![LV= Cup [Anglo-Welsh]](images/LV Cup 2011 SB.jpg)
SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE ROUND UP 2009/10
The premiership action in the Southern Hemisphere kicks off in earnest in July 2010. The Currie Cup retains it's format and name, while the Air New Zealand Cup has been rebranded, and will now be known as the ITM Cup, so get used to recognising the new logo.
Below is a round up of last year's competitions, and from July, we'll be bringing you weekly round-ups of all the action from down under.
CURRIE CUP
IN South Africa, the 2009 Absa Currie Cup Premier Division season was the 70th season in the competition since it started in 1889. The competition was contested from 10 July through to 31 October.
It was won by the Blue Bulls, who defeated the Free State Cheetahs 36-24 in the final at Loftus Versfeld. The Boland Cavaliers, who finished bottom of the Premier Division, were relegated after losing their promotion-relegation playoff to the First Division Champions, the Pumas, while the Leopards, who finished second from bottom in the Premier Division, narrowly retained their place in the top division after defeating the South-Western District Eagles in the other playoff.
FINAL STANDINGS BEFORE 2009 PLAY OFFS
The new season kicks off on 9th July with the Leopards facing the Lions in Potchefstroom, and the Blue Bulls fronting up to the Pumas in Pretoria. The full fixture list can be found in our Ultimate Rugby Calendar.
AIR NEW ZEALAND CUP
The 2009 Air New Zealand Cup was the 33rd provincial rugby union competition, the fourth since the competition reconstruction in 2006, involving the top 14 provincial unions in New Zealand. It ran for 15 weeks from July 30 to November 7. It was also the last edition of the provincial competition to use the Air New Zealand Cup name, as the competition's sponsorship contract with Air New Zealand ended after that season. The 2010 competition will be held under a new name, the ITM Cup.
Unlike previous seasons the 2009 Air New Zealand Cup did not have quarterfinals in their finals format, instead going straight to the semi finals with the top four teams rather than the top eight.
Canterbury were the eventual champions, winning their second title in a row and their seventh overall; it was the first time Canterbury had gone back-to-back in the provincial championship. They beat Wellington, 28 – 20, at AMI Stadium in Christchurch on the 7th of November. Wellington were down 18 – 3 at halftime but came back to close the scores to 25 – 20 in Canterbury's favour, but a late penalty goal by Stephen Brett put Wellington out of reach and gave Canterbury the win and the championship.
Whilst the 2009 season was the last Air New Zealand Cup by name, it was also potentially the last by format as well, as the New Zealand Rugby Union planned to restructure the domestic competition with three divisions involved: two ten team divisions and a new 6 team division. Doubts were raised throughout the season with serious support coming from the four teams likely to be axed, Counties Manukau, Northland, Manawatu, and Tasman, and their supporters, while the financial sustainability of the two unions who were to be promoted to the new first division was questioned. On the 11th of December the New Zealand Rugby Union decided to stick with the 14 team Air New Zealand Cup and the 12 team Heartland Championship format through 2010.
FINAL STANDINGS BEFORE 2009 PLAY OFFS
ITM CUP
The ITM Cup (previously Air New Zealand Cup) replaces the former National Provincial Championship Division One competition. The NPC competition, played across three divisions, was introduced in 1976, with finals introduced in 1992. The ITM Cup was established following the wide-ranging Competitions Review, which the NZRU launched in 2003. The objective of that Review was to conduct a comprehensive review of all NZRU competitions to ensure they provide the best possible platform for sustaining a winning All Blacks team and maintaining rugby as a game accessible and attractive to all New Zealanders.
Key features of the revised ITM Cup format
• The competition will feature the same 14 teams that participated in the inaugural 2006 Air New Zealand Cup – Auckland, Bay of Plenty, Canterbury, Counties Manukau, Hawke’s Bay, Manawatu, Northland, North Harbour, Otago, Southland, Taranaki, Tasman, Waikato and Wellington.
• The revised format will now see all 14 teams playing in a 10-week Modified Round Robin, followed by the quarterfinals, semifinals and final.
• There will be seven matches played each week during the Modified Round Robin.
• Not all teams will play each other during the Modified Round Robin. A formula has been developed to determine which teams do not play each other, based on a team’s competition placing from the previous season.
• During the 10 weeks of the Modified Round Robin, there will be a match played on every Thursday night.
• During the 10 weeks of the Modified Round Robin, two matches will be played simultaneously at 7.35pm on Friday night, with SKY Television broadcasting each match live on separate channels then repeating both matches on alternate channels straight after the live broadcast.
• Teams accumulate competition points as per normal: 4 points for a win; 2 points for a draw; 1 point for scoring four or more tries in a match; 1 point for losing a match by seven or fewer points.
• The top eight teams at the end of the Modified Round Robin will advance to the quarterfinals with the top four ranked teams hosting the matches. The quarterfinal match ups will be as follows: 1 vs. 8, 2 vs. 7, 3 vs. 6 and 4 vs. 5.
• The first semifinal will be contested between the highest-seeded quarterfinal winner and the lowest-seeded quarterfinal winner; the other semifinal will be contested between the two remaining teams.
• The Ranfurly Shield maintains its special place within the ITM Cup, with the holder putting the Shield up at all home games in the Round Robin only.
The inaugural ITM Cup kicks off on 29th July 2010, with Taranaki facing Northland in New Plymouth. the full fixture list for the ITM Cup can be found in our Ultimate Rugby Calendar.
