The 2012 New Zealand rugby league season will be the one hundred and fifth season of rugby league

Rugby league

Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...

 that had been played in New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

. The main feature of the year will be the National Competition run by the New Zealand Rugby League

New Zealand Rugby League

The New Zealand Rugby League is the governing body for the sport of rugby league football in New Zealand. The NZRL was founded on the 25 April 1910 in preparation for a tour of Great Britain that same year....

.

International competitions

The New Zealand Kiwis are currently scheduled to host the ANZAC Test

ANZAC Test

The Anzac Test is an annual rugby league football test match . The test match is played annually between Australia and New Zealand on or around Anzac Day for the Bill Kelly Memorial Trophy.-Origins:Australia and New Zealand had competed in Rugby League Tests since 1908...

 for the first time since 1998. They were originally scheduled to host the 2011 Test but it was moved to the Gold Coast following the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake. The Eden Park

Eden Park

Eden Park is the biggest stadium in Auckland, New Zealand. It is used primarily for rugby union in winter and cricket in summer . The ground also occasionally hostts rugby league matches. To accommodate all three sports, the cricket pitch is removable...

 and Forsyth Barr Stadium has been mentioned as possible venues for the Test.

New Zealand will also play an end of year Test match against Australia and it is likely there will be a southern hemisphere tour by England

England national rugby league team

The England national rugby league team represent England in international rugby league football tournaments. The team has now seen a revival, having largely formed from the Great Britain team, who also represented Wales, Scotland and Ireland. The team is run under the auspices of the Rugby Football...

, who will likely play matches against New Zealand, a Pacific Island All Stars team and the Indigenous All Stars.

Rugby League Cup

The Rugby League Cup

Rugby League Cup

The Rugby League Cup is a New Zealand rugby league trophy that is currently contested between districts on a challenge basis. The trophy was originally known as the Northern Union Cup...

 is currently held by Cantebury, who did not defend it in 2010 or 2011.

Australian competitions

The New Zealand Warriors

New Zealand Warriors

The New Zealand Warriors are a professional rugby league football club based in Auckland, New Zealand. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership and are the League's only team from outside Australia...

 will spend there 18th first grade season in Australian competition, playing in the National Rugby League

2012 NRL season

The 2012 NRL season will be the 106th season of professional rugby league football club competition in Australia, and the fifteenth run by the National Rugby League. The NRL will be contested by sixteen teams for the sixth consecutive year...

.

The Junior Warriors will again compete in the Toyota Cup while the Auckland Vulcans

Auckland Vulcans

The Auckland Vulcans are an Auckland based rugby league club that participates in the New South Wales Cup. They are administered by the Rugby League Development Foundation. The team is selected from the Auckland Rugby League's Fox Memorial Competition and also uses Warriors squad members not...

 will play in the NSW Cup.

Auckland

The Fox Memorial Trophy will be played under a different format with no grading round. The Howick Hornets

Howick Hornets

The Howick Hornets are a rugby league club based in Howick, New Zealand. The premier team competes in Auckland Rugby League's senior competitions. The club currently competes in the top division, the Fox Memorial Trophy...

, Manurewa Marlins

Manurewa Marlins

The Manurewa Marlins are a rugby league club based in Manurewa, New Zealand. The Marlins compete in Auckland Rugby League's Fox Memorial competition. Between 2000 and 2003 they competed in the national Bartercard Cup competition.-Notable players:...

, Point Chevalier Pirates

Point Chevalier Pirates

The Point Chevalier Pirates are an Auckland rugby league club based in Point Chevalier. The Pirates currently compete in the Phelan Shield competition run by the Auckland Rugby League.-History:The club was founded in 1920....

, Northcote Tigers

Northcote Tigers

The Northcote Tigers are a rugby league club based in Northcote, New Zealand. The club was founded in 1910 as the Northcote Warriors.The Tigers compete in the Fox Memorial competition run by the Auckland Rugby League. Between 2000 and 2002 the Northcote Tigers competed in the national Bartercard...

, Mount Albert Lions, Glenora Bears

Glenora Bears

The Glenora Bears are a rugby league football club based in Glen Eden, New Zealand who compete in Auckland Rugby League's Fox Memorial competition. The club was established in 1931...

, Papakura Sea Eagles

Papakura Sea Eagles

The Papakura Sea Eagles are an Auckland rugby league club based in Papakura. The Sea Eagles currently compete in the Fox Memorial competition run by the Auckland Rugby League.-Kiwi Representatives:...

, Marist Saints

Marist Saints

The Marist Saints is a rugby league club based in Mount Albert, New Zealand. They regularly feature in the Fox Memorial, the premier division in Auckland Rugby League...

, Bay Roskill Vikings

Bay Roskill Vikings

The Bay Roskill Vikings are a rugby league football club based in Mount Roskill and Blockhouse Bay, New Zealand who compete in Auckland Rugby League's Sharman Cup competition. The club was established in 1979.-History:...

 and Otahuhu Leopards

Otahuhu Leopards

The Otahuhu Leopards are a rugby league club based in Otahuhu, New Zealand. The club competes in the Fox Memorial competition run by the Auckland Rugby League. They are coached by Peter Caccioppoli. Between 2000 and 2003 they also competed in the Bartercard Cup.The team are the current holders of...

 will compete.

Other competitions

The inaugural Nelson Nines competition, which was postponed from 2011 due to the 2011 Christchurch earthquake

2011 Christchurch earthquake

The February 2011 Christchurch earthquake was a magnitude 6.3 earthquake that struck the Canterbury region in New Zealand's South Island at on local time , The earthquake was centred west of the town of Lyttelton, and south-east of the centre of Christchurch, New Zealand's second-most populous...

, will be staged on 10 March. The competition will involve sixteen teams from Australasia.