# 2006 Heartland Championship

The 2006 Heartland Championship was the inaugural season of the Heartland Championship, an amateur rugby union competition in New Zealand, following the reorganisation of the Second and Third Divisions of the country's former rugby competition, the National Provincial Championship. The competition featured 12 teams, divided into two pools of six.
At the end of Round 1, the top three teams from each pool contested the Meads Cup, and the bottom three from each pool contested the Lochore Cup. Competition points from Round 1 carried over to Round 2, in which each team in each cup competition played a round-robin with the three teams it did not play in Round 1. At the end of Round 2, the top four teams in each cup competition entered a single-elimination playoff for the Meads and Lochore Cups. The cups were named after Colin Meads and Brian Lochore, both legendary players for the country's national team.
The inaugural Meads Cup champion was Wairarapa Bush, and Poverty Bay lifted the first Lochore Cup.

## Round 1
### Standings

The top three places in each pool, highlighted in blue, advanced to the Meads Cup. The remaining teams entered the Lochore Cup.

#### Pool A

* Qualified for Meads Cup
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | For | Against | +/− | BP | Pts |
| 1 | Wairarapa Bush | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 111 | 74 | +37 | 1 | 21 |
| 2 | North Otago | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 200 | 74 | +126 | 4 | 20 |
| 3 | Mid Canterbury | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 92 | 98 | −6 | 2 | 10 |
| 4 | Buller | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 93 | 125 | −32 | 1 | 9 |
| 5 | East Coast | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 64 | 125 | −61 | 2 | 6 |
| 6 | West Coast | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 81 | 145 | −64 | 2 | 6 |

#### Pool B

* Qualified for Meads Cup
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | For | Against | +/− | BP | Pts |
| 1 | Wanganui | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 186 | 79 | +107 | 3 | 21 |
| 2 | South Canterbury | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 77 | 76 | +1 | 2 | 14 |
| 3 | Horowhenua-Kapiti | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 98 | 133 | −35 | 2 | 12 |
| 4 | Poverty Bay | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 123 | 140 | −17 | 2 | 10 |
| 5 | Thames Valley | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 85 | 126 | −41 | 2 | 10 |
| 6 | King Country | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 77 | 92 | −15 | 2 | 6 |
* Pos = Table position
* Pld = Played
* W = Win (Worth 4 points)
* D = Draw (Worth 2 points)
* L = Loss (Worth 0 points)
* For = For (total points scored)
* Against = Against (total points scored against)
* +/− = Points difference (total points scored minus total points against)
* BP = Bonus points (teams can score additional bonus points by certain scenarios: one bonus point will be awarded to any team that scores four tries or more regardless of win/loss/draw, and another bonus point will be awarded to the losing side if the loss is by seven points or less. It is possible to receive two bonus points in a loss.)
* Pts = Progressive points tally

### Results
#### Week 1

| 19 August 2006 | East Coast | 7–25 | Mid Canterbury | Ruatoria |
| 19 August 2006 | Wairarapa Bush | 31–13 | Buller | Masterton |
| 19 August 2006 | North Otago | 67–3 | West Coast | Oamaru |
| 19 August 2006 | Wanganui | 65–18 | Thames Valley | Wanganui |
| 19 August 2006 | Horowhenua-Kapiti | 23–23 | King Country | Levin |
| 19 August 2006 | Poverty Bay | 22–30 | South Canterbury | Gisborne |

#### Week 2

| 26 August 2006 | Thames Valley | 19–21 | Poverty Bay | Paeroa |
| 26 August 2006 | Horowhenua-Kapiti | 20–12 | South Canterbury | Levin |
| 26 August 2006 | King Country | 23–23 | Wanganui | Te Kūiti |
| 26 August 2006 | Mid Canterbury | 16–28 | North Otago | Ashburton |
| 26 August 2006 | Buller | 28–18 | East Coast | Westport |
| 26 August 2006 | Wairarapa Bush | 31–18 | West Coast | Masterton |

#### Week 3

| 2 September 2006 | East Coast | 6–10 | Wairarapa Bush | Ruatoria |
| 2 September 2006 | West Coast | 24–9 | Mid Canterbury | Greymouth |
| 2 September 2006 | North Otago | 37–24 | Buller | Oamaru |
| 2 September 2006 | South Canterbury | 16–13 | Thames Valley | Timaru |
| 2 September 2006 | Wanganui | 46–3 | Horowhenua-Kapiti | Wanganui |
| 2 September 2006 | Poverty Bay | 19–18 | King Country | Gisborne |

#### Week 4

| 9 September 2006 | Horowhenua-Kapiti | 32–31 | Poverty Bay | Levin |
| 9 September 2006 | King Country | 3–13 | Thames Valley | Taupō |
| 9 September 2006 | Wanganui | 11–5 | South Canterbury | Wanganui |
| 9 September 2006 | Wairarapa Bush | 19–18 | North Otago | Masterton |
| 9 September 2006 | Buller | 19–23 | Mid Canterbury | Westport |
| 9 September 2006 | East Coast | 22–20 | West Coast | Ruatoria |

#### Week 5

| Pool | Date | Time | Home team | Score | Away team | Score |
| A | 16 September | 14:30 | Mid Canterbury (1 BP) | 19 | Wairarapa Bush | 20 |
| A | 16 September | 14:30 | North Otago (1 BP) | 50 | East Coast | 12 |
| A | 16 September | 14:35 | West Coast (1 BP) | 16 | Buller | 17 |
| B | 16 September | 14:30 | South Canterbury | 14 | King Country (1 BP) | 10 |
| B | 16 September | 14:30 | Thames Valley | 22 | Horowhenua-Kapiti (1 BP) | 21 |
| B | 16 September | 14:30 | Poverty Bay (1 BP) | 30 | Wanganui (1 BP) | 41 |

## Round 2
### Standings
#### Meads Cup Pool

| Pos | Name | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | +/− | BP | Pts |
| 1 | Wanganui | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 123 | 67 | +56 | 5 | 35 |
| 2 | Wairarapa Bush | 8 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 100 | 56 | +44 | 3 | 31 |
| 3 | North Otago | 8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 132 | 80 | +52 | 7 | 31 |
| 4 | Mid Canterbury | 8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 63 | 80 | −17 | 3 | 19 |
| 5 | South Canterbury | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 28 | 102 | −74 | 2 | 14 |
| 6 | Horowhenua-Kapiti | 8 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 65 | 126 | −61 | 3 | 13 |

#### Lochore Cup Pool

| Pos | Name | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | +/− | BP | Pts |
| 1 | Poverty Bay | 8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 120 | 54 | +66 | 4 | 24 |
| 2 | Thames Valley | 8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 107 | 51 | +56 | 5 | 21 |
| 3 | King Country | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 81 | 40 | +41 | 4 | 20 |
| 4 | Buller | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 46 | 57 | −11 | 2 | 14 |
| 5 | East Coast | 8 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 44 | 130 | −86 | 2 | 6 |
| 6 | West Coast | 8 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 55 | 121 | −66 | 2 | 6 |

### Results
#### Week 6

| Pool | Date | Time | Home team | Score | Away team | Score |
| MC | 23 September | 14:30 | Wanganui (1 BP) | 46 | Mid Canterbury | 8 |
| MC | 23 September | 14:30 | Wairarapa Bush | 31 | Horowhenua-Kapiti | 11 |
| MC | 23 September | 14:30 | North Otago (1 BP) | 36 | South Canterbury | 6 |
| LC | 23 September | 14:30 | Thames Valley (1 BP) | 51 | West Coast | 16 |
| LC | 23 September | 14:30 | Poverty Bay | 33 | East Coast | 15 |
| LC | 23 September | 14:30 | Buller (1 BP) | 6 | King Country | 11 |

#### Week 7

| Pool | Date | Time | Home team | Score | Away team | Score |
| MC | 30 September | 14:30 | Mid Canterbury (1 BP) | 36 | Horowhenua-Kapiti (1 BP) | 29 |
| MC | 30 September | 14:30 | North Otago (1 BP) | 37 | Wanganui (1 BP) | 49 |
| MC | 30 September | 14:30 | Wairarapa Bush (1 BP) | 47 | South Canterbury | 17 |
| LC | 30 September | 14:30 | East Coast | 17 | Thames Valley (1 BP) | 40 |
| LC | 30 September | 14:30 | Buller | 22 | Poverty Bay (1 BP) | 30 |
| MC | 30 September | 14:30 | West Coast | 22 | King Country (1 BP) | 32 |

#### Week 8

| Pool | Date | Time | Home team | Score | Away team | Score |
| MC | 7 October | 14:30 | Wanganui | 28 | Wairarapa Bush (1 BP) | 22 |
| MC | 7 October | 14:30 | Horowhenua-Kapiti | 25 | North Otago (1 BP) | 59 |
| MC | 7 October | 14:30 | South Canterbury | 5 | Mid Canterbury | 19 |
| LC | 7 October | 14:00 | Thames Valley (1 BP) | 16 | Buller | 18 |
| LC | 7 October | 14:30 | Poverty Bay (1 BP) | 57 | West Coast | 17 |
| LC | 7 October | 14:30 | King Country (1 BP) | 38 | East Coast | 12 |

## Semifinals
### Results
#### Meads Cup

| Date | Time | Home team | Score | Away team | Score |
| 14 October | 16:35 | Wanganui | 30 | Mid Canterbury | 17 |
| 14 October | 14:30 | Wairarapa Bush | 25 | North Otago | 19 |

#### Lochore Cup

| Date | Time | Home team | Score | Away team | Score |
| 14 October | 14:30 | Poverty Bay | 36 | Buller | 10 |
| 14 October | 14:00 | Thames Valley | 15 | King Country | 17 |

## Finals
### Results
#### Meads Cup

| Date | Time | Home team | Score | Away team | Score |
| 21 October | 16:30 | Wanganui | 14 | Wairarapa Bush | 16 |

#### Lochore Cup

| Date | Time | Home team | Score | Away team | Score |
| 21 October | 14:15 | Poverty Bay | 46 | King Country | 34 |