# Taranaki Rugby Football Union

The Taranaki Rugby Football Union (also referred to as Taranaki Rugby) is the governing body for rugby union in Taranaki, New Zealand and was established in 1889. Taranaki is a region of New Zealand that covers areas in the districts of New Plymouth, Stratford and South Taranaki. Taranaki Rugby's two most senior representative teams are the men's NPC side, Taranaki Bulls, and the women's Farah Palmer Cup side, Taranaki Whio. The union is affiliated with the Chiefs Super Rugby franchise. Their playing colours are amber and black and they play their home games at Yarrow Stadium in New Plymouth.

## 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 on four occasions. It had also won seven-second division titles in the National Provincial Championship, more than any other team. Further notable moments were in 1959, when a record 35,000 spectators attended Rugby Park in New Plymouth to see the province play the British Lions. Two years later 36,000 people were on hand to watch France defeat the side 11-9.
Their first Ranfurly Shield victory came in 1913 when Auckland was defeated 14-11. Six successful defences followed before a 12-6 loss to Wellington 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 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 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 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 lost narrowly in a tight contest before Taranaki was beaten by 20 points against Waikato.

### Professional era

In August 2011 Taranaki defeated Southland 15-12 in Invercargill 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.

## 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 and All Blacks in 1977. Paul Williams followed with his test debut coming in 2017.
Cam Stone and Will Johnston 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.
Other Taranaki referees have been involved in the national scene in the past, these are; Dee Luckin, Darryl Heibner, Chris Pollock, 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 National Provincial Championship, Super Rugby 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
* 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 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 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
| | Club | Founded | Total Premierships (McMaster's Shield) | Premiership Winning Seasons | All Blacks | Mergers |
| Current Clubs | Bell Block Rugby Sports and Community Club | | | | | |
| Current Clubs | Clifton Rugby & Sports Club | 1880 | | | | |
| Current Clubs | Coastal Rugby & Sports Club | | | 2009 | Mark Robinson 2000-02, Beauden Barrett, Scott Barrett, Jordie Barrett | Merger of the Okato RFC, the Rahotu RFC and the Opunake RFC. |
| Current Clubs | Inglewood United RFC | 1898 | | 1940, 1960, 1970, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 2006, 2014, 2021 | | Rugby in Inglewood began in 1893, when Inglewood’s first rugby club, the Athletic Club, was formed. Shortly after in 1896, the Pirates Club was formed. These two clubs united to form one club in 1898 |
| Current Clubs | Kaponga RFC | 1907 | | | Ian Eliason 1972-73, Kieran Crowley 1984-91 | |
| Current Clubs | New Plymouth HSOB RFC | 1919 | 17 | 1995 | H.W. Brown 1924-26, R.A. Roper 1949-50, G. Beatt, 1950, N.J. Bowden, 1952, R.H. Brown, 1955–62, R.J. Boon, 1960, J.T. McEldowney, 1976–77, M. Watt, 1979–80, G. Slater, 1999, T. Tahuriorangi 2018, T. Vaa’i 2020 | |
| Current Clubs | Okaiawa RFC | | | | | |
| Current Clubs | Patea Rugby and Sports Club: | | | | | |
| Current Clubs | Southern Rugby Club | | | 2013 | Jarrad Hoeata 2011 | Merger of the Hawera RFC, the Hawera Athletic RFC and the Waimate RFC (Manaia). |
| Current Clubs | Spotswood United Rugby & Sports Club | 1991 | | 2019 | | Merger of the Star RFC and the Spotswood Old Boys RFC. |
| Current Clubs | Stratford-Eltham Rugby & Sports Club | 2016 | | | | Merger of Stratford RFC and Eltham RFC. |
| Current Clubs | Toko RFC | | | | | |
| Current Clubs | Tukapa Rugby & Sports Club | 1892 | 17 | 2017, 2020, 2022 | | |
| Former (defunct or merged) clubs | Eltham RFC | | | | Francis Glasgow 1903–05, Roger Urbahn 1959–60, Brian Muller 1967–71, Bryce Robins 1985. | |
| Former (defunct or merged) clubs | Hawera Athletic RFC | 1925 | | | | |
| Former (defunct or merged) clubs | Hawera RFC | 1886 | | | | |
| Former (defunct or merged) clubs | Okato RFC | | | | | |
| Former (defunct or merged) clubs | Opunake RFC | | | | | |
| Former (defunct or merged) clubs | Rahotu RFC | | | | | |
| Former (defunct or merged) clubs | Star RFC | 1889 | | 1947, 1948 | Lewis (Snip) Allen 1896-1901, A.L. Humphries 1897, H.L. Abbott 1905-06, T.N. Wolfe 1961-1968, R.J. Fraser 1979 | |
| Former (defunct or merged) clubs | Stratford RFC | | | | | |
| Former (defunct or merged) clubs | Spotswood College Old Boys RFC | 1964 | | | | |
| Former (defunct or merged) clubs | Waimate RFC (Manaia) | 1886 | | | | |

## Players
### Taranaki Bulls

Taranaki RFU has several teams under its control, one of note is the Taranaki Bulls who compete in New Zealand's national rugby union competition the Mitre 10 Cup. Their top professional team, the Bulls is coached by Willie Rickards and co-captained by lock Mitchell Brown and midfielder Teihorangi Walden. Their traditional colors are amber and black hoops with white shorts, with Canterbury of New Zealand being the main manufacturer. They are also sponsored by proud Taranaki firm Yarrows the Bakers.

### Taranaki Whio

Taranaki Whio is the women's representative side that was reintroduced in 2018 to compete in the Farah Palmer Cup. The 2020 squad for the Farah Palmer Cup is coached by former Taranaki men's representative Brendan Haami. The squad consists of 29 players, they are; Leah Barnard, Gayle Broughton, Sharee Brown, Tiana Davison, Freedom Edmonds, Chelsea Fowler, Tachelle Gardiner, Natale Haupapa, Iritana Hohaia, Kaya-Rose Kahui, Donia King, Alicia Manuirirangi, Kelsyn McCook, Victoria McCullough, Hannah McLean, Danielle Muggeridge, Paige Neilson, Jaymi Ngaia, Kate Parkinson, Chloe Sampson, Brooke Sim, Lyn Smith, Jalana Smith, Kate Thomson, Catriona Tulloch, Aliene Wallis, Sharniqua Weston-Jacobson, Nicole Whittle, Sarah Winter.

### Notable players

Taranaki has produced 83 men's New Zealand internationals to date. Below is a list of New Zealand national rugby union players 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 (65 - 1896)
* Arthur Humphries (73 - 1897)
* Bill Wells (75 - 1897)
* Hugh Mills (80 - 1897)
* Bernard O'Dowda (88 - 1901)
* Billy Glenn (111 - 1904)
* Frank Glasgow (117 - 1905)
* Jimmy Hunter (118 - 1905)
* Simon Mynott (120 - 1905)
* Jimmie O'Sullivan (122 - 1905)
* Harold Abbott (130 - 1905)
* Jack Colman (142 - 1907)
* Donald Cameron (150 - 1908)
* Jack Stohr (165 - 1910)
* Henry Dewar (175 - 1913)
* Mick Cain (187 - 1913)
* Charles Brown (192 - 1913)
* Reg Taylor (202 - 1913)
* George Loveridge (206 - 1913)
* Edward Roberts (207 - 1913)
* Alfred West (225 - 1920)
* Richard Fogarty (230 - 1921)
* Charles Kingstone (231 - 1921)
* Harold Masters (254 - 1922)
* Percy Hickey (264 - 1922)
* Handley Brown (290 - 1924)
* Gus Hart (293 - 1924)
* Davy Johnston (318 - 1925)
* Jack Walter (312 - 1925)
* Pat Ward (335 - 1928)
* Alfred Kivell (375 - 1929)
* Ray Clarke (390 - 1932)
* Arthur Collins (391 - 1932)
* Jack Sullivan (428 - 1936)
* Roy Roper (515 - 1949)
* George Beatty (517 - 1950)
* Maurice Cockerill (522 - 1951)
* Peter Burke (534 - 1951)
* Noel Bowden (544 - 1952)
* Ross Brown (572 - 1955)
* Roger Urbahn (598 - 1959)
* Kevin Briscoe (599 - 1959)
* John McCullough (603 - 1959)
* Terry O'Sullivan (612 - 1960)
* Roger Boon (616 - 1960)
* Neil Wolfe (620 - 1961)
* John Major (643 - 1963)
* Brian Muller (656 - 1967)
* Murray Wills (661 - 1967)
* Alan Smith (667 - 1967)
* Bill Currey (671 - 1968)
* Ian Eliason (706 - 1972)
* Alistair Scown (710 - 1972)
* Ash Gardiner (728 - 1974)
* Graham Mourie (757 - 1976)
* John McEldowney (768 - 1976)
* Dave Loveridge (791 - 1978)
* Murray Watts (793 - 1979)
* Kieran Crowley (848 - 1983)
* Bryce Robins (863 - 1985)
* Bull Allen (933 - 1993)
* Gordon Slater (968 - 1997)
* Andrew Hore (1019 - 2002)
* Chris Masoe (1059 - 2005)
* Jason Eaton (1063 - 2005)
* Scott Waldrom (1085 - 2008)
* Jarrad Hoeata (1109 - 2011)
* Beauden Barrett (1115 - 2012)
* Charlie Ngatai (1141 - 2015)
* Waisake Naholo (1142 - 2015)
* James Broadhurst (1144 - 2015)
* Seta Tamanivalu (1148 - 2016)
* Scott Barrett (1155 - 2016)
* Jordie Barrett (1159 - 2017)
* Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi (1174 - 2018)
* Angus Ta'avao (1175 - 2018)
* Tupou Vaa'i (1188 - 2020)
* Pita Gus Sowakula (1201 - 2022)

## Personnel and statistics
### Seasonal record

| Year | Pos. | Division | GP | W | L | D | PTS | Captain | Head coach |
| 2006 | 11th | N/A | 9 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 16 | Paul Tito | Kieran Crowley |
| 2007 | 8th | N/A | 11 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 23 | Tony Penn | Kieran Crowley |
| 2008 | 8th | N/A | 11 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 23 | Tony Penn | Adrian Kennedy |
| 2009 | 8th | N/A | 13 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 28 | Tony Penn | Adrian Kennedy |
| 2010 | 5th | N/A | 13 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 42 | Craig Clarke | Colin Cooper |
| 2011 | 3rd | Premiership | 10 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 31 | Craig Clarke | Colin Cooper |
| 2012 | 4th | Premiership | 11 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 33 | Craig Clarke | Colin Cooper |
| 2013 | 6th | Premiership | 10 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 14 | Kane Barrett | Colin Cooper |
| 2014 | 1st | Premiership | 12 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 38 | James Marshall | Colin Cooper |
| 2015 | 4th | Premiership | 11 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 32 | Charlie Ngatai | Colin Cooper |
| 2016 | 2nd | Premiership | 11 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 37 | Mitchell Crosswell | Colin Cooper |
| 2017 | 1st | Premiership | 11 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 42 | Charlie Ngatai | Colin Cooper |
| 2018 | 7th | Premiership | 10 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 13 | Mitchell Crosswell | Willie Rickards |
| 2019 | 5th | Championship | 10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 18 | Mitchell Brown | Willie Rickards |
| 2020 | 4th | Championship | 11 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 24 | Mitchell Brown | Willie Rickards |
| 2021 | 1st | Championship | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 39 | Mitchell Brown & Teihorangi Walden | Neil Barnes |
| The table above shows the Taranaki RFU men's team progression throughout the professional era. Source: New Zealand Rugby History ↑ Taranaki won the Ranfurly Shield in 2011. It was their fifth tenure and defended it seven times. ↑ Taranaki won the ITM Cup Premiership in 2014. It was their first time winning a first division title. ↑ Taranaki won the Ranfurly Shield in 2017. It was their sixth tenure and defended it five times. ↑ Taranaki won the Ranfurly Shield in 2020. It was their seventh tenure but failed to defend it. ↑ Taranaki won the Bunnings NPC Championship Division in 2021, however weren't promoted. |

### List of centurions

| Pos. | Name | Year | Primary position | Games played |
| 1 | Kieran Crowley | 1980–1994 | Fullback | 199 |
| 2 | Ian Eliason | 1964–1981 | Lock | 222 |
| 3 | Andrew Slater | 1989–2001 | Lock | 183 |
| 4 | Gordon Slater | 1991–2005 | Prop | 174 |
| 5 | Kevin Barrett | 1986–1999 | Lock | 167 |
| 6 | Bryce Robins | 1980–1992 | Wing | 147 |
| 7 | Dave Loveridge | 1975–1986 | Half-back | 123 |
| 7 | Murray Watts | 1978–1985 | Wing | 123 |
| 9 | Tony Penn | 1999–2009 | Prop | 117 |
| 10 | Shane McDonald | 1991–2000 | Hooker | 116 |
| 11 | Bull Allen | 1988–1996 | Prop | 110 |
| 12 | Warren Bunn | 1979–1989 | Prop | 109 |
| 13 | Dwight Murfitt | 1984–1993 | Wing | 106 |
| 14 | Graham Mourie | 1975–1982 | Flanker | 104 |
| 14 | Felix O'Carroll | 1975–1983 | Hooker | 104 |
| 14 | Lindsay Thomson | 1983–1991 | Lock | 104 |
| 17 | Ross Elmes | 1980–1989 | Prop | 103 |
| 17 | Kerry Eynon | 1991–2000 | Centre | 103 |
| 19 | Ian Eliason | 1975–1981 | Lock | 102 |
| 20 | Colin Cooper | 1979–1987 | Number 8 | 100 |
| 20 | Paul Tito | 1997–2006 | Lock | 100 |
| The table above shows the Taranaki RFU men's centurions from 1975. Source: New Zealand Rugby History Updated: 11 September 2020 |

### List of top try-scorers

| Pos. | Name | Year | Primary position | Tries scored |
| 1 | Kieran Crowley | 1980–1994 | Fullback | 64 |
| 2 | Bryce Robins | 1980–1992 | Wing | 59 |
| 3 | Murray Watts | 1978–1985 | Wing | 57 |
| 4 | Shayne Austin | 1998–2009 | Wing | 48 |
| 5 | Charlie McAlister | 1983–1987 | Wing | 36 |
| 6 | Dwight Murfitt | 1984–1993 | Wing | 33 |
| 7 | Tony Arnold | 1983–1987 | Wing | 32 |
| 8 | Bull Allen | 1988–1996 | Prop | 28 |
| 9 | Andre Taylor | 2010–2013 | Fullback | 27 |
| 10 | Seta Tamanivalu | 2012–2018 | Centre | 26 |
| The table above shows the Taranaki RFU men's top 10 try-scorers from 1975. Source: New Zealand Rugby History Updated: 11 September 2020 |

### List of top point-scorers

| Pos. | Name | Year | Primary position | Points scored |
| 1 | Kieran Crowley | 1980–1994 | Fullback | 1,723 |
| 2 | Daryl Lilley | 1993–2003 | Fullback | 777 |
| 3 | Jamie Cameron | 1992–1999 | First five-eighth | 614 |
| 4 | Stephen Davidson | 1975–1982 | Fullback | 588 |
| 5 | Marty McKenzie | 2014–2017 | First five-eighth | 392 |
| 6 | Mark Urwin | 1997–2003 | First five-eighth | 361 |
| 7 | Willie Ripia | 2008–2010 | First five-eighth | 317 |
| 8 | Jason Holland | 1997–1998 | First five-eighth | 259 |
| 9 | Bryce Robins | 1980–1992 | Wing | 258 |
| 10 | Kelvin Mahon | 1985–1993 | Fullback | 247 |
| The table above shows the Taranaki RFU men's top 10 point-scorers from 1975. Source: New Zealand Rugby History Updated: 11 September 2020 |