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Written by allblacks.com
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Friday, 14 July 2006 |
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The Air New Zealand Cup replaces the former Air New Zealand National Provincial Championship Division One competition.
The NPC competition, played across three divisions, was introduced in 1976, with finals introduced in 1992.
The Air New Zealand Cup was established following the wide-ranging Competitions Review, which the NZRU launched in 2003.
The objective of that Review was to conduct a comprehensive review of all NZRU competitions to ensure they provide the best possible platform for sustaining a winning All Blacks team and maintaining rugby as a game accessible and attractive to all New Zealanders.
The inaugural competition involving 14 teams kicked off in 2006. The 2006 Air New Zealand Cup champions are Waikato.
Key features of the revised Air New Zealand Cup format
• The competition will feature the same 14 teams that participated in the inaugural 2006 Air New Zealand Cup – Auckland, Bay of Plenty, Canterbury, Counties Manukau, Hawke’s Bay, Manawatu, Northland, North Harbour, Otago, Southland, Taranaki, Tasman, Waikato and Wellington.
• The revised format will now see all 14 teams playing in a 10-week Modified Round Robin, followed by the quarterfinals, semifinals and final.
• There will be seven matches played each week during the Modified Round Robin.
• Not all teams will play each other during the Modified Round Robin. A formula has been developed to determine which teams do not play each other, based on a team’s competition placing from the previous season.
• During the 10 weeks of the Modified Round Robin, there will be a match played on every Thursday night.
• During the 10 weeks of the Modified Round Robin, two matches will be played simultaneously at 7.35pm on Friday night, with SKY Television broadcasting each match live on separate channels then repeating both matches on alternate channels straight after the live broadcast.
• The 2007 Air New Zealand Cup will kick off on Thursday 26 July 2007 with the Final played on Saturday 20 October 2007.
• Teams accumulate competition points as per normal: 4 points for a win; 2 points for a draw; 1 point for scoring four or more tries in a match; 1 point for losing a match by seven or fewer points.
• The top eight teams at the end of the Modified Round Robin will advance to the quarterfinals with the top four ranked teams hosting the matches. The quarterfinal match ups will be as follows: 1 vs. 8, 2 vs. 7, 3 vs. 6 and 4 vs. 5.
• The first semifinal will be contested between the highest-seeded quarterfinal winner and the lowest-seeded quarterfinal winner; the other semifinal will be contested between the two remaining teams.
• The Ranfurly Shield maintains its special place within the Air New Zealand Cup, with the holder putting the Shield up at all home games in the Round Robin only. If current Shield holders North Harbour win their pre-competition challenges they are scheduled to face Air New Zealand Cup challenges from Taranaki, Waikato, Manawatu, Bay of Plenty and Southland.
COMPETITION POINTS & TIE-BREAKERS
- Points for the Air New Zealand Cup will be the same as for the Air New Zealand NPC, that is:
a. 4 points for a win;
b. 2 points for a draw;
c. 1 point for losing by 7 or fewer points; and
d. 1 point for scoring 4 or more tries.
- Tie-breakers at the end of the Round Robin of the Air New Zealand Cup will be decided in a similar way to that in which tie-breakers are decided for the Air New Zealand NPC round robin, that is (in the following order):
a. Where two unions are tied, the union that won the most recent game played between them during that year’s competition is to have the higher position;
b. The union with the higher differential of points scored for and against in that round of the competition is to have the higher position;
c. The union that scored the most tries in that round of the competition is to have the higher position;
d. By the toss of a coin.
- Tie-breakers at the end of the quarterfinals, semifinals and final of the Air New Zealand Cup will be decided in a similar way to that in which tie-breakers were decided in the Air New Zealand NPC semifinals and final, that is (in the following order):
a. A further ten minutes of extra time each way will be played;
b. The team scoring the most tries in the game is considered the winner;
c. The winner of the most recent game played between them during that year’s competition is considered the winner;
d. The team having the higher differential of points scored for and against during that year’s competition is considered the winner;
e. By the toss of a coin, in the case of a quarterfinal or semifinal.
3.14 In the event that teams are tied at the end of the Air New Zealand Cup final and the winner is unable to be determined by applying criteria (a.) to (d.) above, the teams will be declared joint winners of the Air New Zealand Cup.
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 24 July 2007 )
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