe
- Bulls
- Halcombe
- Rangitaane Sports
[edit] Representative Rugby
In 2005, Manawatu were promoted, as one of the four new unions, to play in the inaugural Air New Zealand Cup in 2006. It was the first time since 1988 that Manawatu had played in the top grade for New Zealand Rugby. The team's nickname is the Manawatu Turbos
Manawatu have traditionally played in the distinctive green and white tramline jersey. Although in 1986 there was a special jersey for Centennial celebrations and in 1996 a jersey which included red stripes was worn.
Main jersey sponsor (since 2005) is Higgins Group. Apparel is provided by ISC (since 2006). Other sponsors include:
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[edit] Current Squad
- Representative squad for the 2006 Air New Zealand Cup:
| Name | Club | Higher Honours |
|---|---|---|
| Daniel Alofa | Kia Toa | |
| Tim Faleafaga | Feilding Old Boys | |
| Johnny Leota | Marist | |
| Koli Sewabu | Marist | |
| Siaosi Anamani | Kia Toa | |
| Lisiate Fa'aoso | Marist | Tonga |
| Leon Lubbe | Freyberg | |
| Graham Smith | Feilding Old Boys | |
| Ryan Bambry | LOAN | |
| Robbie Foreman | High School Old Boys | |
| Sam Moore | Feilding | |
| David Te Moana | Te Kawau | Western Force (Super 14) |
| Francisco Bosch | Bush | Argentina |
| Aaron Good | College Old Boys | |
| Bertus Mulder | High School Old Boys | |
| Hayden Triggs | Linton Army | Hurricanes (Super 14) |
| Josh Bradnock | Massey University | |
| Talau Hala | College Old Boys | |
| David Palu | Feilding Old Boys | Tonga |
| Simeli Tuiteci | Feilding Old Boys | |
| Frank Bryant | Bush | |
| Eddie Hei Hei | Feilding Old Boys | |
| Paul Rodgers | High School Old Boys | |
| Joggie Viljoen (Captain) | Freyberg | South Africa (former captain) |
| Nick Crosswell | Feilding | |
| Nathan Kemp | Feilding | |
| Mike Rowe | Oroua | |
| Alex Waite | Massey University | |
| Junior Tomasi Cama | College Old Boys | |
| Mattie James | Feilding Old Boys | |
| Aidan Nicols | Oroua | |
| Tane Tu'ipulotu | LOAN | Chiefs (Super 14) |
| Kuramate Tuirirangi | LOAN |
Coach: Dave Rennie
[edit] Manawatu in the Air New Zealand Cup
Manawatu Turbos played their first Air NZ Cup match against Aucklandin Palmerston North on Saturday 29th July 2006.
| Team | Played | Won | Lost | Drew | For | Against | B1 | B2 | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auckland | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 195 | 63 | 4 | 1 | 25 |
| North Harbour | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 114 | 86 | 2 | 0 | 18 |
| Wellington | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 82 | 65 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| Bay Of Plenty | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 96 | 113 | 0 | 1 | 9 |
| Tasman | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 108 | 124 | 1 | 3 | 8 |
| Taranaki | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 70 | 108 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| Manawatu | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 40 | 146 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
[edit] 2006 Air New Zealand Cup Results
[edit] Round 1
Week 1 - Manawatu vs Auckland, - Saturday 29 July 2006 - FMG Stadium, Palmerston North
Lost 10 - 41 (0 points)
Week 2 - Bye
Week 3 - Manawatu vs Tasman, - Saturday 12 August 2006 - Lansdowne Park, Blenheim
Lost 0 - 43 (0 points)
Week 4 - Manawatu vs Taranaki, - Saturday 19 August 2006 - FMG Stadium, Palmerston North
Lost 12 - 18 (1 bonus point)
Week 5 - Manawatu vs Bay of Plenty, - Saturday 26 August 2006 - Rotorua International Stadium, Rotorua
Lost 15 - 103 (0 points)
Week 6 - Manawatu vs - Wellington, Saturday 2 September 2006 - FMG Stadium, Palmerston North
Lost 3 - 11 (0 points)
Week 7 - Manawatu vs North Harbour, Friday 8 September 2006 - North Harbour Stadium, Auckland
Lost 6 - 28 (0 points)
[edit] Round 2 - Repecharge A
Manawatu, in qualifying 14th, will play in Repecharge A of the Second Round in the Air New Zealand Cup.
Week 8 - Manawatu vs Hawke's Bay, Friday 15 September 2006 - McLean Park, Napier
Lost 10 - 26 (0 points)
Week 9 - Manawatu vs Counties Manukau, Friday 22 September 2006 - Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland
Drew 25 - 25 (2 points)
Week 10 - Manawatu vs Bay of Plenty, Thursday 28 September 2006 - FMG Stadium, Palmerston North
Lost16 - 27 (0 points)
[edit] Women's Rugby
Manawatu has a women's rugby team, which in recent times has been quite successful. In 2005, the team was promoted from the Second Division.
In 2006, however, Manawatu did not win a game in the competition, which saw the team play against the likes of Auckland, Wellington and Otago . Manawatu managed a draw with Hawke's Bay.
Manawatu is sponsored by Ezibuy, and wear the same jersey as the men's team.
[edit] Notable players in Women's team
- Farah Palmer, New Zealand Black Ferns captain and Manawatu captain
- Selica Winiata, stand-in captain for Palmer (away on World Cup duty)
[edit] History
Manawatu Rugby Union was founded in 1886 and is one of New Zealand's oldest rugby unions. It has on occasions combined with Horowhenua (now known as Horowhenua-Kapiti), under the name Manawhenua.
Manawatu celebrated its Centenary in 1986.
However in 1988, Manawatu was relegated to 2nd Division NPC and remained there, despite in 1997-98 combining with neighbouring Hawke's Bay to form the Central Vikings. The highlight being beating Nelson Bays in the 1998 2nd Division final. However due to failure to meet NZRU criteria, were denied entry into the 1st Division.
Manawatu in recent times have played against national teams such as South Africa, Italy, Australia and Ireland.
In 2005, Manawatu played the second to last tour match against the British & Irish Lions.
[edit] Notable players from Manawatu (including current and ex-All Blacks)
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[edit] Notes
- ^ New Zealand Rugby Museum; last accessed January 17, 2007.
- ^ Massey University Sport and Rugby Institute; last accessed January 17, 2007
[edit] External links
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| Federation: | New Zealand Rugby Football Union |
| National teams: | All Blacks • Junior All Blacks • New Zealand Sevens • New Zealand Māori • Black Ferns |
| International Competitions: | Rugby World Cup • Tri Nations • Super 14 • Pacific Nations Cup • Bledisloe Cup • Churchill Cup • Rugby World Cup Sevens • IRB Sevens World Series • Wellington Sevens |
| Super 14 teams: | Blues • Chiefs • Crusaders • Highlanders • Hurricanes |
| Domestic Competitions: | Air New Zealand Cup • Heartland Championship • Ranfurly Shield • Hanan Shield |
| Air New Zealand Cup teams: | Auckland • Bay of Plenty • Canterbury • Counties Manukau • Hawke's Bay • Manawatu • North Harbour • Northland • Otago • Southland • Taranaki • Tasman • Waikato • Wellington |
| Heartland Championship teams: | Buller • East Coast • Horowhenua-Kapiti • King Country • Mid Canterbury • North Otago • Poverty Bay • South Canterbury • Thames Valley • Wairarapa Bush • Wanganui • West Coast |
