National First XV Championship (New Zealand)

The National First XV Championship is the Premier Rugby Union competition for Secondary Schools/Colleges in New Zealand.

Qualification

The National First XV Championship is ultimately broken down via the Top 4. The Top 4 is made up of the 4 main franchises/regions: Blues, Chiefs, Hurricanes and South Island. Prior to the Top 4 competition, schools first must compete in their local/provincial competitions. Once provincial Champions are determined they then enter into their regional/franchise playoff. This determines the regional/franchise Champion that will represent that region/franchise at Top 4. Each region/franchise is made up of the following:

Blues:
Northland Champion, North Harbour Champion and Auckland Champion

Chiefs:
Counties Champion, Bay of Plenty Champion, Waikato Champion and Taranaki Champion

Hurricanes:
Poverty Bay Champion, Hawkes Bay Champion, Manawatu Champion and Wellington Champion

South Island: This region is arranged slightly different as it is a merger of the Press Cup (Crusaders) Competition and the Highlanders Competition:
- Press Cup (Crusaders): Nelson Bays, Marlborough, West Coast and Canterbury
- Highlanders: North Otago, Otago and Southland
The winners of the Press Cup - (Crusaders) and the Highlanders competitions play in a one off final to determine the South Island Champion.

The winners of the Blues, Chiefs, Hurricanes and the South Island franchises make up The Top Four.

These 4 teams then have 2 semis finals with the winners advancing to the National 1st XV Final. As listed below, some titles have been shared. There have been calls for overtime to be included to determine an outright winner. Overtime is applied at Semi Finals but not the Final.

List of Winners and the Year

List of Top Schools

This list is based on those Schools/Colleges that have won the most National Top 4 titles since its inception in 1982. The decider being the number of runner up.

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Wins by Region

Traditional Fixtures

During the regular season the majority of schools also compete in traditional fixtures or rivalries. Some of these traditional fixtures (more commonly known as 'Traditionals') date back to the mid to late 19th Century. Listed below are some notable traditional fixtures (in no particular order):

National Co-Ed Champions 1st XV

In 2007 a co-educational division was added to the top 1st XV top 4 tournament as an incentive for these schools to participate on a similar basis to the open division. Co-ed schools have the option to choose to play in either competition. This competition takes on the same format as the Open division with qualification coming from the top Co-ed schools from the Blues, Hurricanes, Chiefs and South Island regions.

Winners

• 2007 Tamaki College (Blues) 22-15 Mana College (Hurricanes)
• 2008 Mana College (Hurricanes) & St Andrews College (South Island) 6-6
• 2009 Feilding High School (Hurricanes) 31-9 Aorere College (Blues)
• 2010 Saint Kentigern College (Blues) 37-22 Manurewa High School (Chiefs)
• 2011 Saint Kentigern College (Blues) 53-24 Cambridge High School (Chiefs)
• 2012 Onehunga High School (Blues) 18-11 St Andrews College (South Island)
• 2013 Tangaroa College (Blues) 32-13 Manurewa High School (Chiefs)

Moascar Cup

The oldest and most prestigious nationwide trophy in 1st XV rugby dates back to the end of World War One. At the end of the Great War in Ismailla Egypt, ten divisions of troops, Six British, three Australian and a New Zealand division were waiting to be sent home. Authorities within these divisions decided competitive sport would be a good way to fill in the time. A committee of officers was formed and they visited Cairo in search of a suitable trophy for a rugby tournament. When they returned they had a magnificent but somewhat cumbersome trophy made of Sterling Silver and stamped with made in London in 1904. The trophy was entitled the Moascar Cup. Moascar was thought to be the name of a village in Egypt it is in fact the Arabic word for camp. It was decided that the trophy in honor of the occasion should be mounted on the centre part of a sawn off German propeller shot down near the campsite. The Cup, also contested by a South African division, was won by the New Zealand Mounted Rifle Brigade who won eight and drew one of its nine games.

On return to New Zealand considerable debate was had on what was the best use for the trophy. It was agreed that it should be returned to the New Zealand Rugby Union and used for an appropriate competition. The individual charged with convincing the New Zealand Rugby Union of the trophy’s merit was Lieutenant-Colonel E J Hublert, commanding officer of the Mounted Rifle Brigade. The trophy was accepted and the New Zealand Rugby Union decided the best use for the Trophy was to use it to promote Secondary Schools rugby which had suffered badly because of the War. A knockout competition in both the Island’s was inaugurated with the final to be played at Athletic Park in Wellington. However the best intentions of administrators were undone by apathetic attitudes by some schools and three years of expensive and time-consuming matches. Soon the knockout competition was abolished and replaced by a challenge system. The current rules state that holders must nominate matches which other schools can compete for it. A total of 7 matches must be announced once the cup is won. There used to be a tendency where holders would withhold putting the cup up of grabs against stronger opposition while making it available against perceived lesser sides. Doing so reduced the risk of losing the cup. There have been calls for the cup to be put up more regularly such is the demand and prestige of it. Many have voiced that the cup be put up at all home games and all knock out fixtures. Another call to change has been on a tied score at full time. Like the National Top 4, no overtime is applied. The Moascar Cup defender continues to hold the cup if scores are tied at full time. There is an overwhelming want to include overtime to determine an outright winner.

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Super 8 and Quadrangular Tournament

There are two other major tournaments that are contested. Neither hold effect on qualification to the National Top 4. However the Moascar Cup may be put up for contention.

Formed in 1997, the New Zealand Super Eight group of schools incorporates the 8 boys' high schools from their respective provincial cities of the central North Island. The first sporting competitions were sponsored by Canterbury International and commenced in 1998, involving rugby and cricket. Since that time, the Super Eight concept has grown to include not only 10 sports competitions, but also a cultural festival and professional development programmes for management staff and curriculum teachers. For rugby, many argue that the Super 8 is on par with the Auckland 1A competition where both are the toughest pre-Top 4 round robin competitions in New Zealand secondary school rugby. The Super 8 is contested between, Gisborne Boys High School, Hamilton Boys High School, Rotorua Boys High School, Tauranga Boys High School, Napier Boys High School, Hastings Boys High School, New Plymouth Boys High School and Palmerston North Boys High School.

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The Quadrangular Tournament is the oldest secondary school rugby tournament which is competed between Wanganui Collegiate, Wellington College, Nelson College and Christ's College. It was initially known as the Triangular Tournament from 1890 to 1924 till Nelson College joined in 1925. In 2012 the 85th Quadrangular Tournament will be contested. Regardless of being oldest tournament in New Zealand secondary school rugby, it does not receive the same recognition as the National Top 4, Auckland 1A or Super 8 as no school that competes in it has ever gone on to win a National Championship.

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References