 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (June 2016) |
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| Sport | Rugby union |
|---|---|
| Jurisdiction | Southland region |
| Founded | 1887 |
| Affiliation | New Zealand Rugby |
| Headquarters | Invercargill |
| Chairman | Bernie McKone [1] |
| Director | John Prendergast [1] |
| Official website | |
| www | |
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Rugby Southland (formerly the Southland Rugby Football Union) is the provincial rugby union who govern the Southland region of New Zealand.[2] Their headquarters are at Rugby Park Stadium in Invercargill, which is also the home ground of the union's professional team, the Southland Stags who compete in the Mitre 10 Cup Championship Division and challenge for the Ranfurly Shield.[3]
Despite their proud history, no Southland team has ever won the top division of the New Zealand National Provincial Championship since organised competition began in 1976. However, they have won the NPC second division title five times and held the Ranfurly Shield seven times, most recently in 2011 where they defended the shield twice before losing it to Taranaki. Southland also plays for the Donald Stuart Memorial Shield against rivals Otago in what is the longest tenured provincial rivalry in New Zealand first-class rugby, with 229 matches.
- ^ a b Staff on RS website
- ^ "Hospitality". Rugby Southland. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
- ^ "Rugby Park Stadium, Invercargill - Eventfinda". Eventfinder.co.nz. Retrieved 18 June 2016.