The Air New Zealand Cup: Province by province

As the competition gets underway, here's a quick summary of the "claim to fame" of each of the 14 provinces in the new competition.

Northland

Cynics might suggest the Taniwha are as slippery off the field as on it when, through the years, they've had such stars as Johnny Smith, Peter Jones and the Going brothers. Northland, though, are also noted for an ability to find loopholes in Ranfurly Shield regulations which allowed them in 1978 to dodge challenges from Otago and Southland. The NPC, though, was never quite as kind to Northland. They have never looked like winning the provincial title, have spent many seasons out of the first division and their last win in a competition game was back in 2002. They're a good tip to improve that record this year, though.

North Harbour

Think of the provincial championship and North Harbour and the most instant memory is the 1994 final against Auckland and what has become known as "The Battle of the Onewa Domain". The enduring image is that of the claret pouring from Mark Carter's facial wound (right). Sadly, it is the only major contribution of Harbour to NPC history. However, this "local derby" final should have destroyed forever any notion that Harbour are Auckland's small brother. No two unions have more dislike for each other. Under-achieving is a tag Harbour would like to discard. So, too, is the fact that so far they've become a nursery for other unions: Nick Evans, Rico Gear and Craig Newby.

Auckland

Once Auckland were a laughing stock of New Zealand rugby, such was their inconsistency. As recently as 1973 Wellington critics sneered they were the country's "most improved minor union". All jokes about Auckland rugby ceased during the 1980s and into the mid 1990s when defeats for many against the blue and whites of under 50 points were regarded as triumphs. Think of the Eden Park halftime marches from one try-scoring end to the other. Overshadowed by Canterbury in more recent times, Auckland still boast the best NPC record of any union. They're still the defending champs. And perhaps even more than the Cantabs they're the union the others still enjoy beating the most.

Counties Manukau

These days they're nicknamed the Steelers. But once they were called the Champions, after an erstwhile sponsor. That tag ceased for about that time in the late 1980s Counties began a slide to the NPC second division where a good part of the 1990s and more recent seasons were spent. Several Ranfurly Shield misses suggest Counties rate with North Harbour and Wellington as provincial rugby's chief under-achievers. Still, Counties did win the first division title in 1979. Do they have an identity crisis? Perhaps so when for this year's inaugurual provincial premiership their home ground will be Mt Smart, which is actually within the Auckland union. Then again, by moving to Auckland Counties may figure they are only following the many players poached from them over the years.

Bay of Plenty

Two events stand out in the history of the union which now calls itself, The Steamers. Thirty years ago, in the inaugural NPC first division, the Bay were the first champions, even if in those days it was only a round robin. Then two years ago, taking advantage of All Black absentees, they whipped the Ranfurly Shield away from Auckland. But the year after winning that first NPC title the Bay in 1977 were relegated to 1978's second division and ever since the union has followed a pattern of a few ups but a great many more downs. As with Hawkes Bay and North Harbour, they have seen many of their best products plundered by some of the bigger unions.

Waikato

Celebrated for winning the first true NPC final, in 1992 against Otago. But that occasion was marred by the eye-gouging incident involving Richard Loe and Greg Cooper. One of the earliest unions to be identified with a nickname, "Mooloo'', which became one of the buzz words of the 1950s, the decade in which Waikato achieved their most historic victory: against the Springboks in the very first game of the 1956 tour when the fabulous Don Clarke was an inspiration. Inexplicably, left out of the initial NPC first division in 1976 and it wasn't until 1981 that they achieved top status. There is nothing more pleasurable for Waikato than beating Auckland at any time, a sentiment summed up by lock Brent Anderson in their 1993 win. "Now'', he said, "I can die a happy man."

Hawkes Bay

Not that long ago there was a rather sick joke in New Zealand rugby: Question, what is the new name for Hawkes Bay? Answer, the Otago Development XV. Hawkes Bay products like Greg Cooper, John Timu, Josh Kronfeld, Stu Forster and Taine Randell studded Otago sides. It hasn't only been Otago stripping the Bay of talent. In Canterbury there's Greg Somerville. And Waikato have had Matthew Cooper and now again Roger Randle. The dancing master Norm Hewitt also had to move. The Bay have been out of the first division since 1993, a sad breakfor a union which had a great shield era in the 1920s and another in the 60s under the command of Kel Tremain.

Taranaki

Like the country's other great dairy province, Waikato, Taranaki have always been a union without "flash Harrys". But with players who were the epitome of toughness. Think Slater brothers. Gordon became the All Black but Andy was the legend. He's the guy who played an NPC match against Wellington on a Saturday night at the Cake Tin, jumped in a car and raced back through the night to the family farm for early milking. Like Waikato and Hawkes Bay, Taranaki have experienced shield glory, two eras almost back to back in the 1950s and 1960s. Once fleeced of their best players, latterly they've done some poaching of their own. Current star Jason Eaton hails from Manawatu.

Manawatu

Another union whose glory days, in the late 1970s and early 80s, seemed long past. It was 1988 when Manawatu were last in the top division. A brief de facto "marriage" with Hawkes Bay as the Central Vikings in the late 1990s only added to the miseries, and it seemed the halcyon days of the likes of Gary Knight, Sam Strahan, John Callesen, Mark "Cowboy" Shaw and company were well gone. Manawatu had even become resigned to the plundering of their ranks for the likes of Jason Eaton.
The Lions came to town last year, and the result was a three-figure hammering. Time will tell. But some pundits see similar scorelines looming for the green and whites.

Wellington

Through the decades you can be sure of one thing with Wellington: they will be among the rich entertainers of New Zealand rugby ... Ron Jarden, Grant Batty, Stu Wilson, Bernie Fraser, Tana Umaga. But you can also be sure that they will never win much and while there have been some NPC titles that's been generally true of their entire history. Wellington have been so talked up by their media, front page pictures of Bill Cavubati and the like throwing around legs of Canterbury lamb before abortive shield challenges for instance, they have become the butt of jokes. The joking, though, may be about to cease. Decrepit Athletic Park has long gone, replaced by the country's best stadium and soon Wellington may have a team to match.

Tasman

The only history the country's newest union can boast comes mainly from one of the contributors, Marlborough, with a 1968 win over France and the 1973 fairy-tale Ranfurly Shield challenge against Canterbury. But now two once-intense rivals, Nelson Bays and Marlborough, have come together to provide one of the few rugby sides named after a Dutchman. Chris Jack and Rico Gear are the big signings, but their main player may well have been something called Salary Cap.
Tasman undoubtedly owes much to the cap's introduction and the needs of Canterbury, aka Crusaders. Still, it will be diverting to see how successful the newcomer will be.

Canterbury

This province's critics, of whom there are many, will argue that Canterbury sides are boring and clinical, that the red and blacks are simply the best team that money can buy and their fans are objectionably one-eyed. Indeed, there is an oddity to Canterbury's on-going success which includes many Ranfurly Shield tenures, NPC titles, wins over international sides such as the Springboks, Wallabies and Lions and, as the Crusaders, a dominance of the Super 12/14. Much of Canterbury's motivation comes from putting North Island opposition, notably Auckland, to shame. Yet virtually half a Canterbury side, as has been the frequent case through the years, will originate from the North Island. But why, it might be asked, do many of these northerners have to come to Canterbury to produce their best rugby?

Otago

It's actually harder to find Otago-born players in Otago sides than Cantabrians in Canterbury sides. Not that Otago should be blamed too much for that. After all, for many years some university courses, such as medicine, were based only in Dunedin. Otago have always abounded in basic types. One famous coach was Vic Cavanagh (right) who, in 1947, when his side trailed Auckland, is said to have ended his halftime harangue with a stinging injunction: "Out you go, girls." The rebuke worked and Otago rallied for a famous win. Otago have not won the Ranfurly Shield since 1957 and tales of their many near misses have become legend. But they have been an NPC force, especially in the 1990s when in 1993-94 there were back-to-back wins over the Lions and the Springboks, and in 1998, a stunning NPC final win.

Southland

Another union thrown a lifeline by recent restructures of the provincial championship. For it was not all that long ago when Southland were in the doldrums, battling like Hawkes Bay, Bay of Plenty, Northland and others of similar size, to escape from the NPC second division. As recently as 1998 they were hammered 95-7 by Waikato in an NPC-shield match. The Southlanders have rebuilt some of their traditional strengths. They may even revive one of the most dastardly ploys of years past. Visiting teams were always taken in an outward display of southern hospitality the day before a game to Bluff to sample dozens of oysters. The repercussions were invariably the same. Visiting teams, green around the gills, paid the penalty with heavy defeats at Invercargill's Rugby Park.