2008 Air New Zealand Cup

2008 Air New Zealand Cup
Countries New Zealand
Date31 July - 25 October
Champions Canterbury
Runners-up Wellington
Matches played77
Attendance530,226
(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 7–6 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 10 9 0 1 353 161 +192 8 0 44
2 Canterbury 10 9 0 1 270 101 +169 5 1 42
3 Hawke's Bay 10 7 0 3 265 183 +82 5 1 34
4 Bay of Plenty 10 6 0 4 185 152 +33 2 3 28
5 Southland 10 6 0 4 225 249 −24 3 1 25
6 Waikato 10 4 1 5 258 235 +23 5 2 25
7 Tasman 10 4 1 5 188 200 −12 2 3 23
8 Taranaki 10 4 1 5 201 209 −8 3 2 23
9 Northland 10 4 0 6 212 227 −15 3 3 22
10 Otago 10 4 1 5 207 231 −24 2 2 22
11 Auckland 10 5 0 5 149 193 −44 2 0 22
12 North Harbour 10 3 0 7 225 285 −61 3 4 19
13 Counties-Manukau 10 2 1 7 140 317 −177 1 2 13
14 Manawatu 10 1 1 8 149 283 −134 2 1 9

Table notes

  • Pos = Table Position
  • Pld = Played
  • W = Win (Worth 4 points)
  • D = Draw (Worth 2 points)
  • L = Loss (Worth 0 points)
  • PF = For (Total points scored)
  • PA = Against (Total points scored against)
  • PD = Points difference
  • BP1 = Bonus Point (1 Bonus Point will be awarded to any team that scores 4 tries or more regardless of win/loss/draw.)
  • BP2 = Bonus Point (1 Bonus Point will be awarded to the losing side if the loss is by 7 points or less.)
  • Pts = Progressive points tally

NB:

  • It is possible to receive 2 bonus points in a loss.
  • In the event of a tie on points the ranking of teams is decided by:[2]
  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
1 Blair Stewart Southland 105
2 Matt Berquist Hawke's Bay 97
3 Mike Delany Bay of Plenty 93
4 Willie Ripia Taranaki 93
5 Jimmy Gopperth North Harbour 90

Try Scorers

Player Team Tries
1 Hosea Gear Wellington 14
2 Zac Guildford Hawke's Bay 8
3= James Paterson Canterbury 7
3= Lote Raikabula Manawatu 7
3= Karne Hesketh Otago 7
3= Paul Perez Taranaki 7

Attendances

Team Played Highest Lowest Total Average
1 Wellington 7 15,242 6,260 80,546 11,507
2 Canterbury 7 10,065 7,000 58,565 8,366
3 Bay of Plenty 6 13,500 6,300 51,900 8,650
4 Auckland 5 16,000 6,540 47,040 9,408
5 Waikato 5 12,000 7,100 45,600 9,120
6 Hawke's Bay 6 10,866 4,000 41,893 6,982
7 Southland 5 9,000 7,000 37,482 7,496
8 Manawatu 5 8,000 4,000 31,000 6,200
9 Northland 5 14,200 3,000 31,600 6,320
10 Taranaki 5 6,500 4,000 28,000 5,600
11 Tasman 5 6,700 2,500 22,800 4,560
12 North Harbour 5 5,700 2,500 19,400 3,880
13 Otago 5 5,000 2,000 18,500 3,700
14 Counties-Manukau 5 6,500 800 16,850 3,370
Total 76 16,000 800 530,226 6,977

Fixtures and results

Round 1

Home Score Away Match Information
Date Venue Attendance
Northland 18–10 Waikato 31 July 2008 Homeworld Stadium, Whangarei 3,000
Tasman (1 BP) 7–8 Bay of Plenty 31 July 2008 Lansdowne Park, Blenheim 2,500
Wellington (1 BP) 30–6 Hawke's Bay 1 August 2008 Westpac Stadium, Wellington 7,148
Taranaki 20–13 North Harbour (1 BP) 1 August 2008 Yarrow Stadium, New Plymouth 6,300
Canterbury (1 BP) 24–25 Manawatu 2 August 2008 AMI Stadium, Christchurch 7,500
Southland (1 BP) 23–25 Otago 2 August 2008 Rugby Park Stadium, Invercargill 7,500
Counties-Manukau 17–6 Auckland 3 August 2008 Growers Stadium, Pukekohe 6,500

Round 2

Home Score Away Match Information
Date Venue Attendance
North Harbour (1 BP) 27–30 Wellington (1 BP) 7 August 2008 North Harbour Stadium, Albany 3,500
Manawatu 5–18 Southland 8 August 2008 FMG Stadium, Palmerston North 7,000
Waikato (1 BP) 14–16 Tasman 8 August 2008 Waikato Stadium, Hamilton 7,100
Otago (1 BP) 13–20 Canterbury 9 August 2008 Carisbrook, Dunedin 5,000
Bay of Plenty (1 BP) 45–3 Counties-Manukau 9 August 2008 International Stadium, Rotorua 6,300
Hawke's Bay (1 BP) 43–31 Northland 9 August 2008 McLean Park, Napier 4,000
Auckland 22–6 Taranaki 10 August 2008 Eden Park, Auckland 9,500

Round 3

Home Score Away Match Information
Date Venue Attendance
Manawatu (1 BP) 38–38 Waikato (1 BP) 14 August 2008 FMG Stadium, Palmerston North 4,000
Otago 23–18 Northland (1 BP) 15 August 2008 Carisbrook, Dunedin 3,500
Wellington (1 BP) 64–7 Counties-Manukau 15 August 2008 Westpac Stadium, Wellington 6,260
Bay of Plenty (1 BP) 38–31 North Harbour (2 BP) 16 August 2008 Baypark Stadium, Mount Maunganui 9,200
Hawke's Bay (1 BP) 16–20 Southland 16 August 2008 McLean Park, Napier 5,600
Canterbury (1 BP) 34–3 Auckland 16 August 2008 AMI Stadium, Christchurch 9,000
Tasman 33–23 Taranaki 17 August 2008 Trafalgar Park, Nelson 5,600

Round 4

Home Score Away Match Information
Date Venue Attendance
Counties-Manukau 8–22 Otago 21 August 2008 Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland 1,000
Northland (1 BP) 10–15 Bay of Plenty 22 August 2008 Homeworld Stadium, Whangarei 14,200
Southland 7–26 Wellington (1 BP) 22 August 2008 Rugby Park Stadium, Invercargill 7,500
Auckland 25–3 Manawatu 23 August 2008 Eden Park, Auckland 7,500
Tasman 6–41 Hawke's Bay (1 BP) 23 August 2008 Lansdowne Park, Blenheim 3,500
Taranaki 0–14 Canterbury 23 August 2008 Yarrow Stadium, New Plymouth 6,400
North Harbour 15–10 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) 31–8 Counties-Manukau 28 August 2008 Rugby Park Stadium, Invercargill 7,000
Taranaki (1 BP) 39–21 Northland 29 August 2008 Yarrow Stadium, New Plymouth 4,000
Otago 10–19 Hawke's Bay 29 August 2008 Carisbrook, Dunedin 4,500
Wellington (1 BP) 48–12 Bay of Plenty 30 August 2008 Westpac Stadium, Wellington 15,242
Manawatu (1 BP) 17–20 North Harbour 30 August 2008 FMG Stadium, Palmerston North 7,000
Waikato (1 BP) 34–13 Auckland 30 August 2008 Waikato Stadium, Hamilton 9,500
Canterbury (1 BP) 44–15 Tasman 31 August 2008 AMI Stadium, Christchurch 8,000

Round 6

Home Score Away Match Information
Date Venue Attendance
Hawke's Bay 18–14 Taranaki (1 BP) 4 September 2008 McLean Park, Napier 6,300
Bay of Plenty (1 BP) 31–20 Otago 5 September 2008 Baypark Stadium, Mount Maunganui 13,500
Manawatu 13–36 Wellington (1 BP) 5 September 2008 FMG Stadium, Palmerston North 8,000
Auckland 13–9 Southland 6 September 2008 Eden Park, Auckland 7,500
Northland 10–31 Tasman (1BP) 6 September 2008 Homeworld Stadium, Whangarei 6,000
North Harbour 9–36 Canterbury (1BP) 6 September 2008 North Harbour Stadium, Albany 3,900
Waikato 20–15 Counties-Manukau (1 BP) 7 September 2008 Waikato Stadium, Hamilton 12,000

Round 7

Home Score Away Match Information
Date Venue Attendance
Taranaki 14–3 Manawatu 11 September 2008 Yarrow Stadium, New Plymouth 4,800
Bay of Plenty (1 BP) 20–25 Auckland 12 September 2008 International Stadium, Rotorua 8,000
Northland (1 BP) 3–5 Canterbury 12 September 2008 Homeworld Stadium, Whangarei 4,200
Tasman 21–21 Otago 13 September 2008 Trafalgar Park, Nelson 6,700
Southland (1BP) 43–7 North Harbour 13 September 2008 Rugby Park Stadium, Invercargill 6,482
Wellington (1BP) 45–33 Waikato (1 BP) 13 September 2008 Westpac Stadium, Wellington 13,122
Counties-Manukau 14–45 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) 37–20 Bay of Plenty 18 September 2008 AMI Stadium, Christchurch 9,500
Tasman (1 BP) 3–6 Southland 19 September 2008 Lansdowne Park, Blenheim 4,500
Otago (2BP) 27–31 Taranaki (1BP) 19 September 2008 Carisbrook, Dunedin 2,000
Counties-Manukau (1BP) 27–14 Manawatu 20 September 2008 Growers Stadium, Pukekohe 3,700
Hawke's Bay (1BP) 24–15 Waikato 20 September 2008 McLean Park, Napier 7,800
Auckland
0–27 		Wellington (1BP) 20 September 2008 Eden Park, Auckland 16,000
North Harbour (1BP) 24–35 Northland (1BP) 21 September 2008 North Harbour Stadium, Albany 2,500

Round 9

Home Score Away Match Information
Date Venue Attendance
Bay of Plenty 24–22 Southland (1BP) 25 September 2008 Baypark Stadium, Mount Maunganui 8,100
Waikato (1 BP) 39–10 Otago 26 September 2008 Waikato Stadium, Hamilton 8,500
Taranaki 13–13 Counties-Manukau 26 September 2008 Yarrow Stadium, New Plymouth 6,500
North Harbour (1BP) 22–29 Auckland (1BP) 27 September 2008 North Harbour Stadium, Albany 5,700
Wellington 26–20 Tasman (1BP) 27 September 2008 Westpac Stadium, Wellington 14,143
Canterbury (1BP) 31–7 Hawke's Bay 27 September 2008 AMI Stadium, Christchurch 10,065
Northland (1 BP) 45–24 Manawatu (1 BP) 28 September 2008 Homeworld Stadium, Whangarei 4,200

Round 10

Home Score Away Match Information
Date Venue Attendance
Waikato (1BP) 45–41 Taranaki (2BP) 2 October 2008 Waikato Stadium, Hamilton 8,500
Southland 6–25 Canterbury 3 October 2008 Rugby Park Stadium, Invercargill 9,000
Hawke's Bay (1BP) 46–12 Bay of Plenty 3 October 2008 McLean Park, Napier 7,327
Manawatu 7–36 Tasman (1BP) 4 October 2008 FMG Stadium, Palmerston North 5,000
Counties-Manukau (1BP) 28–57 North Harbour (1 BP) 4 October 2008 (1BP) Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland 800
Otago (1BP) 36–21 Wellington 4 October 2008 Carisbrook, Dunedin 3,500
Auckland 13–21 Northland 5 October 2008 Eden Park, Auckland 6,540

Knockout stage

 
Quarter-finalsSemi-finalsFinal
 
          
 
10 October - AMI Stadium, Christchurch
 
 
 Canterbury48
 
18 October – AMI Stadium, Christchurch
 
 Tasman10
 
 Canterbury31
 
12 October - McLean Park, Napier
 
 Hawke's Bay21
 
 Hawke's Bay31
 
25 October – Westpac Stadium, Wellington
 
 Waikato28
 
 Canterbury7
 
11 October - Westpac Stadium, Wellington
 
 Wellington6
 
 Wellington50
 
17 October – Westpac Stadium, Wellington
 
 Taranaki30
 
 Wellington28
 
11 October - Baypark Stadium, Mount Maunganui
 
 Southland19
 
 Bay of Plenty11
 
 
 Southland45
 

Quarterfinals

Home Score Away Match Information
Date Venue Crowd
Canterbury 48–10 Tasman 10 October 2008 AMI Stadium, Christchurch 7,500
Wellington 50–30 Taranaki 11 October 2008 Westpac Stadium, Wellington 13,164
Bay of Plenty 11–45 Southland 11 October 2008 Baypark Stadium, Mount Maunganui 6,800
Hawke's Bay 31–28 Waikato 12 October 2008 McLean Park, Napier 10,866

Semifinals

Home Score Away Match Information
Date Venue Crowd
Wellington 28–19 Southland 17 October 2008 Westpac Stadium, Wellington 11,517
Canterbury 31–21 Hawke's Bay 18 October 2008 AMI Stadium, Christchurch 7,000

Final

Home Score Away Match Information
Date Venue Crowd
Wellington 6–7 Canterbury 25 October 2008 Westpac Stadium, Wellington 21,237

See also

External links

References

  1. ^ Johnstone, Duncan (27 September 2008). "Northland and Tasman saved from axe". stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 6 February 2009.
  2. ^ "Competitions review: new competitions information summary" (PDF). New Zealand Rugby Union. 2 June 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 May 2011. Retrieved 6 February 2009.