The Wairarapa-Bush Rugby Football Union is the body that regulates

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 ...

Masterton Masterton ( mi, Whakaoriori), a large town in the Greater Wellington Region of New Zealand, operates as the seat of the Masterton District (a territorial authority or local-government district). It is the largest town in the Wairarapa, a r ...

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 ...

. It was formed in 1971 with the amalgamation of the Wairapapa and

Bush Bush commonly refers to: * Shrub, a small or medium woody plant Bush, Bushes, or the bush may also refer to: People * Bush (surname), including any of several people with that name **Bush family, a prominent American family that includes: *** ...

Unions. The Wairarapa-Bush team play in the

Heartland Championship The Heartland Championship competition, known for sponsorship reasons as the Bunnings Warehouse Heartland Championship, is a domestic rugby union competition in New Zealand. It was founded in 2006 as one of two successor competitions to the countr ...

from Memorial Park, Masterton. They were the inaugural winners of the

Meads Cup The Meads Cup is a rugby union trophy named after King Country and All Blacks player Colin Meads. It is contested during the Heartland Championship. It was first awarded in 2006, when the Heartland Championship format was introduced. Competition ...

after beating

Wanganui Whanganui (; ), also spelled Wanganui, is a city in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. The city is located on the west coast of the North Island at the mouth of the Whanganui River, New Zealand's longest navigable waterway. Whang ...

16–14 on 21 October 2006.

Championships

Wairarapa-Bush won the 2nd division North Island in 1981, 3rd division in 2005 and the

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

and

Lochore Cup The Lochore Cup is a New Zealand rugby union trophy named after famed Wairarapa Bush and All Blacks player and coach Brian Lochore. It is contested during the Heartland Championship. It was first awarded in 2006, when the Heartland Championship ...

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

Heartland Championship placings

Ranfurly Shield

Wairarapa-Bush have never 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 Wairarapa held the shield in 1927, 1928 and 1950. Wairarapa-Bush were beaten 96–10 by

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. ...

in a

challenge in July 2006. In July 2015 Wairarapa-Bush challenged Hawke's Bay for the Shield but were defeated 58–7.

Wairarapa-Bush in Super Rugby

Wairarapa-Bush along with

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 ...

, Horowhenua-Kapiti,

East Coast East Coast may refer to: Entertainment * East Coast hip hop, a subgenre of hip hop * East Coast (ASAP Ferg song), "East Coast" (ASAP Ferg song), 2017 * East Coast (Saves the Day song), "East Coast" (Saves the Day song), 2004 * East Coast FM, a ra ...

Poverty Bay Poverty Bay ( Māori: ''Tūranganui-a-Kiwa'') is the largest of several small bays on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island to the north of Hawke Bay. It stretches for from Young Nick's Head in the southwest to Tuaheni Point in the no ...

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 is ...

, Manawatu and

make up the

Hurricanes A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...

Super Rugby franchise.

All Blacks

There have been 29 players selected 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 ...

from the Wairarapa-Bush (From 1971) and when the Union was separated as Wairarapa and Bush Unions. Wairarapa-Bush (from 1971) *

Brian Lochore Sir Brian James Lochore (3 September 1940 – 3 August 2019) was a New Zealand rugby union player and coach who represented and captained the New Zealand national team, the All Blacks. He played at number 8 and lock, as well as captaining the ...

1963,65,66,67,68,69,70,71 * Mike McCool 1979 *

Brent Anderson Brent Anderson may refer to: * Brent Anderson (comics) (born 1955), American comics artist * Brent Anderson (singer) Brent Anderson (born in Pascagoula, Mississippi) is an American country music singer. He has charted on Hot Country Songs with t ...

1986,87 *

Marty Berry Martin Joseph Berry (born 13 July 1966) is a former New Zealand rugby union player. A Rugby union positions#Backs, utility back, Berry represented Wairarapa Bush Rugby Football Union, Wairarapa Bush, Wellington Rugby Football Union, Wellington an ...

1986 * Brett Harvey 1986 *

Robbie McLean Robert John "Robbie" McLean (born 23 May 1960) is a former New Zealand rugby union player. A Rugby union positions#Props, prop, McLean represented Wairarapa Bush Rugby Football Union, Wairarapa Bush and Manawatu Rugby Football Union, Manawatu a ...

1987 *Zac Guildford. Pre 1971 * H.Udy 1882 * A.E.D'Arcy 1893,1894 * R.Gray 1893 * W.McKenzie 1893 * W.D.Watson 1893,1896 * D.H.Udy 1901,1903 * A.L.Armstrong 1903 * A.F.McMinn 1903,1905 * E.Wrigley 1905 * J.G.Donald 1920,21,22,25 * Q.Donald 1923,26,28 * L.H.Harvey 1924,26,28 * A.E.Cooke 1928 * S.Willoughby 1928 * R.T.Cundy 1929 * A.Mahoney 1929,34,35 * K.H.Reid 1929 * W.B.Reside 1929 * J.C.Stringfellow 1929 * W.R.Irvine 1929 * J.J.Mill 1930 * M.B.Couch 1947,49 * A.W.Blake 1949

Clubs

Wairarapa-Bush Rugby Football Union is made up of 13 clubs, from north to south: * Puketoi * Eketahuna * East Coast * Pioneer * Marist * Masterton Red Star * Carterton * Gladstone * Greytown * Featherston * Martinborough * Tuhirangi

References

External links

Official site
{{Rugby union in New Zealand New Zealand rugby union teams Rugby clubs established in 1971 New Zealand rugby union governing bodies Sports organizations established in 1971 1971 establishments in New Zealand