The 2000 New Zealand rugby league season was the 93rd season of

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...

that had been played in New Zealand. The main feature of the year was the inaugural season of the

Bartercard Cup The Bartercard Cup (successor of the Lion Red 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 Ze ...

competition that was run by the

New Zealand Rugby League The New Zealand Rugby League (NZRL) is the governing body for the sport of rugby league, rugby league football in New Zealand.#SPARC-2009, SPARC, 2009: 13 The NZRL was founded on 25 April 1910 in preparation for a 1910 Great Britain Lions tour o ...

. The Canterbury Bulls won the Cup by defeating the

Otahuhu Leopards The Otahuhu Leopards are a rugby league club based in Ōtāhuhu, Auckland. Founded in 1911 Auckland Rugby League season, 1911, the club has produced 49 New Zealand national rugby league team players. The club competes in the Fox Memorial compet ...

38–24 in the Grand Final.

International competitions

The

New Zealand national rugby league team The New Zealand national rugby league team () has represented New Zealand in rugby league since 1907. Administered by the New Zealand Rugby League, they are commonly known as the Kiwis, after the Kiwi (bird), native bird of that name. The team' ...

did not play any test matches in New Zealand in 2000, losing the ANZAC Test 0–52 in Sydney and then heading to Europe in October for the 2000 World Cup. They lost to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

12–40 in the final of the World Cup. Coached by

Frank Endacott Frank Morris Endacott , also known by the nickname of "Happy Frank", is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer, and Coach (sport), coach. Background His son, Shane Endacott, Shane, also played rugby league. Playing career En ...

New Zealands World Cup squad included; captain

Richie Barnett Richie Barnett (born 21 April 1972) is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. A New Zealand international representative , he also captained the side during his career, during which he pla ...

Richie Blackmore Richard Hugh Blackmore (born 14 April 1945) is an English lead guitarist. He was a founding member and the guitarist of Deep Purple, one of the pioneering bands of hard rock. After leaving Deep Purple in 1975, Blackmore formed the band Rainbow ...

Tonie Carroll Tonie Carroll (born 17 February 1976) is a former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. An Australian and New Zealand international and Queensland State of Origin representative, he played for the Brisbane Bro ...

Nathan Cayless Nathan Frederick Cayless (born 28 March 1978) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s, and has Coach (sport), coached in the 2010s. He played at representative level for New Zealand ...

, Brian Jellick,

Stacey Jones Stacey William Jones (born 7 May 1976) is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer, who has been named amongst the greatest New Zealand has ever produced. He is currently the head coach of New Zealand national rugby league te ...

Stephen Kearney Stephen Peter Kearney (born 11 June 1972) is a New Zealand professional rugby league football coach who until 2020 was the head coach of the New Zealand Warriors in the NRL and a former player. A New Zealand national captain and second-row for ...

, Ali Lauitiiti, Tasesa Lavea,

Henry Henry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Henry (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters * Henry (surname) * Henry, a stage name of François-Louis Henry (1786–1855), French baritone Arts and entertainmen ...

and

Robbie Paul Robert Rawiri Hunter-Paul (born 3 February 1976) is a New Zealand former rugby league footballer. He has since become a business owner and television pundit, runninXtra Mile Marketing an inbound and digital marketing company. Robbie retired fr ...

Quentin Pongia Quentin Lee Pongia (9 July 1970 – 18 May 2019) was a New Zealand rugby league footballer who represented New Zealand in the 1990s and 2000s. Background He was the grandson of fellow Kiwi international Jim Calder. His sister Megan Tahapeehi ...

, Tony Puletua,

Matt Rua Matthew Rua (born 20 July 1977) is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. A New Zealand international representative forward, he played in the National Rugby League for the Melbourne Storm, w ...

, Richard Swain, Logan Swann, Willie Talau, David Vaealiki, Joe and Nigel Vagana,

Lesley Vainikolo Lesley Paea 'I'muli Vainikolo (born 4 May 1979) is a former professional rugby league and rugby union footballer. A dual code international, he has played for the New Zealand Kiwis in rugby league and England in rugby union. He began his care ...

and

Ruben Wiki Ruben James Wiki (born 21 January 1973) is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. A New Zealand international representative centre-turned-prop forward, he retired with the record for most ...

. Craig Smith, Jason Lowrie, David Kidwell and Tyran Smith all played in the ANZAC Test but did not make the World Cup squad. The New Zealand Māori side also participated in the World Cup, losing to Samoa and Ireland but defeating Scotland. Earlier in the year they had participated in a three match series against

Fiji Fiji, officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists of an archipelago of more than 330 islands—of which about ...

, defeating them 3–0. New Zealand Māori were coached by Cameron Bell and included Billy Weepu, Hare Te Rangi, Steve Berryman, Boycie Nelson, Solomon Kiri and Doc Murray. The World Cup squad was captained by Tawera Nikau and included Alex Chan, Jamie Cookthcote, Luke Goodwin, Terry Hermansson,

Sean Hoppe Sean "Shoppe" Edward Hoppe (born 19 January 1971) is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who represented New Zealand. Early years As a junior, he played for the Glen Innes Falcons, a feeder club to Ellerslie during the 1 ...

, David Kidwell, Toa Kohe-Love, Wairangi Koopu,

Kylie Leuluai Kylie Leuluai (born 29 March 1978) is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer. A New Zealand Māori rugby league team, New Zealand Māori and Samoa international representative , he most notably played at club level for the Le ...

, Odell Manuel, Martin Moana, Jared Mills, Chris Nahi, Boycie Nelson,

Gene Ngamu Gene Robert Ngamu (born 27 January 1974) is a New Zealand former rugby league footballer. He played mainly as a or , and is probably best known for his combination with Stacey Jones at the Auckland Warriors and the Kiwis. Early years Ngamu s ...

, Henry Perenara,

Paul Rauhihi Paul Rauhihi (born 3 July 1973) is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who represented New Zealand. Rauhihi played in both the National Rugby League (NRL) and Super League as a . Background Rauhihi was born in Porirua, N ...

, Tahi Reihana, Jeremy Smith, Tyran Smith,

Clinton Toopi Clinton James Te-Whata Toopi (born 29 February 1980) is a New Zealand former professional rugby league and rugby union footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s. A New Zealand international representative , he played his club football in the ...

, Paul Whatuira and Hare Te Rangi. The

New Zealand Residents The New Zealand Residents (also previously known as New Zealand 'A', New Zealand XIII, the Lion Red Cup XIII and currently known as the Bartercard Premiership Selection) are a New Zealand rugby league football representative side that is selected ...

toured Australia twice, conducting a three match tour in July and then returning to play

in October. The Residents defeated

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

64-0 and Dubbo Combined 82-10 before losing to Sydney Metropolitan 24–22.Coffey, John and Bernie Wood ''Auckland, 100 years of rugby league, 1909-2009'', 2009. . The Residents were coached by Gerard Stokes and included players such as; Lusi Sione, Motu Tony, captain

Esau Mann Esau Mann (born 11 May 1971) is a Tongan former professional rugby league footballer who represented Tonga at the 2000 World Cup. He is a cousin and brother of fellow internationals Duane and George Mann. Playing career With the launch of t ...

Paul Paul may refer to: People * Paul (given name), a given name, including a list of people * Paul (surname), a list of people * Paul the Apostle, an apostle who wrote many of the books of the New Testament * Ray Hildebrand, half of the singing duo ...

and David Fisiiahi, Boycie Nelson, George Tuakura, Hare Te Rangi,

Phillip Leuluai Phillip Leuluai (born 16 July 1977) is a former Samoa international rugby league footballer who played as a or occasional for the Salford City Reds in the Super League. Background Leuluai in Greenlane, Auckland, New Zealand. He is of Samoa ...

, Ben Lythe, Peter Lewis, Solomon Kiri, Jonathan Smith, Anthony Seu Seu and Shane Beyers. Aaron Whittaker was the team trainer.Last-minute changes to Residents league side
''New Zealand Herald'', 17 July 2000 The Residents teams were selected by Stokes, John Ackland and Dominic Clarke. The Residents then returned to play Australia in Gosford in October. The Residents had a weakened team, as World Cup sides such as Cook Islands, Western Samoa and Tonga had first call on players. In front of 16,200 fans Australia won 108–0.

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

played a home and away series with the

Cook Islands The Cook Islands is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of 15 islands whose total land area is approximately . The Cook Islands' Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) covers of ocean. Avarua is its ...

in October. The series replaced a planned two-match tour of Fiji in June which was cancelled following the

coup d'état A coup d'état (; ; ), or simply a coup , is typically an illegal and overt attempt by a military organization or other government elites to unseat an incumbent leadership. A self-coup is said to take place when a leader, having come to powe ...

. Dominic Clark coached the Auckland team. The Kiwi Ferns competed in the first Women's World Cup, winning the tournament by defeating Great Britain 26–4 in the final.

National competitions

Rugby League Cup

Taranaki Taranaki is a regions of New Zealand, region in the west of New Zealand's North Island. It is named after its main geographical feature, the stratovolcano Mount Taranaki, Taranaki Maunga, formerly known as Mount Egmont. The main centre is the ...

defended the Rugby League Cup by defeating Northland 28–22 on 3 September.

Bartercard Cup

The 2000 Bartercard Cup was the inaugural season of the

competition run by the

. The competition was the first large scale attempt to replace the Lion Red Cup and involved eight

Auckland Rugby League The Auckland Rugby League (ARL) is the governing body for the sport of rugby league in the Auckland Region of New Zealand. Founded in 1909, the ARL has played a pivotal role in the development and promotion of rugby league in Auckland and beyond. ...

clubs and four regional teams. Eventual winners

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the county of Kent, England; it was a county borough until 1974. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. The city has a mild oceanic climat ...

were the only full provincial side in the competition.

Waikato The Waikato () is a region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato District, Waipā District, Matamata-Piako District, South Waikato District and Hamilton City, as well as Hauraki, Coromandel Peninsula, the nort ...

were the surprise omission.

The Teams

Hibiscus Coast The Hibiscus Coast is a populated area on a stretch of the Hauraki Gulf coast in New Zealand's Auckland Region. It has a population of making it the List of New Zealand urban areas by population, 10th most populous urban area in New Zealand, ...

were coached by

Brian McClennan Brian "Bluey" McClennan (born 16 February 1962) is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer and coach. He was previously the head coach of the New Zealand national rugby league team, New Zealand national team (with whom he won t ...

and Tony Benson and included

Aaron Heremaia Aaron Aspin Heremaia (born ) is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who last played as a goal-kicking or for the Widnes Vikings in the Super League. Background Heremaia was born in Auckland, New Zealand. Playing career ...

, Scott Coxon and Anthony Seuseu. * Northcote were coached by Marty Rudolph and included Tony Tuimavave,

Jamie Cook Arctic Monkeys are an English rock band formed in Sheffield in 2002. They comprise lead singer Alex Turner, drummer Matt Helders, guitarist Jamie Cook and bassist Nick O'Malley. The co-founder and original bassist Andy Nicholson left in 20 ...

and Keneti Asiata. * Glenora, led by player-coach Duane Mann, included captain Steve Buckingham, Aaron Tucker, Wairangi Koopu and Gavin Bailey.Auck clubs bolstered by released Warriors
''The Press'', 19 May 2000Bears, Tornadoes may hold edge
''New Zealand Herald'', 26 August 2000 * The

Mt Albert Lions The Mount Albert Lions are a rugby league club based in Mount Albert, New Zealand. The Lions home ground is at Fowlds Park. Their patron is the former Prime Minister of New Zealand, Helen Clark. In 2008 and 2009 Auckland Rugby League season, 2009 ...

were coached by John Ackland and included Paul Staladi, Carl Doherty,

Awen Guttenbeil Awen Guttenbeil (born 14 March 1976) is a former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. Since retiring after a playing career spanning fifteen years, he went on to work as a broadcaster for Sky Network Televisio ...

, Ben Lythe and Peter Lewis. * Marist Richmond included Motu Tony, Jason Williams,

Francis Meli Francis Meli (born 27 April 1979) is a former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s. A Samoa and New Zealand international representative centre or winger, he played in the National Rugby League for New ...

and Lee Finnerty.Warriors go with experience for warm-up match
''New Zealand Herald'', 19 January 2000Bears' migration adds some bite to clash
''New Zealand Herald'', 8 March 2001 * The Eastern Tornadoes included

David David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Dam ...

and Paul Fisiiahi and

and were coached by

James Leuluai A'au James Leuluai (born 4 February 1957) is a New Zealand former international rugby league . Background He is the father of former Widnes Vikings player Macgraff Leuluai and Wigan Warriors and New Zealand international Thomas Leuluai, and t ...

. * Otahuhu, who also drew from

Manukau Manukau (), or Manukau Central, is a suburb of South Auckland, New Zealand, centred on the Manukau City Centre business district. It is located 23 kilometres south of the Auckland Central Business District, west of the Southern Motorway, ...

and Mangere East, were led by player-coach Dean Clark in his first year as a senior grade coach. The team included

George Carmont George Carmont (born 30 June 1978), also known by the nickname of "Chicken George" or "Gorgeous George", is a former Samoa international rugby league footballer who played as a for the Newcastle Knights in the National Rugby League (NRL) and t ...

, Hare Te Rangi, captain

, Solomon Kiri, Boycie Nelson, Jonathan Smith and George Tuakura. * The

Manurewa Marlins The Manurewa Marlins are a rugby league club based in Manurewa, New Zealand. In 2018 the Marlins will compete in Auckland Rugby League's Sharman Cup competition. Between 2000 and 2003 they competed in the national Bartercard Cup competition. ...

included Channerith and Channerath Ly. * The Ngongotaha Chiefs included Doc Murray and Andrew Leota. * The

Porirua Pumas The Porirua Pumas were a team representing the Porirua region in New Zealand, New Zealand's Bartercard Cup Rugby league competition. The Pumas were one of two Wellington-based teams in the competition, the other being the Wainuiomata Lions. Th ...

were coached by

Mike Kuiti Michael James Kuiti (born 18 March 1963 in Foxton, New Zealand) is a New Zealand rugby league player who played professionally in England and represented New Zealand, including in test matches that counted towards the 1992 World Cup. Currently ...

and included Phil Bergman. * The Wainuiomata Lions included Billy Weepu, Paul Whatuira, Steve Berryman and David Faiumu. * The Canterbury Bulls were coached by Gerard Stokes and included Lusi Sione, Scott Nixon, Tangia Tongiia, Robert Henare, captain Maurice Emslie and Shane Beyers.

Season standings

The Playoffs

This was the only year in the eight years of the competition that two sides from outside of Auckland made the playoffs. The two teams, the Cantebury Bulls and the Wainuiomata Lions, met in the Preliminary Final with Canterbury prevailing 36–6.

Grand Final

Canterbury won $50,000 prize money for winning, with Otahuhu receiving $30,000. The curtain raiser was between New Zealand Students and Great Britain Students.

Awards

North Island Second Division

An Auckland side consisting of Fox Memorial players dominated the North Island Second Division competition, winning all six matches. The team was coached by Del Hughes and included Tevita Latu. Auckland defeated

Coastline A coast (coastline, shoreline, seashore) is the land next to the sea or the line that forms the boundary between the land and the ocean or a lake. Coasts are influenced by the topography of the surrounding landscape and by aquatic erosion, su ...

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

, Manawatu,

, Northland and

Mainland Super 10

A Mainland Super 10 competition was held between

Canterbury Rugby League Canterbury Rugby League is the regional body that administers rugby league in Canterbury, New Zealand. CRL manages local competitions from senior level down to age group competitions. Canterbury Rugby League also manages the Canterbury rugby le ...

clubs and the South Island provincial teams. The teams involved included the Tasman Orcas (featuring coach Paul Bergman and player Phil Bergman), Otago Storm, the West Coast Chargers and from Canterbury: the Haswell Hornets (who included Mike Dorreen, Glenn Coughlan and Aaron Whittaker), Hornby Panthers (including Corey Lawrie), Eastern Sea Eagles, Papanui Tigers, Sydenham Swans, Riccarton Knights and Linwood Kews.

Team Mainland Super 10 "dream team" was: Warren Donaldson (West Coast), Eddie Hei Hei (Papanui), Joe Fatuleai (Eastern), Clinton Fraser (Tasman), Linkoln Newson (Hornby), Phil Bergman (Tasman), Aaron Whittaker (Halswell), Danny Champion (Halswell), Leon Stone (Papanui), Vince Whare (Riccarton), Riki Ashwell (Otago), Tim Sione (Hornby), Brad Williams (Halswell).Tasman has slight edge for final
''The Press'', 30 September 2000 Tasman and Hornby made the final after they defeated Easts 51-36 and Halswell 20-14 respectively. Tasman won the inaugural season's championship by defeating Horby 20–0 in the Grand Final.

Australian competitions

The

Auckland Warriors The Warriors are a professional rugby league football club based in Auckland, New Zealand that competes in the National Rugby League (NRL) premiership and is the League's only team from outside Australia. They were formed in 1995 as the Aucklan ...

competed in the

National Rugby League The National Rugby League (also known as the NRL Telstra Premiership for sponsorship reasons) is a professional rugby league competition in Oceania which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria (state), Victoria, the Austral ...

competition. They finished 13th out of 14 teams and failed to make the playoffs.

Club competitions

Auckland

The

won the Fox Memorial, despite also fielding a Bartercard Cup side.Otahuhu Leopards strong favourites to beat Canterbury
''New Zealand Herald'', 16 September 2000 They defeated

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a city in the United States * Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...

21–14 in the grand final. Richmond won the Rukutai Shield (minor premiership). Richmond included Tevita Latu and Daniel Vasau, who won the Best and Fairest award.

Wellington

The

Wellington City Council Wellington City Council is a Territorial authorities of New Zealand, territorial authority in New Zealand, governing the city of Wellington, the country's capital city and List of cities in New Zealand#City councils, third-largest city by popul ...

announces that Rugby League Park will be shared by the

Wellington Rugby League Wellington Rugby League is the local sporting body responsible for the administration of Rugby league in the Wellington Region, Greater Wellington region. It is responsible for the local competition of the same name, as well as its representative ...

and the

Wellington Rugby Union The Wellington Rugby Football Union (known as the Wellington Lions for competition reasons) are a New Zealand governing body of rugby union in the New Zealand province of Wellington Region. The main stadium is Sky Stadium (formerly named Wes ...

, following the sale of Athletic Park.

Canterbury

Halswell won the

title.

Other Competitions

Turangawaewae won the 2000 Waikato Rugby League competition, defeating the Hamilton City Tigers. The Waitara Bears defeated Marist 24–12 in the

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 are in the Mid-Central zone along with the ...

grand final.Taranaki Grand Final Countdown
''rleague.com'', 11 July 2003

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2000 New Zealand Rugby League Season New Zealand rugby league seasons