Club rugby finals format to change to avoid clash with test
Taranaki Rugby has reverted back to its traditional finals day format after last year’s instalment clashed with an All Blacks test match.
The premier final kicked off at the later time of 5pm last year with all games played on Yarrow Stadium’s main field.
Because of New Plymouth Old Boys’ thrilling 26-12 victory over StratfordEltham, which extended into extra time and concluded well after 7pm, spectators ended up missing the beginning of the All Blacks-south Africa test at Mount Smart Stadium.
With this year’s finals day on Saturday, July 13, there was the possibility of another clash, as the All Blacks play the second test against England at Eden Park at 7.05pm on the same day.
This year’s finals day will be scattered across fields one, three and four, including the introduction of the women’s final for the first time.
The women’s final will be played on the main field at 1.30pm, followed by the men at 3.30pm. The other three finals – division one, division two and colts – will start at 11.30am, noon and 12.30pm. Timings and field allocations for those finals will be confirmed later this season.
Taranaki Rugby community operations leader Ben Hitchcock said the addition of the women’s final will add another dimension to the popular day, which attracts
“The aim of this is to provide more meaningful end of season games to teams in division two as opposed to a quarter-final format implemented in previous seasons.” Taranaki Rugby
thousands through the gate.
Only the men’s and women’s finals will be live-streamed, which is a popular addition for those who can’t attend. Last year's premier final attracted nearly 7500 views.
Meanwhile, after consultation with the division two clubs, the division three final has been re-introduced. That will consist of teams that finish fifth, sixth, seventh or eighth at the end of the division two regular season.
“The aim of this is to provide more meaningful end of season games to teams in division two as opposed to a quarter-final format implemented in previous seasons,” Taranaki Rugby said in an email to clubs.
The division three final will be confirmed after more consultation with clubs and will not be played on finals day because of its subsidiary status alongside “logistical and operational barriers”.
The Cmk-sponsored Taranaki club rugby competition kicks off on Saturday, April 13, two weeks later than usual after a change to its format.
A championship round will be played first by using elements from the National Provincial Championship, where an odds and evens format was introduced based on last year’s seedings. The top-ranked club will win $1500 in prize money.
A full second round will follow.