Taranaki to challenge Bay of Plenty for Chiefs Country Cup
In the opening weekend of the Mitre 10 Cup, the Taranaki Bulls will challenge current Chiefs Country Cup holders the Bay of Plenty Steamers at 2.05pm on Sunday 13 September at TET Stadium and Events Centre in Inglewood.
The Bay of Plenty Steamers successfully claimed the Chiefs Country Cup in August last year after beating their neighbouring rivals Waikato 40-14 at Rotorua International Stadium. Taranaki later challenged for the Cup in September but were unsuccessful, with Bay of Plenty winning 31-17.
The four Chiefs Rugby Club provincial unions (Bay of Plenty, Counties Manukau, Taranaki and Waikato) will continue their rivalry and seek to claim the Chiefs Country Cup in both the Mitre 10 Cup and Farah Palmer Cup competitions.
The Farah Palmer Cup fixture between Waikato and Bay of Plenty Volcanix on Saturday 19 September will be the first challenge for the 2020 provincial season. The fierce rivalry will continue when Waikato challenge holders the Bay of Plenty Volcanix, who’ll be hoping to defend the Cup after winning it for the first-time last year, with a 26-21 win over Waikato at FMG Stadium Waikato.
Chiefs Rugby Club CEO Michael Collins is excited to see the rivalry between the provincial unions within the Chiefs region.
“The rivalry between our Chiefs Provincial Unions is exceptionally healthy across both the Mitre 10 Cup and Farah Palmer Cup competitions. We are excited to see what this year’s competition brings and we will be looking forward to some fierce battles.”
“We know the Taranaki Bulls will provide the Bay of Plenty Steamers with a fantastic challenge on Saturday. We are looking forward to seeing a number of Gallagher Chiefs in action and I am sure there will be plenty of exciting rugby to watch,” said Collins.
Mitre 10 Cup - Chiefs Country Cup Challenge:
Sunday 13 September
Taranaki vs. Bay of Plenty Steamers at TET Stadium & Events Centre
Kick-off: 2.05pm
Farah Palmer Cup - Chiefs Country Cup Challenge:
Saturday 21 September
Bay of Plenty Volcanix vs. Waikato at Rotorua International Stadium
Kick-off: 4.35pm
Chiefs Country Cup History:
Chiefs Country Cup holders for both Mitre 10 Cup and Farah Palmer Cup defend the cup in both
home and away fixtures.
Mitre 10 Cup
Bay of Plenty were the first holders in August 2018
August 18 2018 – Bay of Plenty vs Taranaki 30-10
Winners/Holders: Bay of Plenty
August 23 2018 – Counties Manukau vs Bay of Plenty 17 – 22
Winners/Holders: Bay of Plenty
September 21 2018 – Bay of Plenty vs Waikato 21 – 54
Winners/Holders: Waikato
August 18 2019 – Bay of Plenty vs Waikato 40 – 14
Winners/Holders: Bay of Plenty
September 9 2019 – Taranaki vs Bay of Plenty 17 – 31
Winners/Holders: Bay of Plenty
Current Holders: Bay of Plenty
Farah Palmer Cup
Waikato were the first holders in September 2018
September 1 2018 – Waikato vs Counties Manukau 33 – 27
Winners/Holders: Waikato
September 8 2018 – Bay of Plenty vs Waikato 7 – 44
Winners/Holders: Waikato
September 22 2019 – Waikato vs. Bay of Plenty 21 – 26
Winners/Holders: Bay of Plenty
Current Holders: Bay of Plenty
Detail on the Chiefs Country Cups:
The cups were designed by Dave Burke to represent the Chiefs Rugby Club provincial unions playing in the Mitre 10 and Farah Palmer Cups through the four respective Kaitiaki’s on the design. The design is the shape of a heart, to symbolise the unions as the heartbeat of the Investec Super Rugby team.
The cup’s design also features a maunga which represents all the mountains in the Chiefs region, as well as the waterway and sacred waters that connect the four regions.
