| Club information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Buller Rugby Union | ||
| Website | http://www.bullerrugby.co.nz | ||
| Colours | Red and Blue | ||
| Founded | 1894 | ||
| Current details | |||
| Ground(s) | Victoria Square (5000) | ||
| Competition | Heartland Championship | ||
The Buller Rugby Union (BRU) is a rugby province based in the town of Westport, New Zealand. The Buller provincial boundary also includes other notable towns such as Reefton, Karamea, Granity, Charleston, Punakaiki and Murchison (Murchison RFC currently compete in the Tasman provincial Union competitions).
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Buller was formed in 1894. Buller has played in both the second and third divisions of the former NPC. After the NZRU restructuring of the NPC in 2006 Buller currently play in the Heartland Championship (effectively the NPC second division). The side has performed with distinction in this competition having made the top tier Meads Cup section twice in the past 3 seasons. Buller (often in combination with West Coast) has had some memorable matches against international sides in the past including victory over Australia. There have also been a number of other impressive results against international opposition including the British Lions, South Africa, Tonga, Fiji, Samoa, and various New Zealand representative sides including New Zealand Maori and New Zealand Juniors. Historically Buller were a strong provincial Union particularly in the pre 1960 era and the Union would compete on a level footing with more famous provincial sides such as Canterbury and Wellington. With the formation of the National Provincial Championship (NPC) in 1976 Buller began to struggle as players moved to bigger Unions to further their rugby and work careers. However the Union has experienced a resurgence in fortunes over the last 4 seasons with the representative team performing well in the Heartland Championship.
Buller Rugby Union is made up of 6 clubs:
Buller also have 3 secondary schools who compete in matches:
The Buller teams home ground is Victoria Square, Westport and in the 2010 season will be seeded 10th for the Heartland Championship. In 2010 the draw is as follows; 28/8 v Wairarapa Bush at Victoria Square, 4/9 v North Otago away, 11/9 v East Coast away, 18/9 v Mid Canterbury at Victoria Square, 25/9 v Poverty Bay away.
Buller along with Canterbury, Tasman, West Coast, Mid Canterbury and South Canterbury make up the Crusaders Super 14 franchise.
Buller has never won a Provincial Championship
| Heartland Championship Results[1] | ||||||||||||
| Year | Played | Win | Draw | Loss | PF | PA | Diff | BP | Points | Place | Playoffs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 139 | 182 | -43 | 2 | 14 | 4th | (Lochore Cup Semi-finalists) | |
| 2007 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 171 | 186 | -15 | 2 | 22 | 5th | (Meads Cup) | |
| 2008 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 135 | 164 | -29 | 1 | 19 | 5th | (Meads Cup) | |
| 2009 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 163 | 156 | +7 | 5 | 17 | 4th | (Lochore Cup Semi-finalists) | |
Buller have never held the Ranfurly Shield despite a number of close matches. The best result being in 1949 when Buller drew 6-6 against Otago at Carisbrook, Dunedin. Interestingly enough had the match been played using the modern scoring system Buller would have won courtesy of scoring more tries than their Otago opposition.
The Seddon Shield is a challenge shield for representative teams in the top half of the south island. Buller along with Nelson Bays, Marlborough and West Coast currently compete for the shield. Originally the Golden Bay-Motueka Rugby Union and the Nelson Rugby Union also competed for the shield before both Unions amalgamated to form Nelson Bays. Buller have held the shield on a number of occasions but Nelson Bays are the current holders. In 2009 Buller lost their Seddon Shield challenge by 29-37 against Nelson Bays.
The Rundle Cup is contested annually between the Buller and West Coast Unions. It is one of the oldest trophies in NZ rugby. This season (2010) Buller retained the Rundle Cup in a spiteful encounter 20-11.
Buller has had 8 players selected for the All Blacks whilst playing their club rugby Buller.
Also
New Zealand Maori/Natives Representatives
Other Notable Players
Buller Centurions • John Brazil • Clark 'Huck' Nelson • Luke Brownlee
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