2015 ITM Cup
# 2015 ITM Cup

The 2015 ITM Cup season was the tenth season of New Zealand's provincial rugby union competition since it turned professional in 2006. The regular season began on August 13, when Southland hosted Auckland. It involved the top fourteen rugby unions of New Zealand. For sponsorship reasons, the competition was known as the ITM Cup and it was the sixth season under the lead sponsor. The winner of the Championship, Hawke's Bay was promoted to the Premiership, the seventh placed Premiership team, Manawatu was relegated to the Championship.

## Format

The ITM Cup standings were sorted by a competition points system. Four points were awarded to the winning team, a draw equaled two points, whilst a loss amounted to zero points. Unions could also win their side a respectable bonus point. To receive a bonus point, they must have scored four tries or more or lose by seven or fewer points or less. Each team was placed on their total points received. If necessary of a tiebreaker, when two or more teams finish on equal points, the union who defeated the other in a head-to-head got placed higher. In case of a draw between them, the side with the biggest points deferential margin got rights to be ranked above. If they were tied on points difference, it was then decided by a highest scored try count or a coin toss. This seeding format was implemented since the beginning of the 2006 competition.

The competition included a promotion-relegation process with the winner of the Championship receiving automatic promotion to the Premiership, replacing the seventh-placed team in the Premiership which was relegated to the Championship for the following year. The regular season consisted of two types of matches. The internal division matches were when each team played the other six unions in their division once, home or away. The cross-division matches were when each team played four teams from the other division, thus missing out on three teams, each from the opposite division. Each union played home or away games against teams from the other division, making a total of ten competition games for each union. The finals format allowed the top four teams from each division move on to the semi-finals. The top two division winners, based on table points, received a home semi-final. In the first round of the finals, the semi-finals, the second division winner hosted the third division winner, and the first division winner hosted the fourth division winner. The final was hosted by the top remaining seed.

## Standings

Source: ITM Cup standings 2015

Premiership Division :

| # | Team | GP | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TB | LB | PTS |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Canterbury | 10 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 307 | 177 | +130 | 6 | 1 | 43 |
| 2 | Auckland | 10 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 339 | 232 | +107 | 5 | 2 | 37 |
| 3 | Tasman | 10 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 331 | 236 | +95 | 7 | 0 | 35 |
| 4 | Taranaki | 10 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 290 | 175 | +115 | 5 | 3 | 32 |
| 5 | Counties Manukau | 10 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 248 | 262 | –14 | 5 | 2 | 23 |
| 6 | RS – Waikato | 10 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 225 | 281 | –56 | 3 | 2 | 21 |
| 7 | Manawatu | 10 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 248 | 367 | –119 | 5 | 2 | 19 |

Championship Division :

| # | Team | GP | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TB | LB | PTS |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Hawke's Bay | 10 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 302 | 219 | +83 | 6 | 1 | 37 |
| 2 | Wellington | 10 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 304 | 178 | +126 | 6 | 2 | 34 |
| 3 | Otago | 10 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 360 | 314 | +46 | 7 | 1 | 32 |
| 4 | Bay of Plenty | 10 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 212 | 258 | –46 | 2 | 1 | 19 |
| 5 | North Harbour | 10 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 212 | 294 | –82 | 3 | 2 | 17 |
| 6 | Southland | 10 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 217 | 325 | –108 | 1 | 3 | 14 |
| 7 | Northland | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 143 | 420 | –277 | 1 | 0 | 1 |

### Standings progression

| Premiership |
| - |
| Team | W1 | W2 | W3 | W4 | W5 | W6 | W7 | W8 | W9 |
| Auckland | 2 (4th) | 7 (3rd) | 8 (4th) | 13 (4th) | 23 (3rd) | 27 (3rd) | 28 (3rd) | 33 (2nd) | 37 (2nd) |
| Canterbury | 5 (2nd) | 9 (2nd) | 14 (2nd) | 19 (2nd) | 24 (2nd) | 28 (2nd) | 33 (1st) | 38 (1st) | 43 (1st) |
| Counties Manukau | 5 (3rd) | 6 (4th) | 6 (5th) | 8 (6th) | 8 (7th) | 13 (6th) | 18 (5th) | 23 (5th) | 23 (5th) |
| Manawatu | 2 (5th) | 3 (6th) | 3 (7th) | 3 (7th) | 9 (6th) | 9 (7th) | 14 (7th) | 14 (7th) | 19 (7th) |
| Taranaki | 1 (6th) | 2 (7th) | 4 (6th) | 13 (3rd) | 18 (4th) | 23 (4th) | 27 (4th) | 32 (3rd) | 32 (4th) |
| Tasman | 5 (1st) | 10 (1st) | 15 (1st) | 20 (1st) | 25 (1st) | 30 (1st) | 30 (2nd) | 30 (4th) | 35 (3rd) |
| Waikato | 0 (7th) | 4 (5th) | 9 (3rd) | 10 (5th) | 14 (5th) | 14 (5th) | 16 (6th) | 16 (6th) | 21 (6th) |
| Championship |
| Team | W1 | W2 | W3 | W4 | W5 | W6 | W7 | W8 | W9 |
| Bay of Plenty | 4 (2nd) | 4 (4th) | 8 (3rd) | 13 (3rd) | 13 (3rd) | 14 (3rd) | 19 (3rd) | 19 (4th) | 19 (4th) |
| Hawke's Bay | 5 (1st) | 10 (1st) | 15 (1st) | 20 (1st) | 20 (1st) | 24 (1st) | 28 (1st) | 35 (1st) | 37 (1st) |
| North Harbour | 0 (5th) | 0 (7th) | 4 (6th) | 5 (6th) | 9 (4th) | 10 (6th) | 10 (6th) | 12 (6th) | 17 (5th) |
| Northland | 0 (7th) | 0 (6th) | 0 (7th) | 0 (7th) | 0 (7th) | 0 (7th) | 0 (7th) | 0 (7th) | 1 (7th) |
| Otago | 0 (6th) | 0 (5th) | 5 (5th) | 5 (5th) | 7 (6th) | 12 (5th) | 17 (4th) | 22 (3rd) | 32 (3rd) |
| Southland | 2 (4th) | 6 (3rd) | 7 (4th) | 7 (4th) | 8 (5th) | 13 (4th) | 13 (5th) | 14 (5th) | 14 (6th) |
| Wellington | 4 (3rd) | 9 (2nd) | 14 (2nd) | 19 (2nd) | 19 (2nd) | 21 (2nd) | 25 (2nd) | 32 (2nd) | 34 (2nd) |
| The table above shows a team's progression throughout the season. For each week, their cumulative points total is shown with the overall division log position in brackets. |
| Key: | win | draw | loss | bye | | | | | |

## Regular season

The 2015 ITM Cup was played across nine weeks with every team playing one Wednesday night fixture in a double-up round where they played twice that week. The competition started on Thursday, August 13, with Southland taking on Auckland at Rugby Park Stadium. The last matchup of the beginning week saw Hawke's Bay host Northland for the competitions first Ranfurly Shield defense.

## Play-offs

| Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Final | Final | Final |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Hawke's Bay | 33 | | | |
| 4 | Bay of Plenty | 26 | | | |
| 4 | Bay of Plenty | 26 | 1 | Hawke's Bay | 26 |
| | | | 2 | Wellington | 25 |
| 2 | Wellington | 34 | 2 | Wellington | 25 |
| 3 | Otago | 14 | | | |
| Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Final | Final | Final |
| 1 | Canterbury | 46 | | | |
| 4 | Taranaki | 20 | | | |
| 4 | Taranaki | 20 | 1 | Canterbury | 25 |
| | | | 2 | Auckland | 23 |
| 2 | Auckland | 44 | 2 | Auckland | 23 |
| 3 | Tasman | 24 | | | |

### Semi-finals

* 16 October 2015 19:35 NZST

| Auckland | 44–24 | Tasman |
| - | - | - |
| Try: Ioane 8' c Lam 21' c Heem 47' c Nanai 54' c Moala 77' c Con: S. Hickey (4/4) 9', 22', 48', 55' J. Hickey (1/1) 78' Pen: S. Hickey (2/5) 15', 28' J. Hickey (1/1) 65' | Report | Try: Fonotia 57' c Renata 67' c Ainley 71' c Con: Banks (3/3) 58', 67', 72' Pen: Havili (1/3) 25' |

* Eden Park, Auckland Attendance: 5,000 Referee: Ben O'Keeffe (New Zealand)
* 17 October 2015 14:35 NZST

| Hawke's Bay | 33–26 | Bay of Plenty |
| - | - | - |
| Try: Buckman 1' c O'Connor 45' c West 57' c Con: West (3/3) 2', 46', 58' Pen: West (4/4) 16', 40', 68', 71' | Report | Try: Bardoul (3) 25' m, 32' m, 37' m Fraser 76' m Con: Evemy (0/3) Hollinshead (0/1) Pen: Evemy (1/1) 8' Hollinshead (1/1) 61' |

* McLean Park, Napier Referee: Brendon Pickerill (New Zealand)
* 17 October 2015 17:05 NZST

| Canterbury | 46–20 | Taranaki |
| - | - | - |
| Try: Thompson (2) 34' c, 52' c Suckling 44' c Funnell 59' c Con: Taylor (4/4) 35', 45', 53', 60' Pen: Taylor (6/6) 10', 13', 31', 38', 50', 70' Cards: McNicholl 63' to 73' | Report | Try: Ormond 32' m Baker 48' m Penalty try 63' c Con: Rei (1/3) 63' Pen: Rei (1/1) 17' |

* AMI Stadium, Christchurch Referee: Nick Briant (New Zealand)
* 17 October 2015 19:35 NZST

| Wellington | 34–14 | Otago |
| - | - | - |
| Try: Wilson 10' c Karawana 20' c Savea 54' c Bentley 78' c Con: Garden-Bachop (4/4) 11', 21', 55', 79' Pen: Garden-Bachop (2/2) 6', 62' | | Try: Lentjes 33' c Knight 73' c Con: Breen (1/1) 34' Smith (1/1) 74' |

* Westpac Stadium, Wellington Attendance: 3,178 Referee: Paul Williams (New Zealand)

### Finals

* 23 October 2015 19:35 NZST

| Hawke's Bay | 26–25 | Wellington |
| - | - | - |
| Try: Fruean 40' c Emerson 77' c Con: West (2/2) 40', 78' Pen: West (4/4) 11', 15', 34', 45' | Report | Try: Wilson 1' c Jane (2) 29' c, 68' m Con: Garden-Bachop (2/3) 2', 30' Pen: Garden-Bachop (2/3) 20', 27' |

* McLean Park, Napier Referee: Nick Briant (New Zealand)
* 24 October 2015 19:35 NZST

| Canterbury | 25–23 | Auckland |
| - | - | - |
| Try: Osborne 1' m Bird 8' c Crotty 17' c Con: Taylor (2/3) 9', 18' Pen: Taylor (2/3) 44', 67' | Report | Try: Pleasants-Tate 14' c Karpik 46' c Con: S. Hickey (2/2) 15', 47' Pen: S. Hickey (3/3) 22', 29', 41' |

* AMI Stadium, Christchurch Referee: Ben O'Keeffe (New Zealand)

| FB | 15 | Tom Taylor |
| - | - | - |
| RW | 14 | Johnny McNicholl |
| OC | 13 | Ryan Crotty |
| IC | 12 | Rob Thompson |
| LW | 11 | Patrick Osborne |
| FH | 10 | Richie Mo'unga |
| SH | 9 | Mitchell Drummond |
| N8 | 8 | Luke Whitelock (c) |
| OF | 7 | Matt Todd |
| BF | 6 | Reed Prinsep | 59' |
| RL | 5 | Dominic Bird |
| LL | 4 | Mitchell Dunshea | 70' |
| TP | 3 | Nepo Laulala | 69' |
| HK | 2 | Ben Funnell |
| LP | 1 | Daniel Lienert-Brown | 61' |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Ged Robinson |
| PR | 17 | Alex Hodgman | 61' |
| PR | 18 | Siate Tokolahi | 69' |
| LK | 19 | Ben Matwijow | 70' |
| FL | 20 | Tom Sanders | 59' |
| SH | 21 | Jack Stratton |
| FH | 22 | Cameron McIntyre |
| WG | 23 | Marshall Suckling |
| FB | 15 | Charles Piutau |
| RW | 14 | Bryce Heem |
| OC | 13 | Vince Aso | | 63' |
| IC | 12 | George Moala |
| LW | 11 | Ben Lam |
| FH | 10 | Simon Hickey (c) |
| SH | 9 | Kaito Shigeno | | 52' |
| N8 | 8 | Akira Ioane |
| OF | 7 | Mitchell Karpik |
| BF | 6 | Joe Edwards |
| RL | 5 | Scott Scrafton | 7' to 17' | 72' |
| LL | 4 | Michael Fatialofa |
| TP | 3 | Ofa Tu'ungafasi |
| HK | 2 | Greg Pleasants-Tate | | 61' |
| LP | 1 | Isileli Tu'ungafasi |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Kurt Eklund | | 61' |
| PR | 17 | Tom McHugh |
| PR | 18 | Jono Owen |
| LK | 19 | William Lloyd | | 72' |
| N8 | 20 | Matthew Matich |
| SH | 21 | Jono Hickey | | 52' |
| FH | 22 | Mitchell Hunt |
| FB | 23 | Lolagi Visinia | | 63' |
