2008 Air New Zealand Cup

2008 Air New Zealand Cup
Countries  New Zealand
Date 31 July - 25 October
Champions Canterbury
Runners-up Wellington
Matches played 77
Attendance 530,226 (average 6,886 per match)
Top point scorer Blair Stewart (105)
Top try scorer Hosea Gear (14)
2007
2009

The 2008 Air New Zealand Cup was a provincial rugby union competition involving 14 teams from New Zealand. Matches started on Thursday 31 July 2008, and continued until the final on 25 October 2008.

This season was the third of the expanded competition, which succeeded the First Division of the National Provincial Championship. It started with a 10-week round robin in which every team missed out on playing 3 teams in the competition. This was followed by a knockout playoff involving 8 teams, made up of quarterfinals, semifinals and the final.

On 11 August 2008 the New Zealand Rugby Union initially announced that Tasman and Northland would both be relegated from the Air New Zealand Cup after the completion of the 2008 season. Both teams failed to meet criteria which included financial stability, population, player training and development, playing history, and administration. This decision was reversed towards the end of the 2008 season, with Tasman and Northland remaining in the competition for two more years.[1]

Canterbury won their sixth national provincial title by defeating Wellington 76 at Westpac Stadium, Wellington. It was the third consecutive season that Wellington have finished runners-up.

Standings

Qualified for the quarterfinals

The top eight teams in pool play advanced to the Quarter Finals.

Team Pld W D L PF PA PD BP1 BP2 Pts
1 Wellington 10901353161+1928044
2 Canterbury 10901270101+1695142
3 Hawke's Bay 10703265183+825134
4 Bay of Plenty 10604185152+332328
5 Southland 10604225249243125
6 Waikato 10415258235+235225
7 Tasman 10415188200122323
8 Taranaki 1041520120983223
9 Northland 10406212227153322
10 Otago 10415207231242222
11 Auckland 10505149193442022
12 North Harbour 10307225285613419
13 Counties-Manukau 102171403171771213
14 Manawatu 10118149283134219

Table notes

NB:

  1. The winner of the last match between the two provinces if played this season then,
  2. Highest points differential then,
  3. Most tries scored then,
  4. A coin toss.

Points Scorers

Player Team Pts
1Blair Stewart Southland105
2Matt Berquist Hawke's Bay97
3Mike Delany Bay of Plenty93
4Willie Ripia Taranaki93
5Jimmy Gopperth North Harbour90

Try Scorers

Player Team Tries
1Hosea Gear Wellington14
2Zac Guildford Hawke's Bay8
3=James Paterson Canterbury7
3=Lote Raikabula Manawatu7
3=Karne Hesketh Otago7
3=Paul Perez Taranaki7

Attendances

Team Played Highest Lowest Total Average
1 Wellington 715,2426,26080,54611,507
2 Canterbury 710,0657,00058,5658,366
3 Bay of Plenty 613,5006,30051,9008,650
4 Auckland 516,0006,54047,0409,408
5 Waikato 512,0007,10045,6009,120
6 Hawke's Bay 610,8664,00041,8936,982
7 Southland 59,0007,00037,4827,496
8 Manawatu 58,0004,00031,0006,200
9 Northland 514,2003,00031,6006,320
10 Taranaki 56,5004,00028,0005,600
11 Tasman 56,7002,50022,8004,560
12 North Harbour 55,7002,50019,4003,880
13 Otago 55,0002,00018,5003,700
14 Counties-Manukau 56,50080016,8503,370
Total7616,000800530,2266,977

Fixtures and results

Round 1

Home Score Away Match Information
Date Venue Attendance
Northland 1810 Waikato 31 July 2008 Homeworld Stadium, Whangarei 3,000
Tasman (1 BP) 78 Bay of Plenty 31 July 2008 Lansdowne Park, Blenheim 2,500
Wellington (1 BP) 306 Hawke's Bay 1 August 2008 Westpac Stadium, Wellington 7,148
Taranaki 2013 North Harbour (1 BP) 1 August 2008 Yarrow Stadium, New Plymouth 6,300
Canterbury (1 BP) 2425 Manawatu 2 August 2008 AMI Stadium, Christchurch 7,500
Southland (1 BP) 2325 Otago 2 August 2008 Rugby Park Stadium, Invercargill 7,500
Counties-Manukau 176 Auckland 3 August 2008 Growers Stadium, Pukekohe 6,500

Round 2

Home Score Away Match Information
Date Venue Attendance
North Harbour (1 BP) 2730 Wellington (1 BP) 7 August 2008 North Harbour Stadium, Albany 3,500
Manawatu 518 Southland 8 August 2008 FMG Stadium, Palmerston North 7,000
Waikato (1 BP) 1416 Tasman 8 August 2008 Waikato Stadium, Hamilton 7,100
Otago (1 BP) 1320 Canterbury 9 August 2008 Carisbrook, Dunedin 5,000
Bay of Plenty (1 BP) 453 Counties-Manukau 9 August 2008 International Stadium, Rotorua 6,300
Hawke's Bay (1 BP) 4331 Northland 9 August 2008 McLean Park, Napier 4,000
Auckland 226 Taranaki 10 August 2008 Eden Park, Auckland 9,500

Round 3

Home Score Away Match Information
Date Venue Attendance
Manawatu (1 BP) 3838 Waikato (1 BP) 14 August 2008 FMG Stadium, Palmerston North 4,000
Otago 2318 Northland (1 BP) 15 August 2008 Carisbrook, Dunedin 3,500
Wellington (1 BP) 647 Counties-Manukau 15 August 2008 Westpac Stadium, Wellington 6,260
Bay of Plenty (1 BP) 3831 North Harbour (2 BP) 16 August 2008 Baypark Stadium, Mount Maunganui 9,200
Hawke's Bay (1 BP) 1620 Southland 16 August 2008 McLean Park, Napier 5,600
Canterbury (1 BP) 343 Auckland 16 August 2008 AMI Stadium, Christchurch 9,000
Tasman 3323 Taranaki 17 August 2008 Trafalgar Park, Nelson 5,600

Round 4

Home Score Away Match Information
Date Venue Attendance
Counties-Manukau 822 Otago 21 August 2008 Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland 1,000
Northland (1 BP) 1015 Bay of Plenty 22 August 2008 Homeworld Stadium, Whangarei 14,200
Southland 726 Wellington (1 BP) 22 August 2008 Rugby Park Stadium, Invercargill 7,500
Auckland 253 Manawatu 23 August 2008 Eden Park, Auckland 7,500
Tasman 641 Hawke's Bay (1 BP) 23 August 2008 Lansdowne Park, Blenheim 3,500
Taranaki 014 Canterbury 23 August 2008 Yarrow Stadium, New Plymouth 6,400
North Harbour 1510 Waikato (1 BP) 24 August 2008 North Harbour Stadium, Albany 3,800

Round 5

Home Score Away Match Information
Date Venue Attendance
Southland (1 BP) 318 Counties-Manukau 28 August 2008 Rugby Park Stadium, Invercargill 7,000
Taranaki (1 BP) 3921 Northland 29 August 2008 Yarrow Stadium, New Plymouth 4,000
Otago 1019 Hawke's Bay 29 August 2008 Carisbrook, Dunedin 4,500
Wellington (1 BP) 4812 Bay of Plenty 30 August 2008 Westpac Stadium, Wellington 15,242
Manawatu (1 BP) 1720 North Harbour 30 August 2008 FMG Stadium, Palmerston North 7,000
Waikato (1 BP) 3413 Auckland 30 August 2008 Waikato Stadium, Hamilton 9,500
Canterbury (1 BP) 4415 Tasman 31 August 2008 AMI Stadium, Christchurch 8,000

Round 6

Home Score Away Match Information
Date Venue Attendance
Hawke's Bay 1814 Taranaki (1 BP) 4 September 2008 McLean Park, Napier 6,300
Bay of Plenty (1 BP) 3120 Otago 5 September 2008 Baypark Stadium, Mount Maunganui 13,500
Manawatu 1336 Wellington (1 BP) 5 September 2008 FMG Stadium, Palmerston North 8,000
Auckland 139 Southland 6 September 2008 Eden Park, Auckland 7,500
Northland 1031 Tasman (1BP) 6 September 2008 Homeworld Stadium, Whangarei 6,000
North Harbour 936 Canterbury (1BP) 6 September 2008 North Harbour Stadium, Albany 3,900
Waikato 2015 Counties-Manukau (1 BP) 7 September 2008 Waikato Stadium, Hamilton 12,000

Round 7

Home Score Away Match Information
Date Venue Attendance
Taranaki 143 Manawatu 11 September 2008 Yarrow Stadium, New Plymouth 4,800
Bay of Plenty (1 BP) 2025 Auckland 12 September 2008 International Stadium, Rotorua 8,000
Northland (1 BP) 35 Canterbury 12 September 2008 Homeworld Stadium, Whangarei 4,200
Tasman 2121 Otago 13 September 2008 Trafalgar Park, Nelson 6,700
Southland (1BP) 437 North Harbour 13 September 2008 Rugby Park Stadium, Invercargill 6,482
Wellington (1BP) 4533 Waikato (1 BP) 13 September 2008 Westpac Stadium, Wellington 13,122
Counties-Manukau 1445 Hawke's Bay (1 BP) 14 September 2008 Growers Stadium, Pukekohe 4,850

Round 8

Home Score Away Match Information
Date Venue Attendance
Canterbury (1 BP) 3720 Bay of Plenty 18 September 2008 AMI Stadium, Christchurch 9,500
Tasman (1 BP) 36 Southland 19 September 2008 Lansdowne Park, Blenheim 4,500
Otago (2BP) 2731 Taranaki (1BP) 19 September 2008 Carisbrook, Dunedin 2,000
Counties-Manukau (1BP) 2714 Manawatu 20 September 2008 Growers Stadium, Pukekohe 3,700
Hawke's Bay (1BP) 2415 Waikato 20 September 2008 McLean Park, Napier 7,800
Auckland
027
Wellington (1BP) 20 September 2008 Eden Park, Auckland 16,000
North Harbour (1BP) 2435 Northland (1BP) 21 September 2008 North Harbour Stadium, Albany 2,500

Round 9

Home Score Away Match Information
Date Venue Attendance
Bay of Plenty 2422 Southland (1BP) 25 September 2008 Baypark Stadium, Mount Maunganui 8,100
Waikato (1 BP) 3910 Otago 26 September 2008 Waikato Stadium, Hamilton 8,500
Taranaki 1313 Counties-Manukau 26 September 2008 Yarrow Stadium, New Plymouth 6,500
North Harbour (1BP) 2229 Auckland (1BP) 27 September 2008 North Harbour Stadium, Albany 5,700
Wellington 2620 Tasman (1BP) 27 September 2008 Westpac Stadium, Wellington 14,143
Canterbury (1BP) 317 Hawke's Bay 27 September 2008 AMI Stadium, Christchurch 10,065
Northland (1 BP) 4524 Manawatu (1 BP) 28 September 2008 Homeworld Stadium, Whangarei 4,200

Round 10

Home Score Away Match Information
Date Venue Attendance
Waikato (1BP) 4541 Taranaki (2BP) 2 October 2008 Waikato Stadium, Hamilton 8,500
Southland 625 Canterbury 3 October 2008 Rugby Park Stadium, Invercargill 9,000
Hawke's Bay (1BP) 4612 Bay of Plenty 3 October 2008 McLean Park, Napier 7,327
Manawatu 736 Tasman (1BP) 4 October 2008 FMG Stadium, Palmerston North 5,000
Counties-Manukau (1BP) 2857 North Harbour (1 BP) 4 October 2008 (1BP) Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland 800
Otago (1BP) 3621 Wellington 4 October 2008 Carisbrook, Dunedin 3,500
Auckland 1321 Northland 5 October 2008 Eden Park, Auckland 6,540

Knockout stage

Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
                   
10 October - AMI Stadium, Christchurch        
  Canterbury  48
18 October – AMI Stadium, Christchurch
  Tasman  10  
  Canterbury  31
12 October - McLean Park, Napier
      Hawke's Bay  21  
  Hawke's Bay  31
25 October – Westpac Stadium, Wellington
  Waikato  28  
  Canterbury  7
11 October - Westpac Stadium, Wellington    
    Wellington  6
  Wellington  50
17 October – Westpac Stadium, Wellington
  Taranaki  30  
  Wellington  28
11 October - Baypark Stadium, Mount Maunganui
      Southland  19  
  Bay of Plenty  11
  Southland  45  
 

Quarterfinals

Home Score Away Match Information
Date Venue Crowd
Canterbury 4810 Tasman 10 October 2008 AMI Stadium, Christchurch 7,500
Wellington 5030 Taranaki 11 October 2008 Westpac Stadium, Wellington 13,164
Bay of Plenty 1145 Southland 11 October 2008 Baypark Stadium, Mount Maunganui 6,800
Hawke's Bay 3128 Waikato 12 October 2008 McLean Park, Napier 10,866

Semifinals

Home Score Away Match Information
Date Venue Crowd
Wellington 2819 Southland 17 October 2008 Westpac Stadium, Wellington 11,517
Canterbury 3121 Hawke's Bay 18 October 2008 AMI Stadium, Christchurch 7,000

Final

Home Score Away Match Information
Date Venue Crowd
Wellington 67 Canterbury 25 October 2008 Westpac Stadium, Wellington 21,237

See also

External links

References

  1. Johnstone, Duncan (2008-09-27). "Northland and Tasman saved from axe". stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 2009-02-06.
  2. "Competitions review: new competitions information summary". New Zealand Rugby Union. 2005-06-02. Retrieved 2009-02-06.