The 2006 Air New Zealand Cup was the inaugural season of 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 ...
, contested by teams from
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 List of islands of New Zealand, smaller islands. It is the ...
. The season ran from July to October 2006. At the end of the regular season, the top team from ''Repechage A'' and ''B'' joined with teams from the ''Top Six'' who entered the quarter-finals, with the winners going through to the semi-finals. The winner of each semi-final qualified for the final, which was contested between Waikato and Wellington, with Waikato winning 37–31 to win the first Air New Zealand Cup title.
This season was the first of the expanded competition, which has succeeded the First Division of the National Provincial Championship. It also saw the introduction of four new teams,
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 ...
Tasman
Tasman most often refers to Abel Tasman (1603–1659), Dutch explorer.
Tasman may also refer to:
Animals and plants
* Tasman booby
* Tasman flax-lily
* Tasman parakeet (disambiguation)
* Tasman starling
* Tasman whale
People
* Tasman (name), ...
(a merger of Nelson Bays and Marlborough). On 3 June 2006, the Commerce Commission accepted the NZRU proposal of a salary cap for the Air New Zealand Cup. This was mainly so that the talent pool of players could be spread between the 14 rugby unions.
Competition format
Covering ten weeks, the schedule featured a total of 70 matches. The fourteen unions were grouped by the top three places in each pool, they advanced and secured a spot in the top six.
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 I ...
secured the top position at the start of the second round. Competition points from round one carried over to round two, and teams were seeded according to total points won. If necessary of a
tiebreaker
In games and sports, a tiebreaker or tiebreak is used to determine a winner from among players or teams that are tied at the end of a contest, or a set of contests.
General operation
In matches
In some situations, the tiebreaker may consi ...
, when two or more teams finish on equal points, the union who defeated the other in a head-to-head gets placed higher. In case of a draw between them, the side with the biggest points deferential margin will get rights to be ranked above. If they are tied on points difference, it is then decided by a highest scored try count or a
coin toss
A coin is a small, flat (usually depending on the country or value), round piece of metal or plastic used primarily as a medium of exchange or legal tender. They are standardized in weight, and produced in large quantities at a mint in order t ...
.
Three teams receive two home fixtures in Round Two:
* The first-place teams in each pool (Auckland in ''Pool A'', Waikato in ''Pool B'').
* The higher-ranked of the two second-place teams (Canterbury, which won a tiebreaker by virtue of a better point differential than North Harbour).
The remaining three teams receive only one home fixture apiece.
Similarly, the top two teams in each repechage pool, based on competition points earned in Round one (with tiebreakers applied as needed), earn two home fixtures in Round two, with the other teams receiving one apiece. Bay of Plenty and Counties Manukau earned the extra home fixture in ''Repechage A'', while Southland and Taranaki earned this privilege in ''Repechage B''.
In Round two saw each team in the competition played three fixtures in this round. In the ''Top Six'', each team played the three teams that it did not play in Round one. Each team in the repechage pools played the other teams in its pool once.
For the teams in the ''Top Six'', competition points ''carried over'' from Round one. All ''Top Six'' teams advanced to the quarterfinals, with their seedings determined by their positions at the end of Round two.
In the two repechage pools, competition points ''did not'' carry over from Round one. The top team in each pool at the end of Round two advanced to the quarterfinals. The two repechage winners received the seventh and eighth seeds, determined based on competition points at the end of Round two.
At the end of Week 9, Auckland, Waikato and North Harbour secured home quarter-finals. Bay of Plenty secured the top spot in ''Repechage A''. In ''Repechage B'', Taranaki dropped out of contention for the top spot.
After defeating Manawatu in Week 10, Bay of Plenty clinched the higher placing of the two repechage quarter-final slots. Also in Week 10, Otago's loss to Wellington placed Otago at the bottom of the ''Top 6'' going into the quarter-finals. The fourth home quarter-final went to Wellington; although Canterbury defeated Auckland, they did not earn the bonus point they needed to pass Wellington on the table. Wellington's victory over Canterbury in Week 8 gave them the advantage in the tiebreaker.
Southland earned the top spot in ''Repechage B'' by means of a 19-12 bonus-point loss to Northland, putting them one point ahead of the Taniwha.
The battle for the top overall seed came down to the final match in pool play. Waikato claimed the top seed by defeating North Harbour. Regardless of the Waikato-Harbour result, Auckland was assured of no worse than the second seed they eventually received. Harbour received the third seed.
Standings
Round-by-round
Regular season
Confirmed fixture matches for 2006 season as follows:
Stephen Donald
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Marty Holah
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Toby Lynn
Toby Lynn (born 6 October 1984) is a New Zealand rugby union footballer. His regular playing position is lock. He represented the Western Force in Super Rugby until 2013. He previously played for the Chiefs and made his franchise debut during t ...
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Liam Messam
Liam Justin Messam (born 25 March 1984) is a New Zealand rugby union player who plays TOP14 for RC Toulonnais. In Super Rugby, he previously played for the , and for Waikato in the ITM Cup. Messam predominantly plays as a blindside flanker b ...
Shannon Paku
Shannon Paku (born 23 September 1980) is a former New Zealand rugby union player. He notably played for the Hurricanes in the Super 14 competition, and for the Wellington Lions in the Air New Zealand Cup. Considered a utility back, Paku covered ...
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Ma'a Nonu
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H ...
Cory Jane
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He first played for the All Blacks in 2008 and plays as a winger. In 2011 Jane was selected into the Tri Nations team as injury cover. A few weeks late ...
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Jimmy Gopperth
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Ben Herring
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John Schwalger
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Early life
Schwalger moved to New Zealand after being born in Apia. He is the nephew of Samoa international Mahon ...
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Mahonri Schwalger
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Alby Mathewson
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Early life and education
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Brent Ward
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Mike Delany
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Delany plays at fly-half but can also cover fullback. Prior to playing for the , he played for ...
Blair Feeney
Blair Feeney (born 9 December 1975 in Auckland, New Zealand) is a rugby union player who plays for Counties Manukau in the 2006 Air New Zealand Cup. He played for Counties Manukau between 1996 and 2001, Otago
Otago (, ; mi, Ōtākou ...
Stephen Donald
Stephen Rex Donald (born 3 December 1983) is a New Zealand rugby union player who currently plays for the NEC Green Rockets in the Japanese Top League. A first five-eighth or centre, he has won 24 international caps for New Zealand. Nicknamed 'B ...
Jimmy Gopperth
James Gopperth (born 29 June 1983) is a New Zealand professional rugby union player who plays for Leicester Tigers in Premiership Rugby, England's top tier. His regular playing positions are Centre and fly-half and he has played over 400 pro ...
David Holwell
David Holwell (born 7 January 1975) is a former rugby union player. A first five-eighth, Holwell played for Wellington and Northland in the Air New Zealand Cup, ITM Cup and NPC, and for the Hurricanes and Blues in Super Rugby. He also had stint ...
Tusi Pisi
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Liam Messam
Liam Justin Messam (born 25 March 1984) is a New Zealand rugby union player who plays TOP14 for RC Toulonnais. In Super Rugby, he previously played for the , and for Waikato in the ITM Cup. Messam predominantly plays as a blindside flanker b ...
Doug Howlett
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He played for Auckland, and the Highlanders, Hurricanes and Blues ...
Kristian Ormsby
Kristian Ormsby (born 12 April 1980 in Auckland, New Zealand) is a former New Zealand rugby union player. In his rugby career he played for Counties-Manukau, the Hurricanes, the Chiefs and the New Zealand Maori. His usual position is at loc ...
Anthony Tuitavake
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Career
He had a great season in 2005 for both the Hi ...
Cory Jane
Cory Steven Jane (born 8 February 1983) is a New Zealand international rugby union player.
He first played for the All Blacks in 2008 and plays as a winger. In 2011 Jane was selected into the Tri Nations team as injury cover. A few weeks late ...
Matt Berquist
Matt Berquist (born 11 May 1983 in Waipukurau, New Zealand) is a rugby union player who plays at fly-half for Benetton Rugby Treviso in the Rabodirect Pro12.
Playing career
Provincial Rugby
Berquist attended the University of Otago and represe ...
Steve Devine
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Devine played for Australia Under-21 before relocating to New Zealand. A loyal servant ...
Casey Laulala
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Career
Born and raised in Samoa, Laulala started boarding at Wesley College when he was 15.
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Lote Raikabula
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Francis Stowers
Francis may refer to:
People
* Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State and Bishop of Rome
*Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters
* Francis (surname)
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Alando Soakai
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Kahn Fotuali'i
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Murray Williams
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Taniela Moa
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Joe Tekori
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Honours Castres
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Toulouse
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Isaia Toeava
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Early career
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Onosai Tololima-Auva'a
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Simon Lemalu
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Career
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Troy Nathan
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Niva Ta'auso
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Tafai Ioasa
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Nick Crosswell
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Playing career
Provincial Rugby
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Rob Foreman
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Playing for the Varsity club in Pal ...
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Neil Brew
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Craig Clare
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Dion Bates
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The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as a ...
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Clarke Dermody
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Hale T-Pole
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Brendan Haami
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Paul Perez
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Tomasi Soqeta
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Biography
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Scott Waldrom
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Stephen Setephano
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Early life and education
Mathewson was born in Hastings, New Zealand. He first attended Havelock North High School but switch ...