Whanganui Chronicle
  • Whanganui Chronicle home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Taranaki
  • National Park
  • Whakapapa
  • Ohakune
  • Raetihi
  • Taihape
  • Marton
  • Feilding
  • Palmerston North

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • New Plymouth
  • Whanganui
  • Palmertson North
  • Levin

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Whanganui Chronicle

Rugby: A look at Wanganui's proud national championship record in a season without Heartland Championship

By John B Phillips
Whanganui Chronicle·
3 Apr, 2020 01:28 AM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Peter Rowe is hugged by Gavin Thornbury after Wanganui won the 2016 Meads Cup final against Buller, 20-18 at Cooks Gardens. Photos / File

Peter Rowe is hugged by Gavin Thornbury after Wanganui won the 2016 Meads Cup final against Buller, 20-18 at Cooks Gardens. Photos / File

This week's announcement to cancel the 2020 Heartland Championship, by the 12 unions who contest, it puts what is hopefully just a temporary pause on Wanganui's proud rugby legacy.

Historian JB Phillips takes a look those good times.

Cancellation of the 2020 Heartland competition brings to a halt to 44 continual years of national championship fixtures for Wanganui representative rugby teams.

If the current Covid-19 shut-down prevents any representative rugby, it will be only the third time Wanganui will not have a match in its 133 year history.

The only previous occasions were during the First World War years of 1916 and 1917.
Wanganui played single games, both at home, in its foundation year of 1888 (drawing 1-all with Great Britain) and 1989 (beat Taranaki 9-4).

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The 'Butcher Boys' have won ten titles, finished runners-up 11 times and third on five occasions since contesting the inaugural North Island Division 2 series in 1976.

Wanganui finished second to Taranaki on four occasions in the 12-union North Island Division 2, which ran for nine years, until the National Provincial Championship (NPC) 2nd and 3rd Division leagues started in 1985, combining North and South Island unions.

This operated 21 years, before Heartland rugby, embracing 12 unions, would commence in 2006.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

With seven titles (six Meads Cup and the 2014 second tier Lochore Cup) in the 14 years of Heartland, the 'blue and blacks' are the most consistent and dominating union in the competition.

In addition, Wanganui finished runners-up for the Meads Cup on five occasions.

Wanganui, with three NPC Division 3 championships, was matched by South Canterbury and Thames Valley as the most successful unions in that championship.

The Butcher Boys were runners-up twice in the competition and finished third on three occasions.

Discover more

The Monday Q&A: Danny Jonas of Sport Whanganui on swimming, travelling and lasagne

05 Apr 05:01 PM

Scraping concrete and banging side panels all season long

05 Apr 04:08 AM

The best placing in the higher NPC Division 2 series was coming third behind Waikato and North Harbour in 1986, after losing 29-9 in Hamilton and 16-13 at Takapuna in vital tour games.

Semifinals and finals were not introduced into NPC rugby until 1992.

Collectively, Wanganui has won the most titles in Heartland and Divisions 2-3 since the NPC competitions started in 1985 with 10 championships – six Meads, one Lochore and three Division 3.

Steelie Koro holds aloft the 2010 Meads Cup after Wanganui beat East Coast 30-10 at Cooks Gardens.
Steelie Koro holds aloft the 2010 Meads Cup after Wanganui beat East Coast 30-10 at Cooks Gardens.

North Otago, as the winners of three Meads Cups, three Lochore and the 2002 NPC Division 3 competition, are closest behind with seven titles.

Hawke's Bay won six NPC Division 2 competitions over a 20-year period between 1985 and 2005.

South Canterbury, Poverty Bay and Mid Canterbury have all won five titles, Thames Valley has four, while East Coast, Taranaki and Southland have three each.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The following is a summary of the national competitions that Wanganui has contested.

North Island Division 2 (1976-1984, 12 unions): Wanganui runners-up to Taranaki 1976 (32-12, New Plymouth); 1982 (31-12, New Plymouth); 1983 (24-9, Whanganui); 1984 (35-12, New Plymouth); Third 1978 and 1981. Title winners: Taranaki 4, Bay of Plenty, Hawke's Bay, North Auckland, Waikato and Wairarapa-Bush 1 each.

NPC 2nd Division (Wanganui played 12 times in the grade, 1985-2005, 24 unions at various stages). Third 1986. Title winners: Hawke's Bay 6, Southland and Taranaki 3, Nelson Bays 2, Bay of Plenty, Counties, King Country, North Auckland, North Harbour, Waikato and Central Vikings 1 each.

NPC 3rd Division (Wanganui played nine times in the grade, 1992-2003, 21 unions at various stages). Wanganui champions 1989 (South Canterbury 24-21, Timaru); 1996 (Marlborough 22-17, Blenheim); 2003 (King Country 28-16, Te Kuiti). Runnersup 1988 (Thames Valley, 31-12, round robin); 1993 (Horowhenua-Kapiti 15-9, Whanganui). Title winners: Wanganui, South Canterbury and Thames Valley 3 each, East Coast, Poverty Bay and Mid Canterbury 2 each, Horowhenua, Nelson Bays, Marlborough, North Otago and West Coast 1 each.

Heartland (2006-2019, 12 teams): Wanganui Meads Cup champions 2008 (Mid Canterbury 27-12, Whanganui); 2009 (Mid Canterbury 34-13, Christchurch) 2011 (East Coast 30-10, Whanganui); 2015 (South Canterbury 28-11, Timaru); 2016 (Buller 20-18, Whanganui); 2017 (Horowhenua-Kapiti 30-14, Levin). Runnersup 2006 (Wairarapa-Bush 16-14, Whanganui); 2007 (North Otago 25-8, Oamaru); 2010 (North Otago 39-18, Oamaru); 2012 (East Coast 29-27, Ruatoria); 2019 (North Otago 33-19, Oamaru). Lochore Cup champions 2014 (North Otago 16-12, Oamaru). Meads Cup winners: Wanganui 6, North Otago 3, Mid Canterbury 2, East Coast, Wairarapa-Bush, Thames Valley 1 each. Lochore Cup winners: North Otago and Poverty Bay 3 each, South Canterbury 2, Wanganui, Wairarapa-Bush, King Country, Mid Canterbury, Horowhenua-Kapiti, Buller 1 each.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Sport

Whanganui Chronicle

Endurance ace ready for 'Wimbledon' of trail running

Sponsored Stories

Rugby: Marist Knights seize senior title

Sponsored Stories

Rugby: One point in it as Taihape edge Kaierau


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Sport

Endurance ace ready for 'Wimbledon' of trail running
Whanganui Chronicle

Endurance ace ready for 'Wimbledon' of trail running

'I’m doing it again to compete in it, rather than just complete it.'

15 Jul 05:00 PM
Rugby: Marist Knights seize senior title
Sponsored Stories

Rugby: Marist Knights seize senior title

14 Jul 05:00 PM
Rugby: One point in it as Taihape edge Kaierau
Sponsored Stories

Rugby: One point in it as Taihape edge Kaierau

14 Jul 05:00 PM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Whanganui Chronicle e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Whanganui Chronicle
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP