| Date | 21 September 2021–14 November 2021 |
|---|---|
| Countries |  New Zealand |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | South Canterbury (Meads Cup) Whanganui (Lochore Cup) |
| Runner-up | Thames Valley (Meads Cup) North Otago (Lochore Cup) |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 51 |
← 2019 2022 → | |
The 2021 Heartland Championship, was the 15th edition of the Heartland Championship, a rugby union competition involving the twelve amateur provincial unions in New Zealand. There was no Heartland Championship held in 2020 due to the COVID-19 restrictions.
The tournament included a round-robin regular season in which the twelve teams played eight games each. In past seasons the top eight teams from the regular season would then advance to the semifinals:
- The teams ranked first to fourth play for the Meads Cup
- The teams ranked fifth to eighth play for the Lochore Cup
- The bottom four teams are eliminated.
However, in the 2021 Heartland season there were no semifinals played and the top two teams played a final for the Meads Cup while the 3rd and 4th ranked teams played for the Lochore Cup.[1]
2021 was the first year that the Osborne Taonga, a new trophy named after 16-test All Black Bill Osborne, was played for. It was awarded to the winner of a play off between the 5th and 6th ranked teams from the regular season. In the following seasons it will then be challenged for by Heartland teams, following similar rules to the Ranfurly Shield.
- ^ "Finalists locked in for Bunnings Heartland Championship". Provincial Rugby. November 6, 2021.