 | This article may need to be rewritten to comply with Wikipedia's quality standards. (February 2020) |
| Sport | Rugby Union |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1985 |
| Owner(s) | North Harbour Rugby Union |
| No. of teams | 9 |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Most recent champion(s) | North Shore (2024, 9th title) |
| Most titles | Takapuna (13 titles) |
| Sponsor(s) | Kennards Hire |
| Related competitions | Auckland Rugby Union Gallaher Shield |
| Official website | Harbour Rugby |
The North Harbour Rugby Union club rugby title has been contested since the formation of the North Harbour Rugby Union in New Zealand in 1985. The current trophy awarded to the winner is the ASB Bank Cup. The Premier Grade championship cup has also been named the New Zealand Couriers Cup [1] The current champions are North Shore RFC. The Reserve Grade Championship Cup is named the "Stuart Cup" after North Shore Rugby Club stalwart Jim Stuart who donated the Cup to the North Harbour Rugby Union in 1985. From 1985 to 1996 Harbour club finals were contested at Onewa Domain. Since 1997 all Club finals have been held at North Harbour Stadium. Club finals are usually held in July.
East Coast Bays won the inaugural title in 1985.[2] The most successful team in the competitions history is Takapuna, the current champions, who have won the title 13 times including 7 straight titles from 1994 to 2000 and 4 titles from 2006 to 2009. North Shore have won the title 9 times, with Massey winning 6 titles, and with Northcote winning 5. Takapuna RFC and North Shore RFC are the 2 only Harbour clubs that have won an Auckland RFU Premiership, Shore in 1899 and Takapuna in 1940 and 1980. Takapuna is the only club of the 2 that has been awarded the Gallaher Shield.
As of 2022, Glenfield RFC, North Harbour Marist RFC, Mahurangi RFC and Kumeu RFC are yet to win a Premiership. In 2012 a combined Kumeu and Helensville team called the Western Pioneers won a premiership when they defeated Silverdale at North Harbour Stadium. Both clubs went their separate ways in 2015.
As of 2022, some teams that previously played in the premier one grade - such as Royal Navy RFC, Glenfield RFC, and Marist North Harbour RFC - no longer have teams in the grade. Most clubs, with the exclusion of the latter, field teams in the premier 2 competition instead.
Only three clubs across the grades have won over ten Championships. Takapuna Premiers with 13 Premierships, North Shore Senior Reserves with 13 Reserve Grade championships and Takapuna Under 21s with 10 Under 21 Championships.
Jointly, between most North Harbour clubs, there is a premier women's team - entered in the wider Auckland women's grade - the Albany Barbarians.
- ^ "ASB Cup in Massey hands once again". Stuff. 28 July 2015.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 December 2018. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)