The 2001 New Zealand rugby league season was the 94th season of

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...

that had been played in New Zealand. The main feature of the year was the second season of the

Bartercard Cup The Bartercard Cup (successor of the Lion Red Cup) was the top level rugby league club competition in New Zealand from 2000 until 2007. For the entire life of the tournament it was sponsored by Bartercard. The cup was administered by the New Zeala ...

competition that was run by the

New Zealand Rugby League The New Zealand Rugby League (NZRL) is the governing body for the sport of rugby league football in New Zealand. SPARC, 2009: 13 The NZRL was founded on 25 April 1910 in preparation for a tour of Great Britain that same year.Coffey and Wood ''T ...

. The

Hibiscus Coast Raiders The Hibiscus Coast Raiders are a rugby league club based on the Hibiscus Coast, New Zealand. They compete in Auckland Rugby League's Fox Memorial competition and between 2000 and 2005 were also involved in the Bartercard Cup competition. History ...

won the Cup by defeating the

Eastern Tornadoes The Eastern Tornadoes were a New Zealand rugby league franchise that competed in the New Zealand Rugby League's Bartercard Cup and Auckland Rugby League's Super 12 competitions. They were formed to represent the rugby league clubs of East Auckla ...

28–18 in the Grand Final.

International competitions

The

New Zealand national rugby league team The New Zealand national rugby league team (Māori: Tīma rīki motu Aotearoa) has represented New Zealand in rugby league since 1907. Administered by the New Zealand Rugby League, they are commonly known as the Kiwis, after the native bird of ...

played a one-off test match against

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

and defeated them 36–0 at Ericsson Stadium. The Kiwis then played Australia at the new

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 ...

in Wellington and lost 28–10. New Zealand were coached by Gary Freeman. The French team also played three matches against regional selections;

Northern Districts The Northern Districts men's cricket team are one of six New Zealand first-class cricket teams that make up New Zealand Cricket. They are based in the northern half of the North Island of New Zealand (excluding Auckland). They compete in the ...

Central Districts The Central Stags, formerly known as Central Districts, are a first-class cricket team based in central New Zealand. They are the men's representative side of the Central Districts Cricket Association. They compete in the Plunket Shield firs ...

and the

South Island The South Island, also officially named , is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman ...

. France won all three of these games, defeating the South Island 24–11 at

Lancaster Park Lancaster Park, also known as Jade Stadium and AMI Stadium for sponsorship reasons, was a sports stadium in Waltham, a suburb of Christchurch in New Zealand. The stadium was closed permanently due to damage sustained in the February 2011 eart ...

, Central Districts 28–26 at the

Palmerston North Showgrounds Central Energy Trust Arena is the current name of the 180,000 square metre publicly owned recreational complex just west of the Palmerston North city centre in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. It has three linked indoor stadiums ...

and Northern Districts 40–16 in Huntly. Jeff Whittaker coached the South Island team that featured mainly

Canterbury Bulls The Canterbury rugby league team (also known as the Canterbury Bulls) are a rugby league team who represent the Canterbury Rugby League. They currently compete in the Albert Baskerville Trophy. Their home ground is Orangetheory Stadium in Chri ...

players. The team was captained by Shane Beyers and included

Aaron Whittaker Aaron Whittaker (born 9 July 1968) is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer. A New Zealand international representative halfback, he played club football in Australia, England and New Zealand. Early years Whittaker grew up i ...

. Northern Districts included

Lance Hohaia Lance Koro Hohaia (born 1 April 1983), also known by the nickname of "The Huntly Hurricane", is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer. A New Zealand international representative utility back, he played in the NRL for the Ne ...

and Hare Te Rangi. The

Junior Kiwis The Junior Kiwis side represents New Zealand in the sport of rugby league. They are commonly known as the Junior Kiwis, after the native bird of that name. Since 2010, they are an under-20s side, with players selected from the NRL, Intrust Super ...

included

Vince Mellars Vincent "Vinny" Mellars (born 27 January 1984) is a New Zealand rugby league and rugby union footballer who plays in the Centres. He has previously played in the NRL, Super League and Air New Zealand Cup and in the RFL Championship for Feathe ...

, Richard Utai and

Robert Tanielu Robert Tanielu (born 19 June 1982) is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer. He previously played with the Brisbane Broncos, Melbourne Storm and North Queensland Cowboys. He retired in January 2007 following medical advice a ...

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

conducted a two match trip to Sydney in September 2001.Coffey, John and Bernie Wood ''Auckland, 100 years of rugby league, 1909-2009'', 2009. , p.330. Auckland defeated Northern Māori 48-6 before losing to Sydney Metropolitan 34–12. They were coached by Stan Martin and included Daniel Floyd,

Karl Te Mata Karl Temata (born 12 July 1978) is a former Cook Islands international rugby league footballer who played as a or er in the 2000s and 2010s. He played at club level for the Hibiscus Coast Raiders, New Zealand Warriors, London Broncos/ Harlequi ...

Tyrone Pau Tyrone Pau (birth unknown) is a former professional rugby league who played in the 2000s. He played at representative level for the Cook Islands, Auckland and the New Zealand Residents, and at club level for the Hibiscus Coast Raiders, Limoux Gri ...

Jeremy Smith Jeremy Smith may refer to: *Jeremy Theron Smith a man charged with aggravated assault for wounding three women in Koreatown Dallas on 17 May 2022 *Jeremy Smith (Royal Navy officer) (fl. 1660s), British sailor * Jeremy C. Smith (born 1959), British b ...

Joe Galuvao Joe Galuvao (born 8 July 1978) is a former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s in the NRL. A Samoa and New Zealand international second row forward, he played for the Auckland Warriors, Parramatta Eel ...

Jason Temu Jason Temu (born 17 April 1972) former Cook Islands national rugby league team, Cook Islands rugby league footballer who played as a in the 1990s and 2000s. He played at representative level for Cook Islands national rugby league team, Cook Isl ...

, Hare Te Rangi and

Cliff Beverley Cliff Beverley (born 25 March 1977) is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer. His preferred position was , although he was somewhat of a utility and spent considerable time at . Background Beverley was born in New Zealand. ...

National competitions

Rugby League Cup

Tasman defeated Coastline in Tauranga to win the

Rugby League Cup The Rugby League Cup is a New Zealand rugby league trophy that is contested between districts on a challenge basis. The trophy used to be known as the Northern Union Challenge Cup. It is the oldest rugby league competition in New Zealand. Histo ...

Bartercard Cup

The 2001 Bartercard Cup was the second season of the

competition run by the

. After losing every match, the

Ngongotaha Chiefs The Ngongotaha Chiefs are a New Zealand rugby league club. They are from Ngongotahā in the Bay of Plenty. In 2000 and 2001 they competed in the Bartercard Cup but now they compete in the Bay of Plenty Rugby League competition. Notable players ...

withdrew from the competition after round sixteen. All teams scheduled to play them after this were awarded two points for a bye. The Auckland teams were again dominant with only defending champions, the

, making the finals from outside of Auckland.

The Teams

* Hibiscus Coast were coached by

Brian McClennan Brian "Bluey" McClennan (born 16 February 1962) is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer and coach. He was previously the head coach of the New Zealand national team (with whom he won the 2005 Tri-nations) and then England's ...

and Tony Benson and included captain Anthony Seuseu,

Aaron Heremaia Aaron Aspin Heremaia (born ) is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who last played as a goal-kicking or for the Widnes Vikings in the Super League. Background Heremaia was born in Auckland, New Zealand. Playing caree ...

Iafeta Paleaaesina Iafeta Iakopo "Feka" Paleaaesina (born 10 February 1983) is a New Zealand former rugby league footballer. He played as a for the New Zealand Warriors in the NRL, and for the Wigan Warriors, Salford City Reds and Hull F.C. in the Super League. ...

and Daniel Floyd.Round 7 Bartercard Cup teams
''rleague.com'', 26 April 2001Batercard Cup Round 21 Preview
''rleague.com'', 10 August 2001 * Northcote were coached by Del Hughes and included Aaron Tucker, Jared Trott,

Jamie Cook Jamie Robert Cook (born 8 July 1985) is an English guitarist and songwriter. He is best known as the guitarist and a founding member of the indie rock band Arctic Monkeys, with whom he has recorded seven studio albums. Arctic Monkeys Jamie Coo ...

and Keneti Asiata.Bears' migration adds some bite to clash
''New Zealand Herald'', 8 March 2001Round 7 Bartercard Cup Teams
''rleague.com'', 26 April 2002 * Glenora were coached by player-coach

Duane Mann Duane Darrin Mann (born 28 June 1965) is a New Zealand former rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s, and coached in the 2000s. A Tonga and New Zealand international representative , he captained both sides. Mann played his ...

and included

David David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

and Gavin Bailey,

Ben Lythe Ben Lythe (born 14 October 1975 in New Zealand) is a former professional rugby league footballer. His position of preference was at Halfback. He was also a noted goalkicker. Early years Hailing from West Auckland, Lythe played for the Mt Albe ...

, Steve Buckingham and

Shontayne Hape Shontayne Edward Hape (; born 30 January 1981) is a former professional rugby footballer, a dual-code rugby international. He played rugby union at centre for Montpellier, London Irish, Bath and England. He played rugby league for the Bradfor ...

. * The

Marist Richmond Brothers The Marist Richmond Brothers were a New Zealand rugby league franchise that played in the Bartercard Cup. They were a joint venture between two Auckland Rugby League clubs, the Richmond Bulldogs and the Marist Saints. In 2005 the competition was ...

included

Motu Tony Motu Iosefo Tony (born 29 May 1981) is a former New Zealand international rugby league footballer who played as a in the 2000s and 2010s. He previously played in the NRL for the New Zealand Warriors and the Brisbane Broncos before playing in t ...

, Daniel Vasau, Matthew Tuisamoa, Vae Kololo and

. * Mount Albert were coached by John Ackland and included Sala and David Fa'alogo, Carl Doherty, Wayne McDade,

Hutch Maiava Hutch Maiava (born 26 October 1976) is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who played for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in the NRL as a . He previously played for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and Hull F.C. Playing ...

Fuifui Moimoi Fuifui Moimoi (born 26 September 1980) is a rugby league footballer who plays as a . He most notably played for the Parramatta Eels in the National Rugby League (NRL) from 2004 to 2014, in addition to playing for Leigh Centurions in the RFL Cha ...

, Lee Finnerty and Andreas Bauer. * The

Otahuhu Leopards The Otahuhu Leopards are a rugby league club based in Otahuhu, Auckland. Founded in 1911 Auckland Rugby League season, 1911, the club has produced 49 New Zealand national rugby league team players. The club competes in the Fox Memorial competit ...

featured Jonathan Smith, Dean Clark,

Boycie Nelson Boycie Nelson is a New Zealand coach who is the assistant coach of the New Zealand Warriors Holden Cup team and former rugby league former footballer who played as a goal-kicking . Playing career New Zealand Nelson grew up playing rugby league ...

, Rusty Matua and

George Carmont George Carmont (born 30 June 1978), also known by the nickname of "Chicken George" or "Gorgeous George", is a former Samoa international rugby league footballer who played as a for the Newcastle Knights in the National Rugby League (NRL) and t ...

. * The

featured identical twins

and Paul Fisiiahi,

Jeremiah Pai Jeremiah Pai is a New Zealand rugby league footballer who plays for the Point Chevalier Pirates. Early years He was first noticed when playing for the Eastern Tornadoes in the Bartercard Cup before making his National Rugby League debut for the ...

, Justin Murphy,

Phillip Leuluai Phillip Leuluai (born 16 July 1977) is a former Samoa international rugby league footballer who played as a or occasional for the Salford City Reds in the Super League. Background Leuluai in Greenlane, Auckland, New Zealand. He is of Samoan ...

and Hare Te Rangi. They were coached by

James Leuluai A'au James Leuluai (born 4 February 1957) is a New Zealand former international rugby league . Background He is the father of former Widnes Vikings player Macgraff Leuluai and Wigan Warriors and New Zealand international Thomas Leuluai, and th ...

.Bartercard Cup Round 14 Teams
''rleague.com'', 22 June 2001 * The

Manurewa Marlins The Manurewa Marlins are a rugby league club based in Manurewa, New Zealand. In 2018 the Marlins will compete in Auckland Rugby League's Sharman Cup competition. Between 2000 and 2003 they competed in the national Bartercard Cup competition. N ...

included

Mark Tookey Mark Tookey (born 9 March 1977) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990 and 2000s. He played as a in Australia for the South Queensland Crushers and the Parramatta Eels as well as the New Zealand War ...

, Kevin Campion, Cheyenne Motu,

, Channerith and Channerath Ly and Richard Utai. * The Ngongotaha Chiefs were coached by

Cameron Bell Cameron Bell (born 18 September 1986) is a Scottish football coach and former player. Bell played as a goalkeeper for several Scottish clubs and once for the Scotland national team. Bell began his senior career with Kilmarnock and, after loa ...

and included Mark Woods. * Porirua included Robert Piva. * Wainuiomata were coached by

John Lomax John Avery Lomax (September 23, 1867 – January 26, 1948) was an American teacher, a pioneering musicologist, and a folklorist who did much for the preservation of American folk music. He was the father of Alan Lomax, John Lomax Jr. and Bess Lo ...

and included

Billy Weepu Billy Weepu is a New Zealand former rugby league footballer who played for the Manly Sea Eagles in the NRL, and is now a news camera operator. He is the brother of rugby union player Piri Weepu. Playing career Early years Weepu started his ...

, Tony Lomax, Yogi Rogers and

. * The

were coached by Ged Stokes, who was assisted by Phil Prescott. The team included Shane Beyers,

Lusi Sione Lusi Sione is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who played for Workington Town and represented the Canterbury and New Zealand 'A'. Playing career Sione started his career in the Lion Red Cup, playing for the Canterbury ...

, Robert Henare, Scott Woodgate, Tangia Tongiia and Maurice Emslie.

Seasons Standings

The Playoffs

= Grand Final

Jeremy Smith (Hibiscus Coast) was man of the match.

Awards

North Island Super Seven Series

A North Island Super Seven Series was held between seven district sides in the North Island. This competition included Northland,

Waikato Waikato () is a Regions of New Zealand, local government region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato District, Waipa District, Matamata-Piako District, South Waikato District and Hamilton, New Zealand, Hamilton City ...

, Coastline-Bay of Plenty Mariners,

Taranaki Taranaki is a region in the west of New Zealand's North Island. It is named after its main geographical feature, the stratovolcano of Mount Taranaki, also known as Mount Egmont. The main centre is the city of New Plymouth. The New Plymouth Dist ...

, Manawatu and

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 ...

. Taranaki and Wellington made the final after defeating Manawatu and Auckland respectively in the semi-finals. Wellington won the competition, defeating Taranaki 30–24. The

Coastline Mariners The Coastline rugby league team are New Zealand rugby league team that represents the Coastline Rugby League. They have been nicknamed the ''Mariners''. History The first time Coastline competed as an independent district was in 1995, previousl ...

were coached by

Tony Gordon Tony Gordon is a Character (arts), fictional character from the Television in the United Kingdom, British ITV (TV network), ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', portrayed by actor Gray O'Brien. The character first appeared on-screen on 16 Sep ...

and included

Andrew Leota Andrew Leota is a Tongan rugby footballer who represented Tonga in rugby league at the 2000 World Cup. Playing career Leota originally played rugby league, being named in the Tonga squad for the 2000 World Cup and representing Coastline bet ...

Mainland Super 10

The second Mainland Super 10 competition was held between

Canterbury Rugby League Canterbury Rugby League is the regional body that administers rugby league in Canterbury, New Zealand. CRL manages local competitions from senior level down to age group competitions. Canterbury Rugby League also manages the Canterbury rugby lea ...

clubs and the South Island provincial teams. The teams involved included the Tasman Orcas (coached by Paul Bergman), Otago Raiders, Southland Rams and seven clubs from Canterbury: the Haswell Hornets, Hornby Panthers, Eastern Sea Eagles, Papanui Tigers, Riccarton Knights, Sydenham Swans and the Linwood Kews. The West Coast Chargers withdrew after the competition was moved to the first half of the season. The Papanui Tigers were the minor premiers while defending champions Tasman finished fifth. The final was contested between the Linwood Keas and the Eastern Suburbs Sea Eagles.

Australian competitions

The

New Zealand Warriors The New Zealand Warriors are a professional rugby league football club based in Auckland, New Zealand that competes in the National Rugby League (NRL) premiership and is the League's only team from outside Australia. They were formed in 1995 as ...

competed in the

National Rugby League The National Rugby League (NRL) is an Australasian rugby league club competition which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and New Zealand. The NRL formed in 1998 as a joint partnership ...

competition. They finished 8th out of 14 teams, making the finals for the first time. In the Qualifying Final they were thrashed 56-12 by the minor premiers, the

Parramatta Eels The Parramatta Eels are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Sydney suburb of Parramatta that competes in the National Rugby League. The Parramatta District Rugby League Football Club was formed in 1947, and their ...

Club competitions

Auckland

The

Northcote Tigers The Northcote Tigers are a rugby league club based in Northcote, Auckland, Northcote, New Zealand. The club was founded in 1910 as the Northcote Warriors though they became known as the Northcote Ramblers shortly afterwards.John Haynes ''From A ...

won the Fox Memorial trophy, defeating

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

30–29 in the grand final. Richmond had earlier won the Rukutai Shield (minor premiership). The grand final was played at 11:50am before the Bartercard Cup grand final at

Carlaw Park Carlaw Park was a multi-purpose stadium in Parnell, New Zealand, Parnell, a central suburb of Auckland, New Zealand. It neighboured the Auckland Domain's Northern end. It was primarily used for rugby league and had a peak spectator capacity of aro ...

but still attracted 6,000 fans.

played for the

Point Chevalier Pirates The Point Chevalier Pirates are an Auckland rugby league club based in Point Chevalier. The Pirates currently compete in the Fox Memorial (First Division) competition run by the Auckland Rugby League. History The club was founded in 1919."Yo ...

while Matthew Tuisamoa and

Marcus Perenara Marcus Perenara is a New Zealand rugby league player who played professionally for the Parramatta Eels. He is the brother of Henry Perenara and the cousin of current All Blacks (rugby union) TJ Perenara and Sonny Bill Williams. Playing caree ...

played for the

Richmond Bulldogs The Richmond Rovers Rugby League Club is a rugby league club based in Grey Lynn, New Zealand. The premier team is called the Richmond Bulldogs and compete in Auckland Rugby League's Fox Memorial competition. Early history The club was formed in ...

Wellington

Robert Piva played for the Kapati Coast Bears while

played for the Petone Panthers.

and

represented the

Wainuiomata Lions The Wainuiomata Lions are a New Zealand rugby league club based in Wainuiomata, Wellington. They compete in the Wellington Rugby League competition. In the early 1990s, prior to the creation Lion Red Cup national league competition based on ...

Canterbury

Hornby won the

title.

Other Competitions

The Hamilton City Tigers won the

Waikato Rugby League Waikato Rugby League is the local sporting body responsible for the administration of rugby league in the Waikato region of New Zealand. The WRL are represented by the Waikato rugby league team. They are currently part of the Upper Central Zone alo ...

minor premiership. Hukanui defeated Turangawaewae in the grand final. The Waitara Bears defeated Marist 14–10 in the

Taranaki Rugby League Taranaki Rugby League is the local sporting body responsible for the administration of Rugby league in the Taranaki region of New Zealand. The TRL are represented by the Taranaki rugby league team. They are in the Mid-Central zone along with the ...

grand final.Taranaki Grand Final Countdown
''rleague.com'', 11 July 2003

References

{{2001 in rugby league