Mitre 10 Cup ready to kick off national provincial rugby season
• Mitre 10 Cup officially launched
• Fans urged to show their true colors
The 2017 Mitre 10 Cup was launched in Auckland today with captains’ and senior players from the 14 Provincial Unions on hand to show their provincial colors.
The competition is rich in history, with rivalry taking center stage in 2017 as teams are set to wear their colors with pride and defend their provinces against their oldest rivals.
New Zealand Rugby Head of Provincial Union Rugby Steve Lancaster said the competition is always a highlight on the rugby calendar as fans get set for an exciting ten weeks of play.
“This is a special competition that sees seasoned veterans alongside young talent, putting absolutely everything on the line for their jersey, their supporters, and their province.
“This year’s Mitre 10 Cup will call on fans to get behind their team and to show their true colors, igniting the passion that makes this competition such as special part of our community,” said Lancaster.
“The New Zealand Provincial Barbarians opened the British & Irish Lions tour with a simply outstanding match in Whangarei, showcasing the exciting style of provincial rugby and we can expect more of that in the Mitre 10 Cup.”
The competition will get underway with replays of the 2016 Premiership finals, North Harbour to host Otago and Canterbury heading up to Nelson to face Tasman.
Other first round highlights include traditional matches between Taranaki and Waikato and the Battle of the Bombays between Counties Manukau and Auckland.
The reigning champions, Canterbury, also hold the other revered piece of silverware – the Ranfurly Shield. They are set for tough challenges against Otago, Southland, Counties Manukau, Waikato and Taranaki throughout the season.
All 14 squads were revealed for the first time today.
All Mitre 10 Cup squads – available here
Game priorities for Mitre 10 Cup 2017
The game priorities have been developed by Mitre 10 Cup coaches along with referees with an aim to have a game with physicality, movement, flair and a low error rate by all participants.
Success in these areas will see a physical contest with low error rate, speed, movement, and continuity.
Competition finals
The Mitre 10 Championship Final – to decide the promotion and relegation teams – will be played on Friday 27 October with the Mitre 10 Premiership Final taking place on Saturday 28 October.
Competition draw
For a full copy of the Mitre 10 Cup 2017 draw click here.
Match statistics
View team and player rankings, compare players and check out referee statistics throughout the competition at mitre10cup.co.nz/stats
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