2026 Heartland Championship
| Date | 15 August 2026–18 October 2026 |
|---|---|
| Countries |  New Zealand |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 12 |
← 2025 2027 → | |
The 2026 Heartland Championship, is the 20th edition of the Heartland Championship, a rugby union competition involving the twelve amateur provincial unions in New Zealand.[1]
The tournament begins with a round-robin stage in which the twelve teams played eight games each, from which the top four advance to the Meads Cup, while fifth to eighth best teams advance to the Lochore Cup. The four teams in each respective Cup play "knock out" semi-finals to determine the finalists. The top seeds in each (the first and fifth best teams in the regular season) play at home against the lowest seeds (fourth and eighth) while the second highest seeds (second and sixth best) play at home against the third highest seeds (third and seventh). The final of each cup features the higher seed playing at home against the lower seed.[2]
Teams
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The 2026 Heartland Championship comprises the following teams:
Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | TB | LB | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thames Valley | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 89 | 26 | +63 | 13 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 5 | Qualification for the Meads Cup |
| 2 | Whanganui | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 62 | 21 | +41 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 5 | |
| 3 | South Canterbury | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 44 | 20 | +24 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 5 | |
| 4 | North Otago | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 26 | +11 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 5 | |
| 5 | King Country | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 45 | 41 | +4 | 7 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 5 | Qualification for the Lochore Cup |
| 6 | Wairarapa Bush | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 17 | +3 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 5 | |
| 7 | Horowhenua-Kapiti | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 41 | 45 | −4 | 7 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 8 | Poverty Bay | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 20 | −3 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| 9 | Mid Canterbury | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 26 | 37 | −11 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 10 | East Coast | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 20 | 44 | −24 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 11 | Buller | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 26 | 89 | −63 | 4 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 12 | West Coast | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 21 | 62 | −41 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head to head; 3) Points difference; 4) Tries scored; 5) Points scored; 6) Coin toss[3]
Regular season
Round 1
| 15 August 2026 | Ngati Porou East Coast | 20–44 | South Canterbury | Whakarua Park, Ruatoria | ||
| 13:00 (NZST) | Report |
| 15 August 2026 | Horowhenua Kapiti | 41–45 | King Country – T | Levin Domain, Levin | ||
| 13:00 (NZST) | Report |
| 15 August 2026 | Poverty Bay | 17–20 | Wairarapa Bush | Rugby Park, Gisborne | ||
| 13:00 (NZST) | Report |
| 15 August 2026 | West Coast | 21–62 | Whanganui | John Sturgeon Park, Greymouth | ||
| 13:00 (NZST) | Report |
| 15 August 2026 | Thames Valley | 89–26 | Buller | Rhodes Park, Thames | ||
| 13:00 (NZST) | Report |
| 15 August 2026 | North Otago | 37–26 | Mid Canterbury | Whitestone Contracting Stadium, Oamaru | ||
| 14:30 (NZST) | Report |
Round 2
| 22 August 2026 | Buller | 22–21 | North Otago | Victoria Square, Westport | ||
| 13:00 (NZST) |
| 22 August 2026 | T – King Country | 48–29 | Thames Valley | Taumaranui Domain, Taumaranui | ||
| 13:00 (NZST) |
| 22 August 2026 | Mid Canterbury | 29–19 | Wairarapa Bush | Ashburton Showgrounds, Ashburton | ||
| 13:00 (NZST) |
| 22 August 2026 | Poverty Bay | 12–29 | Horowhenua Kapiti | Rugby Park, Gisborne | ||
| 13:00 (NZST) |
| 22 August 2026 | South Canterbury | 85–10 | West Coast | Fraser Park, Timaru | ||
| 13:00 (NZST) |
| 22 August 2026 | Whanganui | 59–10 | Ngati Porou East Coast | Cooks Gardens, Whanganui | ||
| 13:00 (NZST) |
Round 3
| 29 August 2026 | North Otago | v | King Country | Whitestone Contracting Stadium, Oamaru | ||
| 29 August 2026 | South Canterbury | v | Buller | Fraser Park, Timaru | ||
| 29 August 2026 | Wairarapa Bush | v | Horowhenua-Kapiti | Trust House Memorial Park, Masterton | ||
| 29 August 2026 | West Coast | v | Thames Valley | John Sturgeon Park, Greymouth | ||
| 29 August 2026 | Whanganui | v | Poverty Bay | Cooks Gardens, Whanganui | ||
| 29 August 2026 | Ngati Porou East Coast | v | Mid Canterbury | Whakarua Park, Ruatoria | ||
Finals
In the Meads Cup the top placegetter plays at their home ground against the fourth team while the second placed team plays at home against the third. In the Lochore Cup the fifth placegetter plays at their home ground against the eighth team while the sixth placed team plays at home against the seventh. The winning semi-finalists then meet in the respective finals for each Cup, played at the home-ground of the team ranked highest in the regular season.
Bill Osborne Taonga
Since 2022 Heartland teams have played for challenge trophy, named after 16-test All Black Bill Osborne and based on similar rules to the Ranfurly Shield played for by National Provincial Championship teams. Horowhenua-Kapiti started the 2026 season as the holder of the Bill Osborne Taonga having secured it by beating King Country 46-36 in September 2025 and subsequently defending it against West Coast and Wairarapa Bush[4]
King Country won the Taonga off Horowhenua-Kapiti in the 1st Round with a 45-41 win at Levin.
Ian Kirkpatrick Medal
Since 2022, at the end of each season a Heartland Championship Player of the Year is chosen and awarded this medal named after former All Blacks captain Ian Kirkpatrick.
The previous season's Ian Kirkpatrick Medal winner was Keanu Taumata the Poverty Bay flanker and co-captain.[5] The other finalists were Declan McCormack (Mid Canterbury) and Sam Walton-Sexton (Wairarapa Bush).[6]
See also
- Hanan Shield competed for by Mid Canterbury, North Otago and South Canterbury
- Rundle Cup played between Buller and West Coast
- New Zealand Heartland XV
- Ranfurly Shield 2020–2029
- 2026 Hilux NPC
References
- ↑ "Heartland Championship schedule released marking 20 years of this competition". NZ Rugby.
- ↑ "About Heartland – RUGBY HEARTLAND". rugbyheartland.co.nz. 6 April 2014.
- ↑ "Competition Regulations Handbook 2022" (PDF). New Zealand Rugby. Retrieved 2 August 2026.
- ↑ "Bill Osborne Taonga". Provincial Rugby.
- ↑ Wrigley, Wynsley. "'A huge honour': Man himself presents Taumata the Ian Kirkpatrick medal". NZ Herald.
- ↑ "Community and domestic rugby celebrated in first round of New Zealand Rugby Award finalists". NZ Rugby.