Colonial Cup
Encyclopedia
The Colonial Cup was the second highest level of competition within Fijian rugby union and was intended to be a stepping stone for local players into international rugby union. It was Fiji
's first professional league though the players were only paid £40 a week plus lodgings.
introduced a brand new, streamlined competition to identify and prepare local players for the international stage. The 30-odd provincial unions were grouped into four franchises along geographical lines. Players not selected for one team could be picked up by one of the others.
The new competition started on the 3rd of April 2004 and finished the 22nd of May 2004 in time for the international test window. The four teams played a round-robin followed by semi-finals and a grand final. The Coastal Stallions held off a late rally from the Suva Highlanders to claim the inaugural Colonial Cup 26-21
In 2005 an extra team was added, Northern Sharks, made of players from Vanua Levu
, Taveuni
and Ovalau
. Previously the Northern Division
had belonged to the Suva franchise. Suva Highlanders won the Grand final with a 35-27 win over Western Crusaders.
In 2006, with the introduction of a Super 14
style tournament called the Pacific Rugby Cup
, the void in the Pacific Island competition pathway between club or provincial rugby in the respective islands and Test rugby was on its way to being filled. Coastal Stallions defeated Suva Highlanders 29-15 in a tough encounter to clinch the 2006 title.
Bligh Roosters joined the 2007 competition
, Western Crusaders gave up Tavua
, Vatukoula
, Ba and Ra to the new franchise.
It was announced in 2008 that the competition would cease due to not achieving its player performance aims and low crowds.
Tavua
, Vatukoula
, Ba, Ra
Nadroga-Navosa
, Namosi
, Serua
and Malolo
Vanua Levu
, Taveuni
, Ovalau
, and Island Zone
Suva
, Naitasiri
, Kadavu
Tailevu
, Northland
, and Rewa
Lautoka
, Nadi
, and Yasawa
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
's first professional league though the players were only paid £40 a week plus lodgings.
History
In 2004, with the gap between provincial rugby in Fiji and test rugby at an unacceptable level, the Fiji Rugby UnionFiji Rugby Union
Fiji Rugby Union is the governing body for the sport of rugby union in Fiji. It is divided into over 30 provincial unions. The Fiji Rugby Union is a member of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance , along with Samoa and Tonga. There are approximately 80,000 registered players from a total population...
introduced a brand new, streamlined competition to identify and prepare local players for the international stage. The 30-odd provincial unions were grouped into four franchises along geographical lines. Players not selected for one team could be picked up by one of the others.
The new competition started on the 3rd of April 2004 and finished the 22nd of May 2004 in time for the international test window. The four teams played a round-robin followed by semi-finals and a grand final. The Coastal Stallions held off a late rally from the Suva Highlanders to claim the inaugural Colonial Cup 26-21
In 2005 an extra team was added, Northern Sharks, made of players from Vanua Levu
Vanua Levu
Vanua Levu , formerly known as Sandalwood Island, is the second largest island of Fiji. Located 64 kilometres to the north of the larger Viti Levu, the island has an area of 5,587.1 km² and a population of some 130,000.- Geography :...
, Taveuni
Taveuni
Taveuni is the third-largest island in Fiji, after Vanua Levu and Viti Levu, with a total land area of 435 square kilometers . The cigar-shaped island, a massive shield volcano which rises from the floor of the Pacific Ocean, is situated 6.5 kilometers to the east of Vanua Levu, across the...
and Ovalau
Ovalau
Ovalau is the sixth largest island in Fiji's Lomaiviti Archipelago. Situated at 17.70° South and 178.8° East, , the island is about 13 kilometers long and 10 kilometers wide...
. Previously the Northern Division
Northern Division, Fiji
The Northern Division is one of four Divisions into which Fiji's fourteen Provinces are grouped for local government purposes. The administrative centre of the Division, where main governmental departments are located, is Labasa....
had belonged to the Suva franchise. Suva Highlanders won the Grand final with a 35-27 win over Western Crusaders.
In 2006, with the introduction of a Super 14
Super 14
Super Rugby is the largest and pre-eminent professional Rugby union competition in the Southern Hemisphere...
style tournament called the Pacific Rugby Cup
Pacific Rugby Cup
The IRB Pacific Rugby Cup is an annual rugby union development competition. First held in 2006, it features representative teams from the three Pacific rugby union unions - Fiji, Samoa and Tonga.The participating teams are:*Samoa A from Samoa...
, the void in the Pacific Island competition pathway between club or provincial rugby in the respective islands and Test rugby was on its way to being filled. Coastal Stallions defeated Suva Highlanders 29-15 in a tough encounter to clinch the 2006 title.
Bligh Roosters joined the 2007 competition
2007 Colonial Cup
The 2007 Colonial Cup is a rugby union competition held in Fiji every year. The Fiji Rugby Union controls the Colonial Cup which is used to pick players for the Fiji national team.This year saw the emergence of a new team, the Bligh Roosters, based in Tavua...
, Western Crusaders gave up Tavua
Tavua
Tavua is a town in Fiji, 91 kilometres from Nadi and 9 kilometres from the gold mining settlement of Vatukoula. It was formally incorporated as a Town in 1992, with a land area of 100 square kilometres, and had a population of 2,418 at the 1996 census, the last to date.Tavua is governed by a...
, Vatukoula
Vatukoula
Vatukoula is a gold mining settlement in Fiji, 9 kilometers inland from the Town of Tavua on the island of Viti Levu. It was established in 1934....
, Ba and Ra to the new franchise.
It was announced in 2008 that the competition would cease due to not achieving its player performance aims and low crowds.
Structure
Fiji’s best 150 players are divided up into 6 professionally run franchises. These franchises play each other over 10 weeks culminating in a semi-final and final. The league uses 4 points for a win; 2 for a draw; 1 bonus point for scoring four or more tries in a match; 1 bonus point for losing by 7 points or less. The top four teams then proceed to the semi-finals.Franchises
- Bligh RoostersBligh RoostersBligh Roosters are a rugby union franchise based in Tavua. They joined the Colonial Cup in 2007.-History:The franchise area covers Tavua, Vatukoula, Ba and Ra. Fiji Rugby Union High Performance Unit manager, Peter Murphy, has been assisting with the team's training programme to get them off the...
Tavua
Tavua
Tavua is a town in Fiji, 91 kilometres from Nadi and 9 kilometres from the gold mining settlement of Vatukoula. It was formally incorporated as a Town in 1992, with a land area of 100 square kilometres, and had a population of 2,418 at the 1996 census, the last to date.Tavua is governed by a...
, Vatukoula
Vatukoula
Vatukoula is a gold mining settlement in Fiji, 9 kilometers inland from the Town of Tavua on the island of Viti Levu. It was established in 1934....
, Ba, Ra
- Coastal StallionsCoastal StallionsCoastal Stallions are a Fijian rugby union team. They compete in Fiji's premier rugby union competition, the Colonial Cup. They are the reigning champions of Fiji rugby union. The franchise area covers Nadroga-Navosa, Namosi, Serua and Malolo.-History:...
Nadroga-Navosa
Nadroga-Navosa
NADROGA NAVOSA is one of the fourteen provinces of Fiji, and one of eight based in Viti Levu, Fiji's largest island. It is about 2,385 square kilometers and occupies the South-West and Central areas of Viti Levu, Fiji's largest and principal island. The province includes the Mamanuca Archipelago,...
, Namosi
Namosi
Namosi is one of Fiji's fourteen Provinces, and one of eight based in Viti Levu, the largest island. Located to the west of Suva, the Province covers 570 square kilometers...
, Serua
Serua
Serua is one of Fiji's fourteen Provinces. Its 830 square kilometers occupy the southernmost areas of Viti Levu, being one of 8 provinces based on Fiji's largest island. It had a population of 18,249 at the 2007 census, the most recent to date...
and Malolo
Malolo
Malolo is a volcanic island located in the Mamanuca Group of Fiji. It is an inhabited island, but focuses on tourism and offers many resorts and other vacation spots. There are many activities offered, including snorkeling, boating, and sight-seeing.-History:...
- Northern SharksNorthern SharksNorthern Sharks are a Fijian rugby union team. They compete in Fiji's premier rugby union competition, the Colonial Cup. The franchise area covers Vanua Levu, Taveuni, Ovalau, and Island Zone...
Vanua Levu
Vanua Levu
Vanua Levu , formerly known as Sandalwood Island, is the second largest island of Fiji. Located 64 kilometres to the north of the larger Viti Levu, the island has an area of 5,587.1 km² and a population of some 130,000.- Geography :...
, Taveuni
Taveuni
Taveuni is the third-largest island in Fiji, after Vanua Levu and Viti Levu, with a total land area of 435 square kilometers . The cigar-shaped island, a massive shield volcano which rises from the floor of the Pacific Ocean, is situated 6.5 kilometers to the east of Vanua Levu, across the...
, Ovalau
Ovalau
Ovalau is the sixth largest island in Fiji's Lomaiviti Archipelago. Situated at 17.70° South and 178.8° East, , the island is about 13 kilometers long and 10 kilometers wide...
, and Island Zone
- Suva HighlandersSuva HighlandersSuva Highlanders are a Fijian rugby union team. They compete in Fiji's premier rugby union competition, the Colonial Cup. The franchise area covers Suva, Naitasiri and Kadavu.-History:...
Suva
Suva
Suva features a tropical rainforest climate under the Koppen climate classification. The city sees a copious amount of precipitation during the course of the year. Suva averages 3,000 mm of precipitation annually with its driest month, July averaging 125 mm of rain per year. In fact,...
, Naitasiri
Naitasiri
Naitasiri is one of the 14 provinces of Fiji and one of eight based in Viti Levu, Fiji's largest island.-Geography and infrastructure:Naitasiri as a province covers 1,666 square kilometers , the Province occupies the area to the north and east of Suva, the capital...
, Kadavu
Kadavu
Kadavu , with an area of , is the fourth largest island in Fiji, and the largest island in the Kadavu Group, a volcanic archipelago consisting of Kadavu, Ono, Galoa and a number of smaller islands in the Great Astrolabe Reef...
- Tailevu KnightsTailevu KnightsTailevu Knights are a Fijian rugby union team. They compete in the Colonial Cup which began on 3 February 2007. The franchise area covers Tailevu, Northland, and Rewa.-History:...
Tailevu
Tailevu
Tailevu is one of the 14 provinces of Fiji. One of eight Provinces based in Viti Levu, Fiji's largest island, its 755 square kilometers occupy the south-eastern fringe of the island, along with some central areas. At the 2007 census, the most recent to date, it had a population of 55,692, the...
, Northland
Northland
Northland may refer to:Places:* Northland , an electoral district in New Zealand* Northland, Wellington, a suburb of Wellington, New Zealand...
, and Rewa
Rewa F.C.
Rewa FC is a Fijian football team playing at the top level. It is based in Nausori. Their home stadium is Vodafone Ratu Cakobau Park.- History :...
- Western CrusadersWestern CrusadersWestern Crusaders are a Fijian rugby union team. They compete in the Colonial Cup which began on 3 February 2007. The franchise area covers Lautoka, Nadi, and Yasawa.-History:...
Lautoka
Lautoka
Lautoka is the second largest city of Fiji and the second largest in the South Pacific. It is in the west of the island of Viti Levu, 24 kilometres north of Nadi, and is the second port of entry in Fiji, after Suva. Lying in the heart of Fiji's sugar cane growing region, it is known as the Sugar...
, Nadi
Nadi
Nadi is the third-largest conurbation in Fiji. It is located on the western side of the main island of Viti Levu, and had a population of 42,284 at the most recent census, in 2007. Nadi is multiracial with many of its inhabitants Indian or Fijian, along with a large transient population of foreign...
, and Yasawa
Yasawa
Yasawa, also called Assawa and Ysava, is the main island of the Yasawa Group, an archipelago in Fiji's Western Division. Located at 17.00° South and 177.23° East, it covers an area of 32 square kilometers. It has a maximum altitude of 244 meters. The population was 1120 in 1983.- References :...
Past winners
- 2004 Coastal StallionsCoastal StallionsCoastal Stallions are a Fijian rugby union team. They compete in Fiji's premier rugby union competition, the Colonial Cup. They are the reigning champions of Fiji rugby union. The franchise area covers Nadroga-Navosa, Namosi, Serua and Malolo.-History:...
- 2005 Suva HighlandersSuva HighlandersSuva Highlanders are a Fijian rugby union team. They compete in Fiji's premier rugby union competition, the Colonial Cup. The franchise area covers Suva, Naitasiri and Kadavu.-History:...
- 2006 Coastal StallionsCoastal StallionsCoastal Stallions are a Fijian rugby union team. They compete in Fiji's premier rugby union competition, the Colonial Cup. They are the reigning champions of Fiji rugby union. The franchise area covers Nadroga-Navosa, Namosi, Serua and Malolo.-History:...
- 20072007 Colonial CupThe 2007 Colonial Cup is a rugby union competition held in Fiji every year. The Fiji Rugby Union controls the Colonial Cup which is used to pick players for the Fiji national team.This year saw the emergence of a new team, the Bligh Roosters, based in Tavua...
Coastal StallionsCoastal StallionsCoastal Stallions are a Fijian rugby union team. They compete in Fiji's premier rugby union competition, the Colonial Cup. They are the reigning champions of Fiji rugby union. The franchise area covers Nadroga-Navosa, Namosi, Serua and Malolo.-History:... - 2008 Western CrusadersWestern CrusadersWestern Crusaders are a Fijian rugby union team. They compete in the Colonial Cup which began on 3 February 2007. The franchise area covers Lautoka, Nadi, and Yasawa.-History:...