Manawhenua was a

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 ...

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 ...

team which briefly existed as an amalgamation of the Manawatu and

Horowhenua Horowhenua District is a territorial authority district on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand, administered by Horowhenua District Council. Located north of Wellington and Kapiti, it stretches from slightly north of the town of ...

unions. The merger lasted from 1925 until 1933.

Ranfurly Shield

In Manawhenua's short existence it managed to take part in six

Ranfurly Shield The Ranfurly Shield, colloquially known as the Log o' Wood, is a trophy in New Zealand's domestic rugby union competition. First played for in 1904, the Shield is based on a challenge system. The holding union must defend the shield in challeng ...

matches between 1927 and 1929. Manawhenua had three successful matches in 1927 when it took the Shield off Wairarapa and defended it twice before losing to Canterbury. ;1927 6-8-27, Carterton, Manawhenua 18 vs Wairarapa 16
31-8-27, Palmerston North, Manawhenua 9 vs Taranaki 3
3-9-27, Palmerston North, Manawhenua 25 vs Wanganui 6
7-9-27, Palmerston North, Canterbury 17 vs Manawhenua 6 ;1928 15-9-28, Carterton, Wairarapa 31 vs Manawhenua 10 ;1929 17-8-29, Masterton, Wairarapa 37 vs Manawhenua 16

References

Ranfurly Shield at scrum.co.nz
* The Shield, By Lindsay Knight Defunct rugby union teams in New Zealand Defunct New Zealand rugby union governing bodies Sport in Manawatū-Whanganui 1925 establishments in New Zealand 1933 disestablishments in New Zealand Sports organizations established in 1925 {{NewZealand-rugbyunion-team-stub