The Taranaki rugby league team are 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...

 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...

 team that represents the Taranaki Rugby League

Taranaki Rugby League

Taranaki Rugby League is the local sporting body responsible for the administration of Rugby league in the Taranaki region of New Zealand. The TRL are represented by the Taranaki rugby league team...

. They have been nicknamed the Rockets, Sharks and Wildcats.

1908

Taranaki competed in the very first season of provincial rugby league in New Zealand. They shared a two match series with Auckland

Auckland rugby league team

The Auckland rugby league team is the team which traditionally represents all of the clubs which play in the Auckland Rugby League competition. The Auckland Rugby League team has traditionally been a powerhouse of New Zealand domestic rugby league...

 1-all. Taranaki was led by New Zealand international Adam Lile

Adam Lile

Adam "Addie" Lile was a New Zealand rugby footballer who was part of the professional 1907-1908 New Zealand rugby tour of Great Britain.-Early years:...

.

In 2008 the Taranaki Rugby League named its Team of the Century: Dave Watson

Dave Watson (rugby league)

David Thomas Watson is a New Zealand former rugby league player who represented his country in the 1980s and 1990s.-Playing career:...

; Babe Hooker

Gordon Hooker

Gordon Hooker was a New Zealand rugby league player who represented his country in 1909.-Playing career:Hooker represented Taranaki in 1908 and was selected to tour Australia for New Zealand in 1909, where he played in two Test matches.-References:...

; Ron McKay

Ron McKay

Ron McKay is a New Zealand rugby league player who represented his country in the 1954 World Cup.-Playing career:McKay played in the Taranaki Rugby League competition and represented Taranaki...

; Willie Talau

Willie Talau

Viliamu Talau is a New Zealand professional rugby league footballer who plays for English club Salford City Reds of Super League...

; Ernest Buckland; Tony Kemp

Tony Kemp

Tony Kemp is a former New Zealand rugby league test representative and former coach of the New Zealand Warriors. He currently is a commentator for Māori Televisions coverage of the Auckland Rugby League competition and also serves on the NZRL Board.-Early years:Kemp was born in Whangarei but...

; Issac Luke

Issac Luke

Issac Luke is a New Zealand professional rugby league footballer for the South Sydney Rabbitohs of the National Rugby League. His position of choice is either hooker or in the halves. His first-grade debut was for the South Sydney Rabbitohs against the Melbourne Storm at Olympic Park in round 12...

; Bruce Gall; Howie Tamati

Howie Tamati

Howard Kevin Tamati, MBE, is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer and coach who played for his country. He is the cousin of fellow international Kevin Tamati.-Playing career:Tamati played for Wigan between 1983 and 1984...

; Wille Southorn; Graeme West

Graeme West

Graeme Leonard West is a New Zealand former rugby league footballer and coach. Standing at six-foot, five inches, he played in the forwards, captaining English club Wigan...

; Adam Lile

Adam Lile

Adam "Addie" Lile was a New Zealand rugby footballer who was part of the professional 1907-1908 New Zealand rugby tour of Great Britain.-Early years:...

; Barry Harvey

Barry Harvey

Barry Kenneth Harvey is a New Zealand former rugby league player who represented his country in three Test matches, including matches that counted towards the 1988 World Cup.-Playing career:...

. Bench: Jack McLeod; Fred White; Lance Moir; Jim Parker; Charles Hunt

Cliff Hunt

Charles Clifford Hunt was a New Zealand rugby league player who represented his country.-Playing career:Hunt played for Taranaki and in 1935 was selected to represent New Zealand against Australia. He played in the second and third Test matches in the series, scoring two tries.In 2008 he was named...

.

1994-1996: Lion Red Cup

As the Taranaki Rockets, Taranaki competed in the Lion Red Cup

Lion Red Cup

The Lion Red Cup was a New Zealand domestic rugby league competition that ran from 1994-1996 sponsored by brewers Lion Nathan. It was created due to the increase in public awareness of domestic rugby league due to the Auckland Warriors being accepted into the Winfield Cup. The competition was a...

 between 1994 and 1996. They were coached by Teri Tamati, Allan Marshall and Howard Tamati over the three years of the competition.

The team was originally going to be called the Taranaki Energisers but this name was vetoed by Eveready Batteries who owned the name in New Zealand.

Notable players

Notable players included; Willie Talau

Willie Talau

Viliamu Talau is a New Zealand professional rugby league footballer who plays for English club Salford City Reds of Super League...

, Robert Piva

Robert Piva

Robert Piva is a former rugby league player who represented both New Zealand and Western Samoa.-Playing career:A Wellington Rugby League player, Piva played for the St. George, Kapiti Bears and Porirua City clubs. Piva then played for the Taranaki Rockets in the 1994 Lion Red Cup. Halfway through...

 and Mark Woods

Mark Woods (rugby league)

Mark Anthony Woods is a New Zealand former rugby league player who represented his country in 1992.-Playing career:Woods is a Ngongotaha Chiefs junior in the Bay of Plenty Rugby League district. He represented the Bay of Plenty and also played for the New Zealand Māori side, including at the 1986...

.

Season results

Season	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	Pts	Position	Finals
1994	22	10	1	11	481	536
21	Sixth	N/A
1995	22	2	1	19	339	770
5	Eleventh	N/A
1996	22	11	0	11	516	438	33	22	Seventh	N/A

Late 1990's

In 1997 the Taranaki Rugby League

Taranaki Rugby League

Taranaki Rugby League is the local sporting body responsible for the administration of Rugby league in the Taranaki region of New Zealand. The TRL are represented by the Taranaki rugby league team...

 side that competed in the Super League Challenge Cup

1997 New Zealand rugby league season

The New Zealand rugby league season 1997 was the ninetieth season of rugby league that had been played in New Zealand. The main feature of the year was the Super League Challenge Cup that was run by the New Zealand Rugby League...

 was also called the Rockets.

They adopted the Sharks nickname in 1998

1998 New Zealand rugby league season

The 1998 New Zealand rugby league season was the ninety first season of rugby league that had been played in New Zealand. The main feature of the year was the National Provincial competition that was run by the New Zealand Rugby League...

 after a public competition. Notable players included Paul Rauhihi

Paul Rauhihi

Paul Rauhihi is a retired professional rugby league footballer who represented his country. Rauhihi played in both the National Rugby League and Super League at prop forward.-New Zealand Career:...

, Iva Ropati

Iva Ropati

Iva Lewis Ropati is a former rugby league international player and High School Principal.-Early years:He grew up playing for the Otahuhu Leopards before moving to the Te Atatu Roosters where he won a Fox Memorial premiership. He later played for the Mangere East Hawks before moving to England...

 and Artie Shead

Artie Shead

Artie Shead is a New Zealand born French rugby league player for the Pia Donkeys in the Elite One Championship he was previously with the Villeneuve Leopards. His position is at prop or centre...

.

2002-2003: Bartercard Cup

In 2002 and 2003 the Taranaki Wildcats competed in the Bartercard Cup

Bartercard Cup

The Bartercard Cup was the top level rugby league club competition in New Zealand from 2000 until 2007. For the entire life of the tournament it was sponsored by Bartercard. The cup was administered by the New Zealand Rugby League...

. They were coached by Alan Jackson.

2002

Season	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	Pts
Wooden Spoon	16	2	2	12	334	636
6

The Wildcats entered the competition in 2002 alongside the Central Falcons

Central Falcons

The Manawatu rugby league team are a rugby league team that represents the Manawatu Rugby League in New Zealand Rugby League competitions. They have previously been nicknamed the Mustangs and between 2002 and 2007 competed in the Bartercard Cup as the Central Falcons.Manawatu has a strong domestic...

. They managed to compete in most games, winning two and with two draws. This was not enough to avoid the wooden spoon

Wooden spoon (award)

A wooden spoon is a mock or real award, usually given to an individual or team which has come last in a competition, but sometimes also to runners-up. Examples range from the academic to sporting and more frivolous events...

 but most pundits predicted they would be better for the experience in 2003.

2003

Season	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	Pts
Wooden Spoon	16	1	0	15	262	932
2

In 2003 they again collected the wooden spoon, only managing to win one game all season.

2008-2009: Bartercard Premiership

Taranaki were part of the Bartercard Premiership in 2008 and 2009, however they were not competitive and finished last and second to last in each year.

Season	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	Pts	Position	Finals
2008	5	0	0	5	96	262
0	Sixth	N/A
2009	5	1	0	4	86	212	-126	2	Fifth	N/A