The 2008

Air New Zealand Cup The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing for ...

was a provincial

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

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 The National Provincial Championship may refer to: * National Provincial Championship (1976–2005), original competition before reform into 14 sides * National Provincial Championship (2006–present) The National Provincial Championship, o ...

. 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.

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. ...

won their sixth national provincial title by defeating

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

7–6 at

Westpac Stadium Wellington Regional Stadium (known commercially as Sky Stadium through naming rights) is a major sporting venue in Wellington, New Zealand. The stadium's bowl site size is . The stadium was built in 1999 by Fletcher Construction and is situa ...

. It was the third consecutive season that Wellington have finished runners-up.

Standings

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

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

Standings

Table notes

Points Scorers

Try Scorers

Attendances

Fixtures and results

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

Round 4

Round 5

Round 6

Round 7

Round 8

Round 9

Round 10

Knockout stage

Quarterfinals

Semifinals

Final

See also

External links

References