NZ Cup gets face-lift
17 Dec 2009
The NZRU have announced the new two-tier structure of the NZ Cup which will be in effect from 2011.
It was decided last week that the NZ Cup will accommodate all 14 unions in next season’s competition because of threats of legal action. So the NZ Cup will have the same structure next year, with round-robin matches, semi-finals and final.
Now the NZRU have revealed their plans for 2011, which will see the top seven teams after the 2010 season forming the Premiership and the bottom half forming the Championship.
Each team will face all the unions in their division, as well as four teams from the other division. The winner of the Championship will be promoted to the top tier, while the 7th-placed side in the Premiership will be relegated.
Because of the 2011 World Cup, the competition will be reduced to 8 weeks, which results in mid-week fixtures and no semi-finals.
From 2012, however, the competition will start after the Super 15 over a 12-week period, which sees no mid-week matches and semi-finals will return.
11 Comments
17 Dec 2009, 09:16 am
How is it so difficult to implement a promotion/relegation system in SA Rugby?
17 Dec 2009, 09:21 am
Cool system, but why play 4 matches out of your league? Stupid. Just make it ALL 2 tiers, CC, S14 everything. We want strength vs strength and relegation battles would give the Lions supporters something to watch!
17 Dec 2009, 09:22 am
@Ratel Brussow (MSIUR): Also a shorter season. The idea of watching 80 minutes of Sharks vs Pumas/Leopards etc. is not really appealing.
17 Dec 2009, 09:47 am
because money is such a huge factor the SARU is thinking only of their pockets which is why the relegation/promotion is a joke. Also when are the spears supposedly playing in the voda cup? or CC?
17 Dec 2009, 09:48 am
Who cares about NZ rugby at the moment???
It has been another GLORIOUS day for NZ soccer. Today at the World Club Championship in Abu Dhabi, Auckland City beat the African Champions TP Mazembe of DR Congo 3-2, thus securing fifth spot at the World Club championships and earning US$2 million for the club.
So semi-professional Auckland City, not even NZ’s best team (the best team Wellington Phoenix play in the Australian Football league) have now beaten the African Chamops and the Asian Champs at this tournament.
17 Dec 2009, 09:50 am
The Auckland City players aren’t even full-timers. Most of them work full time at other jobs and play their soccer after work and on weekends. Yet they put away the best professional team in Africa and the best in Asia. This is a huge achievement.
17 Dec 2009, 11:02 am
Is soccer that sport where they kick an oddly shaped round ball around, and only one dude is allowed to pick it up? It seems so barbaric.
17 Dec 2009, 11:19 am
@Delek:
#5 and 6.
Yeah, it is not a bad achievement by Auckland City.
SA’s soccer is not so good at the moment.
I think our last win was an easy 2-0 victory during the Confederations cup but that was only against New Zeeland so it does not count for much I guess.
Hopefully we will do better during the world cup.
Good luck for New Zeeland as well.
17 Dec 2009, 11:26 am
Hey Robzim, NZ have improved a lot since the Confed Cup and at the tournament were missing their best player and captain, Ryan Nelson. Look to the all Whites to give a few teams a scare.
And go Bafana Bafana!
17 Dec 2009, 17:33 pm
@Delek:
Cheers Delek,
It’s going to be interesting, as far as SA is concerned I am hoping that the home crowds and adrenalin will help to lift the team otherwise I have not much hope.
NZ certainly has many fine sportspeople outside rugby.
William Trubridge for example, absolutely amazing clip (s) on utube.
Does people in NZ take note of his achievements?
18 Dec 2009, 08:51 am
in other words… currie cup premier and 1st division but in NZ?
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