Young talent on show in Jock Hobbs Memorial National Under 19 Tournament

Sep 15 • General News, International • 1623 Views • Comments Off on Young talent on show in Jock Hobbs Memorial National Under 19 Tournament

The best of New Zealand’s young provincial talent is in action in Taupo this week as the annual Jock Hobbs Memorial National Under 19 tournament – this year supported by Mitre 10 – gets under way today.

Sixteen teams from around New Zealand will compete for the Michael Jones Trophy (Championship) and the Graham Mourie Cup (Premiership) – both to be presented on Finals day next week.

More than 400 players will be in action as the 14-21 September tournament returns to Taupo for the third year since its inception including a team selected from Heartland Championship provinces.

In the Premiership, Canterbury will be looking to make it back-to-back titles after beating Waikato 41-35 in the Final last year. The Championship saw Counties Manukau take out a last gasp 32-28 win over Tasman to claim the Michael Jones Trophy.

This year’s tournament will feature a member of the Women’s Referees Squad for the first time with Rebecca Mahoney on the roster. She takes charge of the Heartland v Tasman match today, kickoff at 3.20pm (to be televised).

DRAW AND RESULTS
To view the draw, including matches to be broadcast on SKY Sport 1, click here.

Keep up with match results and other news on the tournament’s social page here.

TOURNAMENT PROGRAMME
To view the official tournament programme – will full squad lists and tournament structure explained, click here.

THE TEAMS
Graham Mourie Cup (Premiership): Auckland A, Auckland B, Waikato, Taranaki, Wellington, Manwatu, Canterbury, Otago

Michael Jones Trophy (Championship): North Harbour, Northland, Counties Manukau, Bay of Plenty, Hawke’s Bay, Heartland, Tasman, Southland

STRUCTURE
The tournament is played across three match days (Thursday 15, Sunday 18 and Wednesday 21 September) with eight matches on each match day. With eight teams in either division, the winner of the first round matches move into the semi-finals of the Graham Mourie Cup and Michael Jones Trophy respectively. The losing sides move into play-offs for 5-8th place in either division. The format makes the first round of the tournament crucial with a semi-final spot awaiting the winner of each clash on day one.