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The ITM Cup is a New Zealand domestic rugby union competition, getting place from late August by way of October (or the 1st 7 days of November). It was started in 2006 with fourteen teams, right after the Countrywide Provincial Championship (NPC) was break up into two different competitions. The other 12 unions from the NPC now contend in the amateur Heartland Championship. From its inception by means of the 2009 period, it was sponsored by Air New Zealand, the countrywide airline and flag carrier of New Zealand, and named the Air New Zealand Cup. New Zealand also has 5 groups in Tremendous Rugby, an elite competitiveness which also entails sides from Australia and South Africa.

In March 2010 it was declared that the Air New Zealand Cup would be renamed the ITM Cup with the addition of constructing materials cooperative ITM (Independent Timber Merchants) as the significant sponsor. The change came due to the fact Air New Zealand chose to focus their rugby sponsorship on the country's nationwide group, the All Blacks.

The 2006 reorganisation of New Zealand provincial rugby replaced the NPC's previous 3-division set up with two unique competitions. This differs from the original two-division set up employed in the NPC from its creation in 1976 to 1984 in two crucial methods. 1st, the two recent competitions are nationwide, even though the first NPC Division Two was split on a North Island/South Island foundation. Second, the NZRU ruled that there would originally be no marketing or relegation between the Air New Zealand Cup and Heartland Championship--a function that experienced often been present in the previous NPC. watch rugby world cup live

Also, the quantity of groups was decreased to 26, as the Marlborough and Nelson Bays unions merged to form the new Tasman union.

The 2006 expansion of the Super 12 and Tri Nations Sequence had a significant impact on the Air New Zealand Cup. This expansion developed the Tremendous 14, including two additional fixtures to that opposition, and also extra two much more Tri-Nations matches for the All Blacks, at least in non-World Cup several years. Simply because of these alterations, it was meant for players in the All Blacks choice pool to make only constrained appearances in the Air New Zealand Cup.

The 2009 Air New Zealand Cup saw a distinct framework than prior several years, soon after a small pre-season the Spherical-Robin ran for thirteen weeks with each and every staff going through every single other once. The best 4 groups advanced to the semi-finals and the winners from every semi competed for the title in the Grand Last.

To determine which four teams went by means of to the semi-finals the Rugby Union Bonus Details System was used.

The Rugby Union Factors System:

four details for a earn two details for a attract one position for scoring 4 tries one point for losing by seven points or significantly less

So the most points a winning group can get is five and the most a losing group can get is 2 factors. Semi-Finals are played in between 4 teams, the groups are seeded one to 4 and the two highest seeded groups play at residence against the two lowest seeded groups which means one plays four and two plays three. The greatest seed nonetheless remaining in the grand ultimate performed at property.