1996 New Zealand rugby league season
1996 New Zealand rugby league season |
---|
The 1996 New Zealand rugby league season was the 89th season of rugby league that had been played in New Zealand. The main feature of the year was the final season of the Lion Red Cup competition that was run by the New Zealand Rugby League. The Counties Manukau Heroes won the Cup by defeating the Waitakere City Raiders 34–22 in the Grand Final. With the outbreak of the Super League war the New Zealand Rugby League sided with the Super League organisation.
International competitions
The New Zealand national rugby league team hosted both Papua New Guinea and Great Britain in 1996, winning all five matches. New Zealand were coached by Frank Endacott and included; Richie Barnett, Richard Blackmore, Marc Ellis, Syd Eru, Sean Hoppe, Mark Horo, Tony Iro, Stacey Jones, Stephen Kearney, Gene Ngamu, Quentin Pongia, captain Matthew Ridge, Tyran Smith, Logan and Anthony Swann, John Timu, Joe Vagana, Ruben Wiki and Grant Young. Marc Ellis became the countries 36th dual-code rugby international.[1]
PNG toured first and were defeated 62–8 in Rotorua and 64–0 in Manawatu. They also lost tour matches to the
The
The
The New Zealand University side competed in the Student World Cup and finished third behind Samoa and Australia.[2]
The
A New Zealand under-18 team coached by Trevor McLeod bet Fiji under 18s in a two match series. The squad included
A New Zealand under-16 team played a three match series in Australia, winning all three. The team was coached by Jeff Whittaker and included David Vaealiki, Mark Leafa, Wairangi Koopu and David Fa'alogo.[12]
Matthew Ridge won the New Zealand Rugby League's player of the year award.[14]
National competitions
Inter Zone Challenge
A North Zone, representing the Waitakere City, Counties Makukau, North Harbour, Waikato and the Bay of Plenty franchises played a three match series against South Zone, representing the
North Zone won the three matches 22–16, 21-14 and 38–16.[15]
North Zone were coached by Brian McClennan and included Willie McLean, Brian Jellick, Boycie Nelson, Ben Lythe, captain Clayton Friend, Jerry Seuseu, Stuart Lester, Matthew Sturm and Frank Watene.[13]
South Zone were coached by Andy Moore and included
Rugby League Cup
Auckland defeated the West Coast 48–10 in a Rugby League Cup challenge to retain the cup. Auckland included Esau Mann, Stuart Lester and Matthew Sturm.
Auckland defeated Canterbury 24–20 at Carlaw Park to retain the Rugby League Cup.[16] Auckland were coached by Dominic Clark and included Ben Lythe, Boycie Nelson, Duane Mann, Donald Stewart, Matthew Sturm, Willie McLean and Frank Watene.[13] Canterbury included Blair Harding, Mark Nixon and Paul Koloi.
Lion Red Cup
Due to the postponement of Super League in Australia several top Australian referees were available to referee matches in the Lion Red Cup. These included Steve Clark.[17]
Teams
- The North Harbour Sea Eagles had a new coach in Dominic Clark.[18] The squad included Paki Tuimavave, Paul Rauhihi, Mike Setefano, Artie Shead, Don Stewart and Latham Tawhai.[19]
- The Julian O'Neill and David Bailey.
- The champion Counties Manukau Heroes side was coached by Cameron Bell and included Clayton Friend, Esau Mann, Matthew Sturm, Charlie Kennedy, Stuart Lester, Meti Noovao, Francis Leota, Duane Mann, Frank Watene, Dean Clark, Gus Malietoa-Brown and Jerry Seuseu.[20]
- The Trust Bank Park in July.[21] The team was coached by Joe Gwynne and included Darryl Fisher, Tama Hohaia and captain Tukere Barlow. Mark Woodsplayed the first two rounds for Waikato before transferring to Bay of Plenty.
- The Tony Gordon, was suspended and investigated by the New Zealand Rugby League.[23] He was later cleared of all charges.[24] The team was captained by Mark Woods and included Patrick Kuru.[25]
- The Taranaki Rockets were coached by former Kiwi Howie Tamati.[18] The squad included Denvour Johnston and Willie Talau.[26]
- The Auckland WarriorsColts. They were coached by Peter Sixtus.
- the
- The Yogi Rogers.[27]
- The Wellington City Dukes were coached by Mike Edmonds.[18]
- The Christchurch City Shiners were coached by Geoff Carr. Carr was sacked mid season and replaced with Mark Vincent.
- The Paul Johnson.
Standings
Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Waitakere City | 22 | 19 | 0 | 3 | 697 | 342 | 355 | 38 |
Counties Manukau | 22 | 18 | 0 | 4 | 766 | 399 | 367 | 36 |
North Harbour | 22 | 15 | 0 | 7 | 624 | 393 | 231 | 30 |
Waikato | 22 | 13 | 1 | 8 | 515 | 472 | 43 | 27 |
Bay of Plenty | 22 | 11 | 3 | 8 | 440 | 441 | -1 | 25 |
Hutt Valley | 22 | 11 | 2 | 9 | 444 | 469 | -25 | 24 |
Taranaki | 22 | 11 | 0 | 11 | 516 | 438 | 33 | 22 |
Wellington City | 22 | 9 | 0 | 13 | 536 | 532 | 4 | 18 |
Hawkes Bay | 22 | 7 | 1 | 14 | 377 | 583 | -206 | 15 |
Canterbury | 22 | 6 | 1 | 15 | 365 | 555 | -190 | 13 |
Manawatu | 22 | 5 | 0 | 17 | 404 | 732 | -328 | 10 |
Christchurch City | 22 | 3 | 0 | 19 | 360 | 643 | -283 | 6 |
The playoffs
Two time defending champions the
Qualifying and elimination finals | Semi-finals | Preliminary final | Grand final | |||||||||||||||
1 | Bay of Plenty | 18 | ||||||||||||||||
Match | Winner | Loser | Venue | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Elimination Play-off | Waikato Cougars | 35 | Bay of Plenty Stags | 18 | Rotorua International Stadium |
Preliminary Semifinal | Counties Manukau Heroes | 14 | North Harbour Sea Eagles | 10 | Carlaw Park |
Elimination Semifinal | Waikato Cougars | 20 | North Harbour Sea Eagles | 14 | Davies Park |
Qualification Semifinal | Waitakere City Raiders | 26 | Counties Manukau Heroes | 8 | Carlaw Park |
Preliminary Final | Counties Manukau Heroes | 22 | Waikato Cougars | 6 | Carlaw Park |
Grand Final
Waitakere City | Position | Counties Manukau |
---|---|---|
Willie McLean | FB | Te Manawa Loza |
Brian Jellick | WG | Charlie Kennedy |
Boycie Nelson | CE | Cheaf Lee Fakavamoenga |
David Bailey | CE | Richard O'Connell |
Robert Ofanoa | WG | Gus Malietoa-Brown |
Dean Broomfield (C) | FE | Duane Mann (C) |
Ben Lythe | HB | Duane Mackwood |
Carl Findlay | PR | Malu Autagavia |
Junior Fiu | HK | Esau Mann |
Greg Ashby | PR | Frank Watene |
Gareth Adams | SR | Jerry Seuseu |
Anthony Edwards | SR | Steve Ekepati |
Jonathan Hughes | LK | Matthew Sturm |
Alan Li'o | Bench | Neville Ramsay |
George Milner | Bench | Francis Leota |
Graham Fafuiti | Bench | Mark Lethbridge |
Wayne Kohlhase | Bench | Ray Barchard |
Del Hughes | Coach | Cameron Bell |
The Grand Final was played in front of a disappointing crowd of just under 2,000 fans at Carlaw Park.[29] Jim Stokes refereed the match which Waitakere City led 16–8 at halftime. However Counties Manukau came back to win 34-22 and claim their first Lion Red Cup.
Team | Halftime | Total |
---|---|---|
Counties Manukau Heroes | 6 | 34 |
Waitakere City Raiders | 18 | 22 |
Tries (Counties Manukau) | 2: G Malietoa-Brown |
---|---|
1: D. Mann, E. Mann, N. Ramsay, F. Watene, C. Kennedy | |
Tries (Waitakere City) | 3. B. Nelson |
1: D. Bailey | |
Goals (Counties Manukau) | 3: T. Loza |
Goals (Waitakere City) | 3: B. Lythe |
Venue | Carlaw Park |
Awards
- Player of the Year: Jerry Seuseu (Counties Manukau)
- Coach of the Year: Cameron Bell (Counties Manukau)
- Rookie of the Year: Darryl Fisher (Waikato)
- Captain of the Year: Mark Woods (Bay of Plenty)
- Best and Fairest: Paul Howell (Wellington City)
- Most Tries: Cheaf Lee Fakavamoenga (21 – Counties Manukau)
- Most Goals: Ben Lythe (109 – Waitakere City)
- Most Points: Ben Lythe (240 – Waitakere City)
- Referee of the Year: Jim Stokes (Canterbury)
Inter-Club Knockout Series
Cobden-Kohinoor defeated the Kaikohe Lions 40–22 in the Inter-club knockout series. The series was for provinces which did not have a team in the Lion Red Cup.
Round of 16 | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Grand Final | ||||||||||||||||
Cobden-Kohinoor (W.Coast) | 44 | ||||||||||||||||||
Whakatu (Nelson-M) | 16 | ||||||||||||||||||
Cobden-Kohinoor | 11 | ||||||||||||||||||
Waro-rakau | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||
Waro-rakau (W.Coast) | 82 | ||||||||||||||||||
Tahunanui (Nelson-M) | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
Cobden-Kohinoor | 33 | ||||||||||||||||||
He Tauaa | 12 | ||||||||||||||||||
Pacific Raiders (Otago) | 34 | ||||||||||||||||||
Whakatipu (Sthland) | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||
Pacific Raiders | 18 | ||||||||||||||||||
He Tauaa | 36 | ||||||||||||||||||
He Tauaa (Sthland) | |||||||||||||||||||
St Kilda (Otago) | Default | ||||||||||||||||||
Cobden-Kohinoor | 40 | ||||||||||||||||||
Kaikohe Lions | 22 | ||||||||||||||||||
Kaikohe Lions (Nthland) | 40 | ||||||||||||||||||
Mt Maunganui (Coastline) | 30 | ||||||||||||||||||
Kaikohe Lions | 26 | ||||||||||||||||||
Te Paamu | 24 | ||||||||||||||||||
Te Paamu (Coastline) | 28 | ||||||||||||||||||
Whangatautia (Nthland) | 26 | ||||||||||||||||||
Kaikohe Lions | 60 | ||||||||||||||||||
Turanga | 22 | ||||||||||||||||||
Turanga (Gisborne-EC) | 38 | ||||||||||||||||||
Takahiwai (Nthland) | 36 | ||||||||||||||||||
Turanga | 48 | ||||||||||||||||||
Hokianga Pioneers | 36 | ||||||||||||||||||
Hokianga Pioneers (Nthland) | 54 | ||||||||||||||||||
Paikea (Gisborne-EC) | 24 |
Australian competitions
The
The Reserve Grade team made the grand final, losing to the
Club competitions
Auckland
The
The Glenora Bears won the second division Sharman Cup.
Peter Feau (Otahuhu) won the Lipscombe Cup as Sportsman of the Year, Matthew Sturm won the Rothville Trophy as Player of the Year, Milton Ross (Ellerslie) won the Burt Humphries Trophy as the Most Improved Forward while Lionel Periera (Manurewa) was the Most Improved Back. Ronald Kite (Otara) won the John Hyland Memorial Cup as coach of the year.
Otahuhu included Francis Leota, Phillip Leuluai and Odell Manuel.
Wellington
The Randwick Kingfishers won the Wellington Rugby League's Appleton Shield, defeating Paremata 38–8 in the Grand Final.[31]
Canterbury
Hornby won the Canterbury Rugby League's Pat Smith Trophy, defeating Halswell 22–16 in the Grand Final.[31]
The Thacker Shield was not contested due to Waro-rakau having other commitments.
Halswell's Darryn Avery won the Outstanding Player of the Year award. Tony Sweetman (Linwood) won sportsman of the year. Shane Beyers (Halswell) and Don Aitken (Hornby) shared the Junior Sportsman of the Year award.
Wayne Wallace coached Hornby who included Mark Nixon.[13]
Other Competitions
The Bay of Islands defeated Whangarei 28–24 in an inter-district match.[12] The Kaikohe Lions beat the Hokianga Pioneers 22-21 after extra time in the Bay of Islands competition while the Whangatauatia Mountain Men beat the Pawarenga Broncos 24–12 in the Far North competition and the Takahiwai Warriors beat the Otaika Eagles 12–4 at Jubilee Park in the Whangarei premiership.
Turangawaewae won the Waikato Rugby League grand final.[32] Taniwharau were the minor premiers in all four grades.[33] The Waitara Bears defeated Western Suburbs 29–16 in the Taranaki Rugby League grand final.[34]
The Putaruru United beat Pikiao 35–8 in the Rotorua Midlands final while Kaiti beat Turanga 36–12 in the Gisbourne-East Coast Premiership.
Waru-rakau retained the West Coast Rugby League title, defeating Marist in the Grand Final. Marist included Wayne Dwyer. Otago did not play a representative fixture during the season for the first time in over 80 years. The Otago competition featured four teams. The Gore Cup, a fixture between the champion Otago and Canterbury clubs, was contested for the first time since 1929. Eastern Suburbs defeated South Pacific 44–32. He Tauaa won the Southland Rugby League Grand Final, defeating the Wakitipu Cougars 22–18. The Cougars had played in the Otago competition in 1995.[13]
References
- New Zealand Rugby Football League, 1996. p. 51
- ^ a b c International Competition 1996 The Vault
- ^ New Zealand rugbyleagueproject.org
- ^ Part-time Kiwis embarrass substandard Lions The Independent, 11 October 1996
- ^ Potent centres will test PNG [dead link] Sunday Star-Times, 29 September 1996
- ^ 1996 Tour Match: New Zealand Select XIII 30 Great Britain 22 Cherry and White
- ISBN 9781869693312.
- ^ GB have Long to thank BBC Sport, 5 November 1999
- ^ Morley given immediate chance to atone The Independent, 21 October 1996
- New Zealand Rugby Football League, 1996. p. 48
- ^ Manly key to Ridge in the Super League nines [dead link] Sunday Star-Times, 21 January 1996
- ^ a b c d e f g New Zealand Competitions 1996 The Vault
- ^ New Zealand Rugby Football League, 1996.
- ^ Ridge wins player of the year award[dead link] Sunday Star-Times, 1 December 1996
- ^ New Zealand Inter Zone Challenge 1996 The Vault
- ISBN 978-1-86969-366-4.
- ^ Championship matches enjoy top referees [dead link] Waikato Times, 15 May 1996
- ^ a b c Rockets shoot down North Harbour[dead link] Sunday Star-Times, 10 March 1996
- ^ Waitakere still in own league [dead link] Sunday Star-Times, 17 March 1996
- ^ Four-try burst helps Counties move up ladder [dead link] Sunday Star-Times, 21 July 1996
- ^ Last game at Park[dead link] Waikato Times, 22 June 1996
- ^ Transformed Stags come to the party[dead link] Sunday Star-Times, 26 May 1996
- ^ Gordon confident inquiry into Stags' finances will clear him [dead link] Sunday Star-Times, 8 September 1996
- ^ Gordon cleared after fraud investigation [dead link] Sunday Star-Times, 1 December 1996
- ^ Cougars show teeth after tame start[dead link] Waikato Times, 26 August 1996
- ^ Rockets trio off to try their luck in France[dead link] Daily News, 20 August 1996
- ^ Dolphins sink Harbour [dead link] Sunday Star-Times, 11 August 1996
- ^ Cougars gain most important victory[dead link] Sunday Star-Times, 1 September 1996
- New Zealand Rugby Football League, 1996. p. 65
- ISBN 978-1-86969-366-4, p. 315.
- ^ a b New Zealand Competitions The Vault
- ^ Muru, Patterson play crucial roles in grand final triumph [dead link] Waikato Times, 23 September 1996
- ^ Taniwharau top all tables [dead link] Waikato Times, 17 August 1996
- ^ Taranaki Grand Final Countdown Archived 15 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine rleague.com, 11 July 2003