The 2008 New Zealand rugby league season was the 101st 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 11 ...

that had been played in

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. The main feature of the year was the inaugural season of the

Bartercard Premiership The NZRL Bartercard Premiership was a six-team rugby league competition that ran in 2008 and 2009. It replaced the now-defunct Bartercard Cup competition as the highest level of rugby league in New Zealand. Matches have been broadcast on SKY Networ ...

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 '' ...

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...

won the title by defeating the

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 ...

38–18 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 two matches in New Zealand in 2008 as build up to the

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...

. As the All Golds they played a match against the New Zealand Māori in New Plymouth. They also defeated

Tonga Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...

in a test match in Auckland. The Kiwis went on to win the World Cup for the first time, defeating Australia 34 - 20 in the Final. Coached by Stephen Kearney the World Cup squad was captain

Nathan Cayless Nathan Frederick Cayless (born 28 March 1978) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s, and has coached in the 2010s. He played at representative level for New Zealand (captain), and ...

, Adam Blair, Greg Eastwood, David Fa'alogo,

Nathan Fien Nathan Fien (born 1 August 1979), also known by the nickname of "Fieny", is a former New Zealand international rugby league footballer who played as a and in the 2000s and 2010s. He last played for the St. George Illawarra Dragons in the Na ...

Dene Halatau Dene Halatau (born 27 January 1983) is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who previously played for the Wests Tigers and the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs of the National Rugby League. Halatau was part of the Wests Tigers ...

, Bronson Harrison,

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 ...

Krisnan Inu Krisnan Nevada Inu (born 17 March 1987) is a professional rugby league footballer who plays as a or er for the Leigh Centurions in the RFL Championship. He has played for both New Zealand and Samoa at international level. On 24 February 202 ...

, David Kidwell,

Thomas Leuluai Thomas James Leuluai (born 22 June 1985) is a New Zealand professional rugby league coach who is the assistant coach of the Wigan Warriors in the Betfred Super League and a former professional rugby league footballer who played for New Zealand ...

Issac Luke Issac Luke (born 29 May 1987) is a former New Zealand professional rugby league footballer He previously played for the South Sydney Rabbitohs, New Zealand Warriors, St. George Illawarra Dragons, and the Brisbane Broncos in the National Rugb ...

Simon Mannering Simon Alexander Mannering (born 28 August 1986) is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s. He played for the New Zealand Warriors in the NRL. A New Zealand international second row forward, ...

Sika Manu Viliami Sikalamu "Sika" Manu (born 22 January 1987) is a former professional rugby league footballer who played as a forward for Tonga and New Zealand at international level, being a member of the World Cup winning Kiwi team who beat Australi ...

Benji Marshall Benjamin Quentin Marshall (born 25 February 1985) is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who played at or . He previously played for the Wests Tigers in two separate spells, St. George Illawarra Dragons, Brisbane Bro ...

Steve Matai Stephen Matai (born 5 August 1984) is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who played in the National Rugby League (NRL )from 2005 to 2016. A New Zealand national representative centre, he played for Australian club the M ...

Jason Nightingale Jason Nightingale (born 20 September 1986) is a former New Zealand international rugby league footballer who played as a er and for the St. George Illawarra Dragons in the NRL. He primarily played on the wing and as a fullback, but off the ...

Sam Perrett Sam Perrett (born 14 May 1985), also known by the nickname of "Pez"' or "Sammy", is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer. A representative for New Zealand at international level, he was a versatile back who was capable o ...

, Sam Rapira,

Jerome Ropati Jerome Ropati (born 23 November 1984) is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who played his entire career for the New Zealand Warriors in the National Rugby League (NRL). Ropati also represented New Zealand, and was a memb ...

Setaimata Sa Setaimata Sa (born 14 September 1987) is a professional rugby league footballer who plays for the Mackay Cutters in the Intrust Super Cup. Background Sa was born in Samoa. His junior club was Shirley before he was poached by the Papanui Tigers ...

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 ...

Evarn Tuimavave Evarn Tuimavave (born 28 June 1984) is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who played as a . Playing career Born in Auckland, New Zealand, Tuimavave played his junior football for the Pt Chev Pirates, Richmond Rovers and ...

and

Manu Vatuvei Manu Mapuhola Mafi-Vatuvei (born 4 March 1986), also known by the nickname "The Beast", is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer and convicted methamphetamine importer who was both a Tonga and New Zealand international repres ...

. ---- Earlier in the year New Zealand had lost 12-28 to Australia. Roy Asotasi,

Iosia Soliola Iosia Soliola (born 4 August 1986) is a former professional rugby league footballer who last played for the Canberra Raiders in the National Rugby League (NRL). He played for New Zealand and Samoa at international level. He previously played as ...

, Sonny Bill Williams,

Frank Pritchard Frank Semu Pritchard (born 3 November 1983), also known by the nicknames "Cranky" and "Frank the Tank", is a former professional rugby league footballer who represented New Zealand and Samoa at international level. A , he played in the Nationa ...

and

Brent Webb Brent Douglas Webb (born 9 November 1979) is a former New Zealand international rugby league footballer who played as a . He previously played for the New Zealand Warriors in the NRL, before moving the Leeds Rhinos and the Catalans Dragons i ...

played in this match but were not included in the World Cup squad. As part of the

Festival of World Cups The Festival of World Cups is a collection of Rugby League World Cups usually held as a support series alongside the centrepiece Men's, Women's, and Wheelchair tournaments. First held in 2008, the festival includes events such as police, armed ...

New Zealand sent teams to the University Rugby League World Cup, International Police Rugby League World Cup,

Women's Rugby League World Cup The Women's Rugby League World Cup is an international rugby league tournament, contested by the women's national team of the International Rugby League (IRL). The competition has been held since 2000 in Great Britain and since 2008 has been ...

and Defence Forces World Cup. New Zealand, coached by

Frank Endacott Frank Morris Endacott , also known by the nickname of "Happy Frank", is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer, and coach. Background His son, Shane, also played rugby league. Playing career Endacott played for Addington an ...

, won the Women's World Cup while the New Zealand Police lost the final of the Police World Cup. The New Zealand Māori side were coached by Luke Goodwin with Richie Blackmore and

Chris Anderson Chris Anderson may refer to: Sports * Chris Anderson (baseball) (born 1992), American baseball player * Chris Anderson (cheese roller), 22-time winner of annual cheese rolling * Chris Anderson (footballer, born 1925) (1925–1986), Scottish footb ...

providing assistance. The squad to face the All Golds was

Kevin Locke Kevin Locke may refer to: * Kevin Locke (musician) (born 1954 - passed October 1, 2022), Native American musician *Kevin Locke (rugby league) (born 1989), New Zealand rugby league footballer See also * Kevin Lock (born 1953), English former footba ...

, Jordan Rapana,

Shaun Kenny-Dowall Shaun Kenny-Dowall (born 23 January 1988) is a New Zealand international rugby league footballer who plays as a and er for Hull Kingston Rovers in the Super League. He is the current club captain. He previously played for the Sydney Rooste ...

, Wairangi Koopu,

Arana Taumata Arana Taumata (born 15 April 1989) is a New Zealand rugby league footballer, primarily in the position. Background Taumata was born in Wellington, New Zealand to Māori parents. He has four brothers and three sisters. Playing career Original ...

Rangi Chase Moutoa Lance "Rangi" Chase (born 11 April 1986) is a rugby league footballer who plays for the Rochdale Hornets in RFL League 1. He played at representative level for the New Zealand Māori before moving to Britain and playing for the Exiles ...

, Sam McKendry, Ben Ellis,

Weller Hauraki Weller Hauraki (born 18 February 1985) is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who played as a or and played for the New Zealand Māori at international level. He has played for the Parramatta Eels in the NRL, and Crus ...

, Bronson Harrison,

Anthony Cherrington Nau Paraone Anthony Cherrington (born 21 March 1988) is a professional rugby league footballer who most recently played for the South Sydney Rabbitohs in the National Rugby League. Cherrington played junior rugby league for the Paddington-Woola ...

, Lee Te Maari, Jared Kahu,

Joseph Cahill John Joseph Cahill (21 January 189122 October 1959), also known as Joe Cahill or J. J. Cahill, was a long-serving New South Wales politician, railway worker, trade unionist and Labor Party Premier of New South Wales from 1952 to his death in 1 ...

, Chance Bunce,

James Tamou James Tamou (born 13 December 1988) is an Australia international professional rugby league footballer who plays as a for the North Queensland Cowboys in the National Rugby League. He previously played for the North Queensland Cowboys and was ...

and Kevin Proctor.

Bronx Goodwin Bronx Goodwin (born 5 November 1984) is a former professional rugby league footballer who played as a er or . He was head coach of the St. George Illawarra Dragons NSW Cup team for 2023. Background He is the son of Australian former Internat ...

Chase Stanley Chase Stanley (born 31 May 1989) is a New Zealand former international rugby league footballer who plays as a or er for the Toronto Wolfpack in the Betfred Super League. He previously played for the St. George Illawarra Dragons in two sepa ...

, Craig Smith, Charlie Herekotukutuku and Karl Johnson were added to the team for the World Cup opening match against the

Indigenous Dreamtime Team The Indigenous Australian rugby league team (also known as the Indigenous All Stars or Indigenous Dreamtime team) is a rugby league football team that represents Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islanders. The team was first formed in 1 ...

National competitions

Rugby League Cup

The

ruled that 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 ...

would be defended in all Bartercard Premiership matches, home and away. The Cup changed hands in the Final, when

defeated the holders,

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a 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. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the primate of ...

, 38–18.Coffey, John and Bernie Wood ''Auckland, 100 years of rugby league, 1909-2009'', 2009. , p.p.350-357.

Bartercard Premiership

The 2008 season was the inaugural

. It replaced the Bartercard Cup as the top division of rugby league in New Zealand.

Teams

Canterbury were co-coached by

Brent Stuart Brent Clifford Stuart is a rugby league coach and former player who represented New Zealand. Playing career Stuart was originally from the West Coast. He was educated at Marist Brothers High School, Greymouth. A West Coast and Canterbury re ...

and Dave Perkins with Phil Prescott as the director of coaching. Mike Dorreen and

Logan Edwards Samuel Logan Edwards (born 18 November 1968) is a New Zealand former rugby league footballer. Domestic career Edwards played for the dominating Canterbury provincial side of the early 1990s alongside such talent as Quentin Pongia, Mike Dorre ...

were the co-coached of the age group side. Auckland were coached by Sam Panapa and included Pita Godinet,

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 ...

and Wayne McDade. Bay of Plenty were coached by

Graham Lowe Sir Graham Michael Lowe is the owner of the Bradford Bulls together with fellow New Zealander Andrew Chalmers. He is a New Zealand former rugby league football coach and administrator. He previously coached in Australia and England and was the ...

Season standings

Fixtures and results

= Round 1

= Round 2

= Round 3

= Round 4

= Round 5

= Grand final

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 16 teams before winning in the Qualifying and Semi finals before losing to eventual premiers Manly. The Junior Warriors finished third in the Toyota Cup, making the finals before losing to the Brisbane Broncos in a Preliminary Final. The

Auckland Vulcans The Auckland Vulcans were an Auckland based rugby league club that participated in the New South Wales Cup. They were administered by the Rugby League Development Foundation. The team was selected from the Auckland Rugby League's Fox Memorial C ...

also competed in the

NSW Cup The NSW Cup, currently known as the Knock-On Effect NSW Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a rugby league competition for clubs in New South Wales. The competition has a history dating back to the NSWRFL's origins in 1908, starting off as a reserv ...

Club competitions

Auckland

The

Mt Albert Lions The Mount Albert Lions are a rugby league club based in Mount Albert, New Zealand. The Lions home ground is at Fowlds Park. Their patron is the former Prime Minister of New Zealand, Helen Clark. In 2008 and 2009 the Lions won the Fox Memorial. ...

won the Fox Memorial, defeating Otahuhu 24–22 in the final. The

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

won the Rukutai Shield (minor premiership) while

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, ...

won the Stormont Shield.

also won the Sharman Cup (second division) while the New Lynn Stags won the Pheland Shield (third division). Mt Albert were coached by Brent Gemmell and included Steve Buckingham, Sala Fa'alogo,

Paul Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) * Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...

and David Fisiiahi, Anthony Swann and

Matthew Sturm Matthew Sturm (born 13 December 1972) is a former professional rugby league footballer who played in New Zealand and in the Super League. Since 2007 he has been part of the Mount Albert Lions, as a player till 2012 and now part of the coaching s ...

Wellington

The Porirua Vikings won the

Wellington Rugby League Wellington Rugby League is the local sporting body responsible for the administration of Rugby league in the Greater Wellington region. It is responsible for the local competition of the same name, as well as its representative team, the Wellingto ...

title.

Canterbury

Linwood won the

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 ...

title.

Other Competitions

The Taniwharau Rugby League Club defeated Hamilton City Tigers to win 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 ...

competition. Taniwharau defeated Otumotai to win the WaiCoa Bay championship. Pacific won the Baywide premier competition. This was a joint competition run by the

Coastline The coast, also known as the coastline or seashore, is defined as the area where land meets the ocean, or as a line that forms the boundary between the land and the coastline. The Earth has around of coastline. Coasts are important zones in ...

and

Bay of Plenty Rugby League Bay of Plenty Rugby League is the local sporting body responsible for the administration of Rugby league in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand. Following the restructuring of the New Zealand Rugby League they are part of the Upper Central Zone ...

's.First game back close for centre
''The Daily Post'', 2 June 2008

References

External links

NZRL Website

Bartercard Premiership Website

{{BartercardPremiership