The 2022 Heartland shadow rugby draw has Whanganui in a good light

The highest ranked 2021 teams Whanganui strikes in 2022 are home games at Cooks The highest ranked 2021 teams Whanganui strikes in 2022 are home games at Cooks Gardens. Photo / File

Steelform Whanganui face a most interesting Heartland rugby schedule next year including visits from three South Island unions and an away challenge for the new Bill Osborne Taonga.

Hanan Shield next door neighbours South and Mid Canterbury will play at Cooks Gardens, as will Buller, with the Butcher Boys also to host struggling King Country during the qualifying rounds in the Bunnings Warehouse-sponsored competition.

Whanganui's away trips will be to East Coast, Poverty Bay, Horowhenua-Kapiti and one South Island flight to West Coast.

There will be no qualifying fixtures against 2018 Meads Cup champions and this year's runners-up Thames Valley, 2019 Meads victors North Otago, who were runners-up here in this month's close Lochore final at Cooks Gardens, or 2006 Meads winners Wairarapa-Bush.

It will be the fourth time that Mid and South Canterbury have both played here in the same season, the previous occasions being in 2006, 2010 and 2018 with the visitors losing all six matches.

Cooks Gardens hosted five South Island teams during an unbeaten 2008 season – Buller, North Otago, West Coast and Mid Canterbury (twice).

There were three southern sides here in each of 2010, 2013, 2016 and 2018.

Poverty Bay, who won the inaugural Bill Osborne Taonga this month in the play-off for fifth, will defend the trophy in home fixtures against Whanganui, Thames Valley, East Coast and Wairarapa-Bush next season.

The order of the challengers will not be known until the 2022 playing dates are released by the NZRU.

Semifinals for the Meads and Lochore Cups are to be reintroduced next season with the Osborne Taonga to become a challenge trophy along the lines of the Ranfurly Shield.

The highest 2021 ranked teams Whanganui strike in 2022 are at home v South Canterbury (1) and Mid Canterbury (6) and away v Poverty Bay (5), Horowhenua-Kapiti (7), East Coast (8) and West Coast (9).

Visitors Buller (11) and King Country (12) finished in the bottom two Heartland positions this year.

The Butcher Boys do not encounter Thames Valley (2), North Otago (4) or Wairarapa-Bush (10).

Whanganui will have two games against King Country in 2022, an agreed early season away fixture to mark King Country's centenary celebrations and a Heartland match on Cooks Gardens.

It is likely a pre-season non first class away game could be arranged with Wairarapa-Bush to give that union a Bruce Steel Memorial Cup challenge.

Pahiatua would be an ideal venue because the two unions have not played there since 1986 and it would avoid Whanganui having to play on the controversial artificial Masterton field which results in painful sharp grass skin burns.

Next year Meads Cup finalists South Canterbury and Thames Valley, who did not meet during the qualifying rounds, clash in Timaru but the Swamp Foxes are not drawn to play Whanganui, Mid Canterbury or East Coast.

The following are the 2022 fixtures for the 12 Heartland unions with their current rankings in brackets and the order of games and playing dates still to be released –

South Canterbury (1) – Home: Thames Valley (2), North Otago (4), Poverty Bay (5), East Coast (8). Away: Whanganui (3), Mid Canterbury (6), Horowhenua-Kapiti (7), Wairarapa-Bush (10). Do not play: West Coast (9), Buller (11), King Country (12).

Thames Valley (2) – Home: NO, H-K, WC, W-B. Away: SC, PB, Bull, KC. DNP: Whang, MC, EC.

Whanganui (3) – Home: SC, MC, Bull, KC. Away: PB, H-K, EC, WC. DNP: TV, NO, W-B.

North Otago (4) – Home: MC, H-K, WC, Bull. Away: SC, TV, W-B, KC. DNP: Whang, PB, EC.

Poverty Bay (5) – TV, Whang, EC, W-B. Away: SC, WC, Bull, KC. DNP: NO, MC, H-K.

Mid Canterbury (6) – Home: SC, EC, WC, KC. Away: Whang, NO, H-K, Bull. DNP: TV, PB, W-B.

Horowhenua-Kapiti (7) – Home: SC, Whang, MC, KC. Away: TV, NO, EC, W-B. DNP: PB, WC, Bull.

East Coast (8) – Home: Whang, H-K, WC, W-B. Away: SC, MC, PB, KC. DNP: TV, NO, Bull.

West Coast (9) – Home: Whang, PB, W-B, Bull. Away: EC, TV, NO, MC. DNP: H-K, SC, KC.

Wairarapa-Bush (10) – Home: SC, NO, H-K, Bull. Away: TV, PB, EC, WC. DNP: Whang, MC. KC.

Buller (11) – Home: TV, PB, MC, KC. Away: Whang, NO, WC, W-B. DNP: SC, EC, H-K.

King Country (12) – Home: TV, NO, PB, EC. Away: Whang, MC, H-K, Bull. DNP: SC, WC, W-B.