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The ITM Cup is a New Zealand domestic rugby union competition, using area from late August via Oct (or the very first 7 days of November). It was founded in 2006 with fourteen teams, following the National Provincial Championship (NPC) was break up into two different competitions. The other twelve unions from the NPC now contend in the novice Heartland Championship. From its inception by way of the 2009 year, it was sponsored by Air New Zealand, the national airline and flag carrier of New Zealand, and known as the Air New Zealand Cup. New Zealand also has five teams in Super Rugby, an elite competitiveness which also involves sides from Australia and South Africa.

In March 2010 it was introduced that the Air New Zealand Cup would be renamed the ITM Cup with the addition of constructing provides cooperative ITM (Unbiased Timber Merchants) as the major sponsor. The adjust came due to the fact Air New Zealand chose to focus their rugby sponsorship on the country's national team, the All Blacks.

The 2006 reorganisation of New Zealand provincial rugby replaced the NPC's previous three-division setup with two unique competitions. This differs from the authentic two-division set up utilised in the NPC from its development in 1976 to 1984 in two key methods. Initial, the two recent competitions are nationwide, even though the unique NPC Division Two was break up on a North Island/South Island basis. 2nd, the NZRU ruled that there would to begin with be no marketing or relegation in between the Air New Zealand Cup and Heartland Championship--a feature that had always been existing in the former NPC. watch rugby online

Also, the number of teams was decreased to 26, as the Marlborough and Nelson Bays unions merged to sort the new Tasman union.

The 2006 growth of the Tremendous twelve and Tri Nations Series experienced a key effect on the Air New Zealand Cup. This expansion created the Tremendous fourteen, adding two additional fixtures to that opposition, and also additional two much more Tri-Nations matches for the All Blacks, at the very least in non-Planet Cup a long time. Due to the fact of these modifications, it was meant for gamers in the All Blacks variety pool to make only minimal appearances in the Air New Zealand Cup.

The 2009 Air New Zealand Cup observed a distinct structure than previous a long time, following a modest pre-season the Spherical-Robin ran for 13 months with every single crew dealing with each and every other once. The best 4 groups advanced to the semi-finals and the winners from every semi competed for the title in the Grand Ultimate.

To determine which 4 teams went by means of to the semi-finals the Rugby Union Reward Details Method was employed.

The Rugby Union Details System:

four points for a win 2 details for a draw 1 stage for scoring 4 attempts one stage for shedding by 7 points or less

So the most points a profitable crew can acquire is 5 and the most a dropping crew can obtain is 2 points. Semi-Finals are performed amongst four teams, the groups are seeded 1 to four and the two maximum seeded teams engage in at home against the two lowest seeded groups meaning 1 plays four and two plays 3. The optimum seed nevertheless remaining in the grand last performed at residence.