The Tasman Rugby Union is the governing body for
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 it ...
in
Tasman Bay / Te Tai-o-Aorere
Tasman Bay (; officially Tasman Bay / Te Tai-o-Aorere), originally known in English as Blind Bay, is a large V-shaped bay at the north end of New Zealand's South Island. Located in the centre of the island's northern coast, it stretches along ...
, a bay at the north end of the
South Island 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 ...
. Headquartered in
Nelson
Nelson may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey
* ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers
* ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...
, TRU is New Zealand's newest provincial union, founded in 2006 with the amalgamation of the existing
Marlborough
Marlborough may refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Marlborough, Wiltshire, England
** Marlborough College, public school
* Marlborough School, Woodstock in Oxfordshire, England
* The Marlborough Science Academy in Hertfordshire, England
Austral ...
and
Nelson Bays sub unions.
The union's premier team is the Tasman Mako which compete in New Zealand's provincial rugby competition, the
Bunnings NPC
Bunnings Group Limited, trading as Bunnings Warehouse or Bunnings, is an Australian household hardware chain. The chain has been owned by Wesfarmers since 1994, and has stores in Australia and New Zealand.
Bunnings was founded in Perth, Wester ...
.
Club rugby
There are 22 clubs in the Tasman Union.
History
When the
New Zealand Rugby Union
New Zealand Rugby (NZR) is the governing body of rugby union in New Zealand. It was founded in 1892 as the New Zealand Rugby Football Union (NZRFU), 12 years after the first provincial unions in New Zealand. In 1949 it became an affiliate to t ...
(NZRU) reviewed the domestic competitions in 2005, a new 14 team premier division of competition was created, as the Air New Zealand Cup, taking the place 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 ...
(NPC).
The restructured domestic competition opened the door for the Nelson Bays and Marlborough Rugby Unions to form a relationship, forming one organisation in an attempt to be awarded a position in the new competition.
[
]
Early years: 2006 to 2010
A Tasman 15 played Canada 'A' on April 26, 2006 at Trafalgar Park. The Tasman side won by 40 points, the final score being 48 points to 8. The Mako were grouped in Pool A of the 2006 Air New Zealand Cup
The 2006 Air New Zealand Cup was the inaugural season of the Air New Zealand Cup, contested by teams from New Zealand. The season ran from July to October 2006. At the end of the regular season, the top team from ''Repechage A'' and ''B'' joine ...
.
In their first ever match in the 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 ...
, the Mako earned a bonus point in a loss to the North Harbour team, losing 33 points to 27. They were defeated by 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 ...
the following week by 40 points. However, the Mako won their first match in round three, defeating Manawatu by 43 points to 0.
Their only other win of the season came at home against , with an impressive 56–15 win.
Despite the season record of just 2 wins and 7 losses, the Mako showed the ability to compete and provided a platform to build for the future.
Ti'i Paulo captained the side.
The 2007 season was disappointing for the Mako, finishing the season with a record of 2 wins and 8 losses. Wins came against and , with close losses against and .
Early on in the 2008 season, the NZRU announced that Tasman and would be relegated from the competition at the end of the season, due to failing to meet a set of criteria including financial stability. With the axe hovering over them, the Mako produced their best season yet, silencing their critics.
In round 2 against , Tasman first five Miah Nikora
Miah Nikora (born 28 April 1985 in Gisborne, New Zealand) is a professional rugby union player and head coach from New Zealand. He currently is head coach of Civil Projects Solutions Poverty Bay senior rugby club. He primarily played at fly-hal ...
nailed a stunning last minute drop goal to snatch a 14–16 victory and claim the Mako first scalp over a major union. This was followed with wins over , , and a draw against to see the Mako finish the season 7th on the ladder. Facing a strong side in the quarter finals, the Mako lost 48–10. However, their strong season coupled with public pressure forced the NZRU to reverse its decision and announce that Tasman and would remain in the competition.
There were doubts as to whether Tasman would contest the 2009 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 30 July to 7 November. It was ...
, with funding issues and disagreement amongst its stakeholders on its future. However, these disputes were resolved and Tasman finished the 2009 season in 9th place with 6 wins and 7 losses, with their most memorable performance coming in round 9 against . Tasman won 12–8 in the most significant result of their short history. The Mako had come from the brink of extinction to topple the biggest union in the country.
2010 was disappointing for the Mako, finishing the season in 12th place on the ladder with just 4 wins, failing to hold on to their mid table status achieved in the previous two seasons. However, the Mako managed to upset eventual champions and neighbours in round 4, with a famous 27–25 victory at Trafalgar Park.
Championship division: 2011 to 2013
In 2011, the ITM Cup was restructured into two competitions, with the top 7 teams competing for the Premiership title and the next 7 teams competing for the Championship title. Each province played the other 6 teams in their own division once, plus 4 interdivisional matches.
The Tasman Mako played in the Championship for 2011. Despite taking just 2 wins and finishing in last spot for the season,[ the Mako were well received by their fans by playing a positive attacking brand of rugby that included 4 losses by 4 points or less. Upset victories were achieved against 21–19 in Napier, and (again) 30–28 in Nelson. ]Shane Christie
Shane Christie (born 23 September 1985) is a New Zealand rugby union player.
Early career
Born in the city of Palmerston North on New Zealand's North Island, Christie was raised in the town of Nelson, on the northern tip of South Island before ...
and James Marshall were selected for the New Zealand sevens team that year.
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...
was a good season for the Mako, recording a win over to start their season the Mako went on to win 5 out of their 10 round robin games and made the semi final where they lost to 41-34.
In 2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...
for the first time in their short history the Mako gained promotion to the Premiership division as they won the Championship playing 12 games in the season and coming away with 10 wins, including a 49-28 win over in the semi final at Lansdowne Park
Lansdowne Park is a urban park, historic sports, exhibition and entertainment facility in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, owned by the City of Ottawa. It is located on Bank Street adjacent to the Rideau Canal in The Glebe neighbourhood of central Ot ...
and the victory which sent them to the Premiership which was a tight 26-25 win over at Trafalgar Park.
Premiership division: 2014 to 2021
Tasman was promoted to the ITM Cup Premiership division for the 2014 season.[
The Mako had a very good first year in the Premiership in ]2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
, making it all the way to the Premiership final where they lost in a close contest 36-32 to at Yarrow Stadium
Yarrow Stadium is situated in the central suburb of Westown in New Plymouth, Taranaki, New Zealand, with main vehicle access off Maratahu Street. Named the third best rugby stadium on earth by ''New Zealand Rugby World'' magazine in May 2009, ...
. The Mako played 12 games in the 2014 season with 8 wins, 3 losses and a 16-16 draw against at Eden Park.
2015 was again a solid year for the Mako, playing 11 games with 7 wins and 4 losses. The Mako made it to the semi final but lost 44-24 against at Eden Park.
2016
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and 2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...
were very similar years for the Mako, making the final in both seasons. The 2016 season saw the Mako play 12 games with 8 wins, 3 losses and a 27-27 draw against at North Harbour Stadium
North Harbour Stadium is a stadium situated in Albany, in North Shore City, New Zealand. It was opened in 1997, after nearly a decade of discussion, planning and construction. Rugby union, association football, rugby league, and baseball are ...
. While the 2017 season saw the Mako play 12 games, winning 7 and losing 5. Both years though saw the Mako go down to in the final, played at Christchurch Stadium both years, with the 2016 scoreline being 43-27 and the 2017 scoreline being 35-13. The team also went through a rebrand, changing the logo and team colours ahead of the 2016 season. The logo was later changed back after it received widespread criticism.
2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...
was again a very good year for the Mako, winning 9 out of 10 of their round robin fixtures - losing only to 36-10 at Eden Park. The team made the semi finals but lost 16-21 to in a controversial game at Trafalgar Park. 20 of the Mako squad from the 2018 season would go on to earn Super Rugby contracts for the 2019 Super Rugby season
The 2019 Super Rugby season was the 24th season of Super Rugby, an annual rugby union competition organised by SANZAAR between teams from Argentina, Australia, Japan, New Zealand and South Africa. The 2019 season was the second season using ...
. Ahead of the 2018 season, the team changed their name from the Tasman Makos to Tasman Mako, with 'Mako' being the correct plural of the Māori name.
After just 14 seasons the Tasman Mako reached the pinnacle of 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 ...
provincial rugby, winning the 2019 Mitre 10 Cup and doing it unbeaten. After going through the round robin with 10 wins from 10 games the Mako played at Lansdowne Park
Lansdowne Park is a urban park, historic sports, exhibition and entertainment facility in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, owned by the City of Ottawa. It is located on Bank Street adjacent to the Rideau Canal in The Glebe neighbourhood of central Ot ...
coming away with a 18-9 win in a game that went right down to the wire. The Mako then had their fourth crack at the Premiership title when they faced at Trafalgar Park and it was fourth time lucky as the Mako came away with the win 31-14.
The Mako became just the second team to win back to back premiership titles, winning the 2020 Mitre 10 Cup
The 2020 Mitre 10 Cup season was the fifteenth season of New Zealand's provincial rugby union competition since it turned professional in 2006. The regular season began on September 11, when North Harbour hosted Canterbury. It involved the top ...
. Hit hard by injury and without many players from their 2019 heroics the Mako were not as dominant in 2020 with heavy losses in the regular season to (40-24), (31-10) and (0-29). The Mako finished second on the premiership standings and came up against in the semi final at Trafalgar Park, coming away with the win 19-10. They qualified for their sixth final in eight years, coming up against at Eden Park. In what was a thrilling game the Mako came away with the win 12-13.
Tasman were unable to defend their premiership title in 2021
File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...
, it was a great start to the season with wins over (14–27), (16–11) and (29–48) before the side suffered a first loss 22–39 at the hands of . The Mako bounced back thumping 51–14 before having a crack at the Ranfurly Shield against where they were again unsuccessful 34–22. The side then played a non competition match against in miserable conditions, coming away with the win 26–9. A third loss came against 24–20 in Christchurch meaning it was a must win game for the Mako in Round 10 against where they came away with an impressive 34–22 win. were favourites ahead of the semi final in Napier after losing only 1 game in the regular season, Tasman came up big hanging on to win 27–33. Yet another final for the Mako and they had a chance to make it a three peat when they met in the final in Hamilton, the side conceded 2 intercept tries and because of this lost 23–20.
Combined competition: 2022 to present
2022
File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretariat; The global monkeypo ...
was a season full of disappointment for the Mako with just 4 wins from 10 games, failing to make the playoffs for the first time in 11 years. The side was missing many key players with injury and All Blacks duties but still managed to drop many games they should have won. The best performance of the season came over (52-17).
Ranfurly Shield
Tasman has not held the 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 ...
but Marlborough held the shield for six challenges in 1973.
Tasman have been involved in three 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 ...
challenges since the union's inception in 2006. Tasman lost their first challenge 26–20 at the hands of 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 metr ...
in 2008, and their second challenge 49–40 to 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 D ...
in 2012. Their third challenge was against Hawke's Bay
Hawke's Bay ( mi, Te Matau-a-Māui) is a local government region on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island. The region's name derives from Hawke Bay, which was named by Captain James Cook in honour of Admiral Edward Hawke. The region i ...
in 2021, where they were defeated 34–22.
Season standings
The following is a summary of every season for the Tasman Mako since 2006. Position indicates the teams regular season finish.
Key:
''Blue bar denotes Championship division''
''Green fill denotes Cup winner''
Bunnings NPC
Records and statistics
All Blacks
Players that have represented Tasman Mako in any fixture since their inception in 2006, and also played for the All Blacks
The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks ( mi, Ōpango), represents New Zealand in men's international rugby union, which is considered the country's national sport. The team won the Rugby World Cup in 1987, ...
.
*''# Represents the players 'All Black cap number'.''
Centurions
Players that have played 100 or more games for the Tasman Mako since their inception in 2006.
*''# Represents the players 'Tasman Mako cap number'.''
Source
New Zealand Rugby History
50 or more
Players that have played 50 or more games for the Tasman Mako since their inception in 2006.
*''# Represents the players 'Tasman Mako cap number'.''
Source
New Zealand Rugby History
Top points scorers
Source
New Zealand Rugby History
Top try scorers
Source
New Zealand Rugby History
References
External links
Tasman Mako
official website
Bunnings NPC
official website
{{Authority control
New Zealand rugby union teams
New Zealand rugby union governing bodies
Sport in the Marlborough Region
Sport in the Nelson Region
Sport in the Tasman District
Sports organizations established in 2006