West Coast Rugby Football Union
Encyclopedia
The West Coast Rugby Football Union, formed in 1890, is the official governing body for rugby union in a substantial part of the West Coast
region of New Zealand and is affiliated to the New Zealand Rugby Union. The team is based in Greymouth
and plays home matches at Rugby Park
.. In 2011 they launched their new Official website at http://westcoastrfu.com
, Greymouth
and in the 2006 season are in Pool A of the Heartland Championship
. They are bottom qualifiers for the Championship as they finished last in the 3rd division in 2005.
, Tasman
, Buller
, Mid Canterbury
and South Canterbury
make up the Crusaders Super 14
franchise.
whilst playing their club rugby in the West Coast.
.
West Coasts Ranfurly Shield challenges:
is contested by the West Coast and Buller when they meet in senior fixtures. The Rundle Cup is currently held by the West Coast who won it in 2009 after Buller had held it for four years.
West Coast, New Zealand
The West Coast is one of the administrative regions of New Zealand, located on the west coast of the South Island, and is one of the more remote and most sparsely populated areas of the country. It is made up of three districts: Buller, Grey and Westland...
region of New Zealand and is affiliated to the New Zealand Rugby Union. The team is based in Greymouth
Greymouth
Greymouth is the largest town in the West Coast region in the South Island of New Zealand, and the seat of the Grey District Council. The population of the whole Grey District is , which accounts for % of the West Coast's inhabitants...
and plays home matches at Rugby Park
Rugby Park (Greymouth)
Rugby Park is the home of West Coast Rugby Football Union and is located in Greymouth, New Zealand. The capacity of Rugby Park is 6000....
.. In 2011 they launched their new Official website at http://westcoastrfu.com
Representative Rugby
The West Coast team play from Rugby ParkRugby Park (Greymouth)
Rugby Park is the home of West Coast Rugby Football Union and is located in Greymouth, New Zealand. The capacity of Rugby Park is 6000....
, Greymouth
Greymouth
Greymouth is the largest town in the West Coast region in the South Island of New Zealand, and the seat of the Grey District Council. The population of the whole Grey District is , which accounts for % of the West Coast's inhabitants...
and in the 2006 season are in Pool A of the Heartland Championship
Heartland Championship
The Heartland Championship New Zealand Division One competition, known for sponsorship reasons as the AA Rewards Heartland Championship, is a domestic rugby union competition in New Zealand. It was founded in 2006 as one of two successor competitions to the country's former domestic competition,...
. They are bottom qualifiers for the Championship as they finished last in the 3rd division in 2005.
West Coast in Super Rugby
West Coast along with CanterburyCanterbury Rugby Football Union
The Canterbury Rugby Football Union is the governing body for rugby union in a substantial part of the Canterbury region, in the middle of the South Island of New Zealand...
, Tasman
Tasman Rugby Union
The Tasman Rugby Union is the governing body for rugby union at the top of the South Island in New Zealand. It is New Zealand's newest provincial union, founded in 2006 with the amalgamation of the existing Marlborough and Nelson Bays sub unions...
, Buller
Buller Rugby Football Union
The Buller Rugby Union is a rugby province based in the town of Westport, New Zealand. The Buller provincial boundary also includes other notable towns such as Reefton, Karamea, Granity, Charleston, Punakaiki and Murchison .-History:Buller was formed in 1894...
, Mid Canterbury
Mid Canterbury Rugby Football Union
The Mid Canterbury Rugby Football Union is a rugby province in the South Island of New Zealand.-History:The Mid Canterbury Rugby Football Union was formed in 1904 as Ashburton Country when it broke away from the Canterbury Rugby Football Union...
and South Canterbury
South Canterbury Rugby Football Union
The South Canterbury Rugby Football Union is a rugby province based in the central South Island city of Timaru, New Zealand. The South Canterbury team play from Alpine Energy Stadium located in Timaru.-History:...
make up the Crusaders Super 14
Super 14
Super Rugby is the largest and pre-eminent professional Rugby union competition in the Southern Hemisphere...
franchise.
Clubs
West Coast Rugby Football Union is made up of 6 clubs:- Blaketown
- Grey Valley
- Kiwi
- Marist
- South Westland
- Wests
All Blacks
There have seven players selected for the All BlacksAll Blacks
The New Zealand men's national rugby union team, known as the All Blacks, represent New Zealand in what is regarded as its national sport....
whilst playing their club rugby in the West Coast.
- H.J Atkinson
- H Butland
- J Corbett
- D.F.E Freitas
- G.D.M Gilbert
- R.R King
- J Steel
Championships
West Coast have yet to win a Provincial Championship, but they are consistently improving in the Heartland Championship. From 2006 where they finished 12th, to 2008 when they made the Meads Cup semifinal they are improving their performance year by year.Heartland Championship placings
| Heartland Championship Results | |||||||||||
| Year | Played | Win | Draw | Loss | PF | PA | Diff | BP | Points | Place | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 136 | 266 | -130 | 2 | 6 | 12th | |
| 2007 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 155 | 192 | -37 | 1 | 17 | 9th | lost to South Canterbury 31-23 (semifinal) |
| 2008 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 122 | 146 | -24 | 3 | 21 | 4th | lost to Wanganui 40-18 (semifinal) |
Ranfurly Shield
West Coast have never held the Ranfurly ShieldRanfurly Shield
The Ranfurly Shield, colloquially known as the Log o' Wood, is a trophy in New Zealand's domestic rugby union competition. First played for in 1904, the Ranfurly Shield is based on a challenge system, rather than a league or knockout competition as with most football trophies...
.
West Coasts Ranfurly Shield challenges:
- 27-8-1932 Canterbury 5 West Coast 3 (L.T.Martyn try)
- 2-9-1933 Canterbury 23 West Coast
- 7-9-1935 Canterbury 16 West Coast 11 (E.Pfahlert, R.R.King tries, L.T.Martyn two penalties, one conversion)
- 26-9-1936 Otago 30 West Coast 0
- 20-9-1952 Waikato 20 West Coast 6 (A.J.Lindbom two penalties)
- 11-9-1954 Canterbury 8 West Coast 0
- 24-9-1955 Canterbury 20 West Coast 11 (F.W.Gugich, R.N.Inkster tries, A.A.McNabb one panalty, one conversion)
- 25-8-1962 Auckland 52 West Coast 6 (T.N.McAra drop goal, J.M.Earthorne one penalty)
- 16-9-1972 Canterbury 47 West Coast 3 (R.Nelson one penalty)
- 27-7-1974 Marlborough 18 West Coast 0
- 29-7-1978 Manawatu 51 West Coast 10 (C.R.Skates try, A.F.Kissick two penalties)
- 25-8-1984 Canterbury 68 West Coast 3 (G.Cook drop goal)
- 4-7-2000 Waikato 99 West Coast 3 (M.Foster one penalty)
Rundle Cup
The Rundle CupRundle Cup
The Rundle Cup is a rugby trophy contested between the West Coast and Buller rugby unions. It replaced the Molloy Cup. Of the 37 challenge trophies contested by two provinces in New Zealand rugby it is of the longest continuous existence, it is also the second oldest provincial trophy after the...
is contested by the West Coast and Buller when they meet in senior fixtures. The Rundle Cup is currently held by the West Coast who won it in 2009 after Buller had held it for four years.