1995 New Zealand rugby league season
1995 New Zealand rugby league season |
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The 1995 New Zealand rugby league season was the 88th season of
International competitions
The
New Zealand then headed to England for the
Before leaving for the World Cup the squad played the
The
was the coach.For the game against New Zealand Gerard Stokes took over as coach after Kemble was appointed as one of the Kiwis assistant coaches. Newcomers to the Residents squad for the match included Willie McLean, Dean Clark, Phil Bergman, Patrick Kiely, Aaron Tucker, Heston Patea and Mark Woods.
The New Zealand Sevens team competed in the
The New Zealand Māori side made a three match internal tour in May–June, winning all three which included a 12–0 defeat of Auckland and a 20–8 defeat of Waikato. The squad was coached by Cameron Bell and included Darryl Beazley, Dean Clark, Blair Harding, Bryan Henare, Matthew Sturm, Frank Watene and Mark Woods.[2]
The Junior Kangaroos toured New Zealand playing, and defeating, New Zealand Secondary Schools and the Junior Kiwis. The Junior Kiwis were coached by Stan Martin and included David Kidwell, Willie Talau and Steve Buckingham.[3]
The New Zealand under 18's Academy Team was coached by Lex Clarke and included Frank Watene, Monty Betham and Odell Manuel.[4] They won the first test 52-10 and the second match 44–0 against the touring British Amateur Rugby League Association youth side.
The under 17 team featured Monty Betham and Artie Shead while the Secondary Schools team featured Phillip Leuluai, Lesley Vainikolo and David Solomona. Henry Perenara and Wairangi Koopu both featured in the Under 15 national tournament with Koopu being named the player of the tournament.[5]
The New Zealand Women's Rugby League Federation was registered in February 1995 and the first tour of Australia commenced in June. The Team played seven matches, winning all of them including defeating Australia 18-14 and 14–6.
Matthew Ridge was the New Zealand Rugby League player of the year.[6]
National competitions
Rugby League Cup
Canterbury defeated the West Coast 28–14 in their first defence of the season.
Auckland then won the Rugby League Cup, defeating Canterbury 21–18. This was Canterbury's first loss at home since 1989. Auckland were coached by Dominic Clark and included Leroy Joe, Mark Faumuina, Matthew Sturm and Jerry Seuseu. Canterbury included David Kidwell, Blair Harding and Glen Coughlan.
Lion Red Cup
The Teams
- The North Harbour Sea Eagles successfully defended their title despite losing 21 players from the 1994 season.[1] Again coached by Graeme Norton, North Harbour also defeated the touring French side 40–10 in a mid-week match. The squad included Latham Tawhai, captain Don Stewart, Jason Palmada, Mike Setefano and Paki Tuimavave.[7]
- The Fred Robards.[8]
- The Julian O'Neill, Paul Rauhihi, Paul Staladi, Anthony Swann, Logan Swann, Willie Swann, Nigel Vagana and Frank Watene.[9]
- The Counties Manukau Heroes were coached by Stan Martin. They again finished in the top three, despite having only six players return from the 1994 squad.[10] Players included Dean Clark, Mark Faumuina, Leroy Joe, Esau Mann, Matthew Sturm, Vinnie Weir and Jerry Seuseu.
- The Waikato Cougars were again coached by Joe Gwynne and again finished fourth. The team also played France, losing 2-24. The squad included Tukere Barlow, Darryl Beazley, Tama Hohaia, Butch Tua, captain Aaron Tucker, Tony Waikato and former Kiwi Mark Woods.[11]
- The Bay of Plenty Stags again finished bottom of the table. Coach Neil Joyce resigned halfway through the season and he was replaced by former Kiwi coach Tony Gordonand Lawrence Brydon.
- The Taranaki Rockets concentrated on local talent, a tactic which did not play off as the team finished a disappointing 11th. Coach Allan Marshall retired at the end of the season. The squad included Blair Nickson and Willie Talau.
- the Hawkes Bay Unicorns were coached by Gary Kemble, who also coached the New Zealand Residents and was a New Zealand Kiwis assistant coach. The squad included Richard Broughton, Nathan Picchiand captain Alan Mason.
- The Yogi Rogers.[12]
- The Wellington City Dukes were coached by Ken Laban and based largely around his 1994 champion Marist Northern club side.[13] The team included Earl Va'a, who won the Best and Fairest award, and captain George Fa'alogo.
- The Christchurch City Shiners were coached by Lex Clarke and included former Kiwi Blair Harding, Shane Endacott and Paul Bergman. The team was greatly improved from the 1994 season and only just missed out on the finals.[14]
- The Paul Johnson, David Kidwell and Aaron Whittaker.
Season Standings
Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Auckland Colts | 22 | 18 | 0 | 4 | 675 | 356 | 319 | 36 |
Counties Manukau | 22 | 14 | 1 | 7 | 573 | 413 | 160 | 29 |
North Harbour | 22 | 13 | 1 | 8 | 601 | 379 | 222 | 27 |
Waikato | 22 | 13 | 1 | 8 | 471 | 379 | 92 | 27 |
Hutt Valley | 22 | 13 | 0 | 9 | 544 | 443 | 101 | 26 |
Christchurch City | 22 | 12 | 1 | 9 | 455 | 419 | 36 | 25 |
Wellington City | 22 | 10 | 2 | 10 | 440 | 514 | -74 | 22 |
Waitakere City | 22 | 10 | 1 | 11 | 430 | 386 | 44 | 21 |
Hawkes Bay | 22 | 10 | 1 | 11 | 467 | 486 | -19 | 21 |
Canterbury | 22 | 9 | 2 | 11 | 446 | 448 | -2 | 20 |
Taranaki | 22 | 2 | 1 | 19 | 339 | 770 | -431 | 5 |
Bay of Plenty | 22 | 2 | 1 | 19 | 304 | 752 | -448 | 5 |
The Playoffs
Qualifying and elimination finals | Semi-finals | Preliminary final | Grand final | |||||||||||||||
1 | Waikato | 28 | ||||||||||||||||
5 | Hutt Valley | 14 | ||||||||||||||||
Match | Winner | Loser | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Elimination Play-off | Waikato Cougars | 28 | Hutt Valley Unicorns | 14 |
Preliminary Semifinal | Counties Manukau Heroes | 30 | North Harbour Sea Eagles | 16 |
Elimination Semifinal | North Harbour Sea Eagles | 32 | Waikato Cougars | 16 |
Qualification Semifinal | Auckland Warriors Colts | 15 | Counties Manukau Heroes | 14 |
Preliminary Final | North Harbour Sea Eagles | 28 | Counties Manukau Heroes | 19 |
Grand Final
North Harbour | Position | Auckland Colts |
---|---|---|
Quinten Dane | FB | Nigel Vagana |
Auvae Tapuai | WG | Paul Staladi |
Paki Tuimavave | CE | Stuart Lester |
Jason Kaulima | CE | Anthony Swann |
Steve Barry | WG | Tacofe Kalauta |
Aleki Maea | FE | Meti Noovao (C) |
Latham Tawhai | HB | Willie Swann |
Donald Stewart (C) | PR | Dallas Mead |
Sean Wilson | HK | Aaron Lester |
Darren Kohlhase | PR | David Fatialofa |
Mike Setefano | SR | Bryan Henare |
Keniti Asiata | SR | Frank Watene |
Jason Palmada | LK | Logan Swann |
Frank Fuimaono | Bench | Charlie Kennedy |
Cory Jamieson | Bench | Des Maea |
Lafaelle Filipo | Bench | Druce Nilsen |
Brent Snooks | Bench | Steve Buckingham |
Graeme Norton | Coach | John Ackland |
After trailing 15–2 at halftime the North Harbour Sea Eagles came from behind to defeat the Warrior Colts 28–21 in the second Lion Red Cup Grand Final.[1] The match included an eight-point try scored by Paki Tuimavave in the 48th minute. Tuimavave was tackled high by Aaron Lester while he was grounding the ball. Lester was then sin-binned for back chatting the referee after the incident.
Team | Halftime | Total |
---|---|---|
North Harbour Sea Eagles | 2 | 28 |
Auckland Warriors Colts | 15 | 21 |
Tries (North Harbour) | 1: F. Fuimaono, S. Wilson, P. Tuimavave, J. Palmada |
---|---|
Tries (Auckland Colts) | 1: |
Goals (North Harbour) | 6: Q.Dane |
Goals (Auckland Colts) | 1: S.Buckingham, M.Noovao
|
Field Goals Goals (Auckland Colts) | 1: M.Noovao |
Date | 16 September |
Referee | Dennis Hale |
Venue | Ericsson Stadium
|
Broadcast | TVNZ |
Awards
- Best and Fairest: Earl Va'a (Wellington City)
- Coach of the Year: Graeme Norton (North Harbour)
- Captain of the Year: Don Stewart (North Harbour)
- Referee of the Year: Dennis Hale
Top Try Scorers[1]
|
Top Point Scorers[1]
|
National Provincial Championship
The NPC was conducted on an invitational basis, with all districts being invited to participate. Because Wellington and Canterbury also had teams in the Lion Red Cup, these sides were selected from only playing in their local club competitions.[16]
Northern Division
This was the first time Coastline had competed as an independent district and they recorded their first ever win when they defeated Gisborne-East Coast 41–32. Gisborne-East Coast also defeated Northland for the first time ever.[16]
Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wellington | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 154 | 82 | 8 |
Northland | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 145 | 105 | 4 |
Manawatu | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 98 | 99 | 4 |
Gisborne-East Coast
|
4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 115 | 157 | 2 |
Coastline | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 99 | 168 | 2 |
Southern Division
This was the first time Nelson-Marlborough had competed as an independent district. Otago recorded their first win over Canterbury in 35 years.[16]
Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
West Coast | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 112 | 40 | 6 |
Otago | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 44 | 46 | 4 |
Canterbury | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 86 | 44 | 2 |
Nelson-Marlborough | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 122 | 0 |
Finals
The Grand Final was played in Christchurch with Wellington winning 32-20 after being down 10–14 at halftime.[16]
Semifinals | Finals | ||||||||
Wellington | 30 | ||||||||
Northland | 4 | ||||||||
Wellington | 32 | ||||||||
West Coast | 20 | ||||||||
West Coast | 30 | ||||||||
Otago | 16 |
National Secondary Schools Tournament
Eighty Two schools competed in the National tournament with
Australian competitions
The
Club competitions
Auckland
The Otahuhu Leopards won the Fox Memorial, their tenth, by defeating the Marist Saints 32–0 in the grand final. City Pt Chevalier won the Rukutai Shield as minor premiers.[18]
The Manurewa Marlins defeated the Waitemata Seagulls to win the Sharman Cup second division. As a result, they were promoted to the Fox Memorial for 1996.[19] Otahuhu won the Stormont Shield.
Otahuhu were coached by Trevor McLeod while Marist were coached by Del Hughes.
Wellington
Marist Northern won the grand final of the
Canterbury
The Halswell Hornets won the Canterbury Rugby League's Pat Smith Challenge Trophy grand final 20–19 over Linwood. Halswell were coached by Phil Prescott and included Glen Coughlan.[22] The two teams had earlier shared the minor premiership.
The West Coast Waro-rakau Hornets won the Thacker Shield by defeating Canterbury's Haswell Hornets 48–16.[23]
Northland
The Moerewa Tigers won the Bay of Islands competition, by defeating the Kaikohe Lions 16–12.[24]
The West End Jumbos won the Whangarei City & Districts title, by defeating the Otaika Eagles 30–24 at Jubilee Park,
The East Coast Rebels won the Far North Districts title by defeating the Te Paatu United Warriors 32–28.[24]
Other Competitions
Turangawaewae won the minor premiership and the championship in the
The Piako Warriors defeated the Tokoroa Pacific Sharks 34–20 in the Bay of Plenty Rugby League grand final.[26] Piako featured Hare Te Rangi.
The
Taradale Eagles defeated the Omahu Huia 51–10 in the
The Motueka Tigers won the Nelson-Marlborough grand final, defeating the Blenheim Knights 42–24.[30] Cobden-Kohinoor won the West Coast Rugby League grand final, defeating minor premiers Waro-rakau 12–10.[23] The Waitati Warriors won the Otago grand final 14–10 over the South Pacific Raiders while Bluff defeated He Tauaa 20–14 in the Southland championship match.
References
- ^ New Zealand Rugby Football League, 1995. p.75-84
- New Zealand Rugby Football League, 1995. p.179
- New Zealand Rugby Football League, 1995. p.161
- New Zealand Rugby Football League, 1995. p.17
- New Zealand Rugby Football League, 1995. p.166
- New Zealand Rugby Football League, 1995. p.4
- New Zealand Rugby Football League, 1995. p.87
- New Zealand Rugby Football League, 1995. p.106
- New Zealand Rugby Football League, 1995. p.89
- New Zealand Rugby Football League, 1995. p.p.90-92
- New Zealand Rugby Football League, 1995. p.95
- New Zealand Rugby Football League, 1995. p.98
- New Zealand Rugby Football League, 1995. p.104-105
- New Zealand Rugby Football League, 1995. p.100
- New Zealand Rugby Football League, 1995. p.110
- ^ New Zealand Rugby Football League, 1995. p.180
- New Zealand Rugby Football League, 1995. p.167
- ^ New Zealand Rugby Football League, 1995. p.187
- New Zealand Rugby Football League, 1995. p.188
- New Zealand Rugby Football League, 1995. p.185
- New Zealand Rugby Football League, 1995. p.200
- New Zealand Rugby Football League, 1995. p.218
- ^ New Zealand Rugby Football League, 1995. p.210
- ^ New Zealand Rugby Football League, 1995. p.182
- New Zealand Rugby Football League, 1995. p.190
- New Zealand Rugby Football League, 1995. p.191
- New Zealand Rugby Football League, 1995. p.196
- New Zealand Rugby Football League, 1995. p.198
- New Zealand Rugby Football League, 1995. p.192
- New Zealand Rugby Football League, 1995. p.207