The Taranaki Rugby Football Union (TRFU, Taranaki Rugby) is the governing body for

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

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 ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

. Established in 1885, it is based in

New Plymouth New Plymouth () is the major city of the Taranaki region on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is named after the English city of Plymouth, in Devon, from where the first English settlers to New Plymouth migrated. The New Pl ...

. The union's traditional colours are amber and black. The Taranaki Bulls and Taranaki Whio are the two most senior representative men's and women's teams, competing in the NPC and

Farah Palmer Cup The Farah Palmer Cup (formerly known as Women's Provincial Championship until 2016), is the highest level domestic women's rugby union competition in New Zealand and is named after the former Black Ferns captain, Farah Palmer. It is held annual ...

respectively. The Bulls typically play their home games at Stadium Taranaki in New Plymouth, while the Whio play at Stadium Taranaki and other venues across the province. Taranaki Rugby is part of the Chiefs

Super Rugby Super Rugby is a men's professional rugby union club competition involving teams from Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. It has previously included teams from Argentina, Japan, and South Africa. Super Rugby started as the S ...

region and has a 23.1% ownership stake in the franchise.

History

Early years

Taranaki was officially established in 1889 after a team chosen from the surrounding clubs in existence played as Egmont in 1885. They began with a brown coloured jersey before adopting the amber and black hoops in 1892. During the amateur period, the team won the

Ranfurly 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 Shield is based on a challenge system. The holding union must defend the shield in challenge ...

on four occasions. It had also won seven-second division titles in the

National Provincial Championship The National Provincial Championship may refer to: * National Provincial Championship (1976–2005), original competition before reform into 14 sides * National Provincial Championship (2006–present) The National Provincial Championship (NP ...

, more than any other team. Further notable moments were in 1959, when a record 35,000 spectators attended Rugby Park in

to see the province play the British Lions. Two years later 36,000 people were on hand to watch

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

defeat the side 11-9. Their first Ranfurly Shield victory came in 1913 when

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 ...

was defeated 14-11. Six successful defences followed before a 12-6 loss to

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 ...

in September 1914. In 1957 shield holders Wellington was defeated in a friendly match early in the year and a rematch was scheduled for later in the season.

Otago Otago (, ; ) is a regions of New Zealand, region of New Zealand located in the southern half of the South Island and administered by the Otago Regional Council. It has an area of approximately , making it the country's second largest local go ...

defeated Wellington, and Otago accepted a special challenge by Taranaki. The match was played on 28 September 1957, the last Saturday of the season, after

King Country The King Country ( Māori: ''Te Rohe Pōtae'' or ''Rohe Pōtae o Maniapoto'') is a region of the western North Island of New Zealand. It extends approximately from Kawhia Harbour and the town of Ōtorohanga in the north to the upper reaches of th ...

gave up its scheduled fixture with Taranaki. Taranaki won against Otago for them to, later on, go a 13-match tenure. In 1963 Taranaki regained the Ranfurly Shield once again off Wellington with a win at Athletic Park. Their third tenure would be its most successful one. The first challenge came from

Wanganui Whanganui, also spelt Wanganui, is a list of cities in New Zealand, city in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. The city is located on the west coast of the North Island at the mouth of the Whanganui River, New Zealand's longest nav ...

who were making their second challenge of the season, having lost earlier to Auckland. Wanganui later would suffer a further defeat in 1964. Taranaki lost to Auckland in their last defence in 1965 and would not reclaim the shield again until 1996 when they edged Auckland 42-39.

North Harbour North Harbour or North Harbor may refer to: Canada * North Harbour, St. Mary's Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador, a community on St. Mary's Bay * North Harbour, Placentia Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador, a community on Placentia Bay * North Harbour, ...

lost narrowly in a tight contest before Taranaki was beaten by 20 points against

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 ...

Professional era

In August 2011 Taranaki defeated Southland 15-12 in

Invercargill Invercargill ( , ) is the southernmost and westernmost list of cities in New Zealand, city in New Zealand, and one of the Southernmost settlements, southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland Region, Southlan ...

to begin a fifth tenure of the shield. This ended in October 2012 when Waikato won the last challenge of the season. In 2013 Taranaki RFU assembled a women's professional team although it was later disbanded the following year. They claimed the national title for the first time in their history with a win over Tasman in the

2014 ITM Cup The 2014 ITM Cup season was the ninth season of New Zealand's provincial rugby union competition since it turned professional in 2006. The regular season began on August 14, when Taranaki (National Provincial Championship), Taranaki hosted Count ...

. and Hawke's Bay in the 2023 competition.

Referees

Taranaki has a proud history of producing top level referees. Brian Duffy was the region's first test match referee and controlled six internationals, including one test between the

British and Irish Lions The British & Irish Lions is a rugby union team selected from players eligible for the national teams of England national rugby union team, England, Ireland national rugby union team, Ireland, Scotland national rugby union team, Scotland, and ...

and

All Blacks The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks, is the representative men's national team in the sport of rugby union for the nation of New Zealand, which is considered the country's national sport. Famed for th ...

in 1977.

Paul Williams Paul Williams may refer to: Authors * Paul Williams (Crawdaddy) (1948–2013), American music and science fiction journalist; founder of ''Crawdaddy'' and the Philip K. Dick Society * Paul Williams (Irish journalist) (born 1964), Irish journalis ...

followed with his test debut coming in 2017. Former sevens international Warwick Lahmert, Will Johnston and Chloe Sampson are in the National Panel and take charge of domestic competition matches. Richard Kelly featured in the panel for 12 years, including a successful sevens career, where he was the world's most capped sevens referee when he retired in March 2021. He controlled 280 matches over 52 tournaments, including the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in 2018, 2018 World Rugby 7s World Cup and 2016 Rio Olympics, in which he refereed one semi-final. He is now an international television match official. Other Taranaki referees have been involved in the national scene in the past, these are; Cam Stone, Dee Luckin, Darryl Heibner,

Chris Pollock Chris Pollock is a former rugby union referee who represented the New Zealand Rugby Union. In 2008, he was part of the IRB's touch judge panel. He made his international referee debut in 2005, when he refereed Niue vs Tahiti, while his first I ...

, Brian MacDonald, Paul Macfie, Stuart Beissell, Ross Whitmore, Paul Honiss, Russell Hodge and Murray Dombroski.

Affiliated clubs

There are 29 registered clubs incorporated and secondary schools affiliated with the Taranaki RFU, most of which have teams at both senior and junior levels. The Taranaki Rugby Referees' Association is also an affiliated member of the Taranaki RFU. The organisation provides match officials for senior club rugby down to junior grades. They also provide sideline support personnel to home

and test matches. *Bell Block Rugby Sports & Community Club *Central Rugby and Sports Club *Clifton Rugby and Sports Club *Coastal Rugby Football Club *Eltham Rugby Football Club *

Francis Douglas Memorial College Francis Douglas Memorial College is an all-boys state-integrated Catholic school with boarding facilities located in Westown, New Plymouth, New Zealand. The college was founded in 1959 under the leadership of the De La Salle Brothers, a religio ...

* Hawera High School * Inglewood High School *Inglewood United Rugby Football Club *Kaitake Rugby Football Club *Kaponga Rugby Football Club *

New Plymouth Boys' High School New Plymouth Boys' High School is a single-sex boys' state secondary school in New Plymouth, Taranaki, New Zealand. The school currently caters for approximately 1300 students, including 210 boarders, on its site. The school often collaborat ...

* New Plymouth Girls' High School *New Plymouth High School Old Boys' Rugby Football and Sports Club *Okaiawa Rugby Football Club *Okato Rugby Football Club * Opunake High School *Patea Rugby & Sports Club *Rahotu Community And Sports Club * Sacred Heart Girls' College *Southern Rugby Football Club *

Spotswood College Spotswood College is a co-educational state secondary school in Spotswood, New Plymouth, New Zealand. It was founded in 1960 and celebrated its 50th Jubilee in 2010. It was formerly New Zealand's largest school. It is New Plymouth's only co-ed ...

*Spotswood United Rugby Football & Sports Club *Stratford Eltham Rugby & Sports Club * Stratford High School * Taranaki Diocesan School for Girls *Toko Rugby Football Club *Tukapa Rugby and Sports Club *

Waitara High School Waitara High School is a state secondary school in Waitara, Taranaki, New Zealand, founded in 1947. History On 1 December 1944, the Taranaki Education Board wrote to the Education Department seeking approval to open a high school. The depar ...

Players

Notable players

Taranaki has produced 83 men's

internationals to date. Below is a

list of New Zealand national rugby union players , 1223 players have played rugby union for New Zealand's national team, known since 1905 as the All Blacks. The first New Zealand representative match was played in May 1884 against a Wellington XV before the New Zealand team departed for their t ...

along with their number and year of debut in brackets. * Alfred Bayly (35 - 1893) * Alan Good (42 - 1893) * James Lambie (27 - 1893) * Walter Bayly (48 - 1894) * Hugh Good (50 - 1894) * Daniel Hughes (51 - 1894) * Lewis Allen (56 - 1896) *

Donald Watson Donald Watson (2 September 1910 – 16 November 2005) was an English animal rights and veganism advocate who co-founded The Vegan Society. Early life Watson was born in Mexborough, Yorkshire, the son of a headmaster in a mining community. As a ...

(65 - 1896) *

Arthur Humphries Arthur Larwill Humphries (15 February 1874 – 13 April 1953) was a New Zealand rugby union player. Primarily a halfback, Humphries represented at a provincial level between 1893 and 1903, playing 40 matches for the province. He was a member ...

(73 - 1897) *

Bill Wells Bill Wells (born c. 1963)Strong, Martin C. (2003) "Bill Wells", in ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, is a Scottish bassist, pianist, guitarist and composer. Biography Wells is completely self-taught, and began performing in clubs in ...

(75 - 1897) * Hugh Mills (80 - 1897) * Bernard O'Dowda (88 - 1901) * Billy Glenn (111 - 1904) * Frank Glasgow (117 - 1905) *

Jimmy Hunter James Hunter (6 March 1879 – 4 December 1962) was a rugby union footballer who played for New Zealand's national team, the All Blacks. accessdate=2007-11-14 He played mainly at second five-eighth, although he could play any position in the ba ...

(118 - 1905) * Simon Mynott (120 - 1905) *

Jimmie O'Sullivan James Michael O'Sullivan (5 February 1883 – 21 December 1960) was a New Zealand rugby union player. A loose forward, O'Sullivan represented at a provincial level, and was a member of the New Zealand national side, the All Blacks, from 1905 ...

(122 - 1905) * Harold Abbott (130 - 1905) *

Jack Colman John Thomas Henry Colman (14 January 1887 – 28 September 1965) was a New Zealand rugby union player. A utility back and wing-forward, Colman represented at a provincial level either side of World War I, and was a member of the New Zealand n ...

(142 - 1907) * Donald Cameron (150 - 1908) * Jack Stohr (165 - 1910) * Henry Dewar (175 - 1913) *

Mick Cain Michael Cain (7 July 1885 – 27 August 1951) was a New Zealand rugby union player. A Rugby union positions#Hooker, hooker, Cain represented Taranaki Rugby Football Union, Taranaki at a provincial level, and was a member of the New Zealand nat ...

(187 - 1913) * Charles Brown (192 - 1913) * Reg Taylor (202 - 1913) * George Loveridge (206 - 1913) * Edward Roberts (207 - 1913) * Alfred West (225 - 1920) *

Richard Fogarty Richard Fogarty (12 December 1891 – 9 September 1980) was a New Zealand rugby union player. He was a member of the All Blacks in 1914, playing in the loose forward and hooker positions. Early life Born in the Central Otago gold-mining set ...

(230 - 1921) *

Charles Kingstone Charles Napoleon "Nipper" Kingstone (2 July 1895 – 6 May 1960) was a New Zealand sportsman who played international rugby union for New Zealand. He was also a first-class cricketer. Kingstone served as an artillery gunner in the New Zealand f ...

(231 - 1921) *

Harold Masters Frederick Harold Masters (20 December 1895 – 27 May 1980) was a New Zealand rugby union player. A lock, Masters represented at a provincial level, and was a member of the New Zealand national side, the All Blacks, in 1922. He played four mat ...

(254 - 1922) *

Percy Hickey Percival "Percy" Hubert Hickey (28 April 1899 – 21 December 1943) was a New Zealand rugby union player who represented the All Blacks in 1922. His position of choice was wing three-quarter. Career Hickey was born in Rahotu in 1899. He ma ...

(264 - 1922) * Handley Brown (290 - 1924) *

Gus Hart Augustine Henry Hart (27 March 1898 – 1 February 1965) was a New Zealand rugby union player who represented the All Blacks, New Zealand's national rugby union team, between 1924 and 1925. His position of choice was wing three-quarter. Earl ...

(293 - 1924) * Davy Johnston (318 - 1925) * Jack Walter (312 - 1925) * Pat Ward (335 - 1928) *

Alfred Kivell Alfred Louis Kivell (12 April 1897 – 1 September 1987) was a New Zealand rugby union player. A loose forward, Kivell represented at a provincial level between 1920 and 1930. He was a member of the New Zealand national side, the All Blacks, o ...

(375 - 1929) * Ray Clarke (390 - 1932) * Arthur Collins (391 - 1932) * Jack Sullivan (428 - 1936) *

Roy Roper Roy Alfred Roper (11 August 1923 – 14 September 2023) was a New Zealand rugby union player. A Rugby union positions#Three-quarters, three-quarter, Roper represented Taranaki Rugby Football Union, Taranaki at a provincial level, and was a memb ...

(515 - 1949) * George Beatty (517 - 1950) *

Maurice Cockerill Maurice Stanley Cockerill (8 December 1928 – 5 August 2024) was a New Zealand rugby union player. A fullback, Cockerill represented at a provincial level, and was a member of the New Zealand national side, the All Blacks, in 1951. He played ...

(522 - 1951) * Peter Burke (534 - 1951) *

Noel Bowden Noel James Gordon Bowden (19 March 1926 – 9 October 2009) was a New Zealand rugby union player. A full-back, Bowden represented , , and at a provincial level. He played one match for the New Zealand national side, the All Blacks, a test agai ...

(544 - 1952) * Ross Brown (572 - 1955) *

Roger Urbahn Roger James Urbahn (31 July 1934 – 27 November 1984) was a New Zealand rugby union player, cricketer, and sports journalist. A halfback, Urbahn played representative rugby for at a provincial level between 1955 and 1966. He was a member of ...

(598 - 1959) *

Kevin Briscoe Kevin Charles Briscoe (20 August 1936 – 1 April 2009) was a New Zealand rugby union player. A halfback, Briscoe represented at a provincial level, and was a member of the New Zealand national side, the All Blacks The New Zealand na ...

(599 - 1959) * John McCullough (603 - 1959) *

Terry O'Sullivan Terry O'Sullivan (July 7, 1915 – September 14, 2006) was an American actor, best known for his role on the soap opera ''Search for Tomorrow'' as Arthur Tate (1952–1955, 1956–1966). Early years A naive of Kansas City, O'Sullivan was th ...

(612 - 1960) * Roger Boon (616 - 1960) * Neil Wolfe (620 - 1961) *

John Major Sir John Major (born 29 March 1943) is a British retired politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990 to 1997. Following his defeat to Ton ...

(643 - 1963) * Brian Muller (656 - 1967) * Murray Wills (661 - 1967) * Alan Smith (667 - 1967) * Bill Currey (671 - 1968) * Ian Eliason (706 - 1972) *

Alistair Scown Alistair Ian Scown (born 21 October 1948) was a New Zealand rugby union player. He has five caps as an All Black. All his test appearances were in 1972. Scown is known for being a player involved in what has been described as "the greatest try o ...

(710 - 1972) * Ash Gardiner (728 - 1974) *

Graham Mourie Graham Neil Kenneth Mourie (born 8 September 1952) is a former New Zealand All Black flanker and coach of the Hurricanes. He was one of the great All Black captains in the late 1970s and early 1980s. He was first selected for the All Blacks in ...

(757 - 1976) * John McEldowney (768 - 1976) * Dave Loveridge (791 - 1978) * Murray Watts (793 - 1979) *

Kieran Crowley Kieran James Crowley (born 31 August 1961) is a New Zealand rugby union coach and former player, who is the former head coach of Italy. He has also coached the New Zealand Under-19s in the 2007 World Championships as well as coaching provincial ...

(848 - 1983) *

Bryce Robins Bryce B. Robins (born 19 September 1980) is a New Zealand-born Japanese rugby union player who plays as a Centre (rugby union), centre for the Munakata Sanix Blues in the Top League and Japan national rugby union team, Japan. He played for the H ...

(863 - 1985) * Bull Allen (933 - 1993) * Gordon Slater (968 - 1997) *

Andrew Hore Andrew Keith Hore (born 13 September 1978) is a former New Zealand rugby union player. He played for the All Blacks between 2002 and 2013. His position was hooker. He notably played for the Hurricanes in Super Rugby, but also represented the ...

(1019 - 2002) *

Chris Masoe Chris Masoe (born 15 May 1979 in Savaii, Western Samoa) is a former New Zealand rugby union footballer, who last played for Racing Metro 92 in the Top 14 and a current professional boxer. He is the brother of boxer Maselino Masoe. He was born o ...

(1059 - 2005) *

Jason Eaton Jason John Eaton (born 21 August 1982) is a former New Zealand rugby union player. He played as a lock. Early life Although born in Palmerston North, Eaton grew up on a farm near the small community of Colyton. He attended Feilding Intermedi ...

(1063 - 2005) * Scott Waldrom (1085 - 2008) *

Jarrad Hoeata Jarrad Hoeata (born 12 December 1983) is a professional rugby union player who plays for New Zealand side Taranaki. He made his debut for the All Blacks The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks, is the ...

(1109 - 2011) *

Beauden Barrett Beauden John Barrett (born 27 May 1991) is a New Zealand rugby union player who plays as a First five-eighth or Fullback for the Blues in Super Rugby and Taranaki in the Bunnings NPC. Barrett won the World Rugby Player of the Year awards ...

(1115 - 2012) *

Charlie Ngatai Charlie James Ngatai (born 17 August 1990) is a New Zealand professional rugby union player who plays as a centre, although he can also cover other backline positions. Ngatai last played for Leinster Rugby in Ireland, having previously been Capt ...

(1141 - 2015) *

Waisake Naholo Waisake Ratunideuba Naholo (born 8 May 1991 Sigatoka, Fiji) is a New Zealand rugby union player. He previously played for the All Blacks Sevens and on the wing (and occasionally centre) position for London Irish. In May 2022 he signed with Rug ...

(1142 - 2015) * James Broadhurst (1144 - 2015) *

Seta Tamanivalu Setareki Tamanivalu (born 23 July 1992) is a Fijian rugby union player and former All Black. He currently plays in the centre (and occasionally wing) position for Toshiba Brave Lupus. Early life Tamanivalu was born and raised in Fiji. He atte ...

(1148 - 2016) * Scott Barrett (1155 - 2016) *

Jordie Barrett Jordan Matthew Barrett (born 17 February 1997) is a New Zealand-born rugby union player who currently plays as a centre or fullback for Irish side Leinster in the United Rugby Championship. He represents New Zealand internationally. He previous ...

(1159 - 2017) *

Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi Hohepa Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi () (born 31 March 1995) is a New Zealand rugby union player who currently plays as a half-back for in the Mitre 10 Cup and the Crusaders in Super Rugby. In 2018 Tahuriorangi was selected to play for the All Blacks. ...

(1174 - 2018) *

Angus Ta'avao Angus may refer to: *Angus, Scotland, a council area of Scotland, and formerly a province, sheriffdom, county and district of Scotland * Angus, Canada, a community in Essa, Ontario Animals * Angus cattle, various breeds of beef cattle Media * ...

(1175 - 2018) * Tupou Vaa'i (1188 - 2020) *

Pita Gus Sowakula Pita Gus Nacagilevu Sowakula (; born 26 October 1994) is a professional rugby union player from Fiji who represents Clermont in the Top 14. His primary position is blindside flanker. He played two test matches for the All Blacks in 2022 and h ...

(1201 - 2022)

Personnel and statistics

Seasonal record

List of centurions

List of top try-scorers

List of top point-scorers

References

External links

Official Site

Taranaki Referee Associations websiteTaranaki rugby
(NZHistory.net.nz) {{Rugby union in New Zealand Rugby union teams in New Zealand New Zealand rugby union governing bodies Sports organizations established in 1889 1889 establishments in New Zealand