Lochore Cup

The Lochore Cup is a New Zealand rugby union trophy named after famed Wairarapa Bush and All Blacks player and coach Brian Lochore. It is contested during the Heartland Championship. It was first awarded in 2006, when the Heartland Championship format was introduced.

Competition

Regular season

At present, all 12 teams play 8 games over 8 weeks before the finals. Once finished, the teams placed 5-8 advance to the Lochore Cup finals. The top 4 teams play for the Meads Cup. Previously, a pool system was used between 2006 and 2010 to determine who played for the Cups. In 2021, due to a delay in the start of the competition caused by COVID-19, the semifinal round for both Cups was scrapped, and the Lochore Cup was instead contested between the teams that finished third and fourth respectively in the regular season.

Finals

The Lochore Cup winner is determined in four-team single-elimination tournament. The semifinal matchups are seeded 1-4 and 2-3, with the higher seed receiving home field advantage. The highest remaining seed hosts the Lochore Cup final.

Winners

Year	Lochore Cup Winner	Final score	Runner up
2006 ^[1]	Poverty Bay	46-34	King Country
2007 ^[2]	Poverty Bay	38-35	South Canterbury
2008	Poverty Bay	26-5	Horowhenua-Kapiti
2009	North Otago	21-13	West Coast
2010 ^[3]	Wairarapa Bush	15-9	Buller^[4]
2011 ^[5]	Poverty Bay	49-22	South Canterbury^[6]
2012 ^[7]	Buller^[8]^[9]	31-28	South Canterbury
2013	South Canterbury^[10]	17-10	Buller
2014	Wanganui^[11]^[12]	14-12	North Otago
2015 ^[13]	King Country	47-34	North Otago
2016 ^[14]	North Otago^[15]^[16]	44-22	King Country
2017 ^[17]	Mid Canterbury^[18]	47-15	West Coast^[19]
2018 ^[20]	Horowhenua-Kapiti^[21]	26-23	Wairarapa Bush^[22]
2019 ^[23]	South Canterbury^[24]^[25]	23-19	West Coast
2020	No competition held due to COVID-19
2021 ^[26]	Wanganui^[27]	22-16	North Otago
2022 ^[28]	East Coast^[29]^[30]^[31]	25-20	Mid Canterbury
2023 ^[32]	West Coast	23-20	Poverty Bay

See also

• Meads Cup
• Heartland Championship
• New Zealand Heartland XV
• National Provincial Championship (1976–2005)
• National Provincial Championship (2006–present)

References

1. "Heartland 2006 - RUGBY HEARTLAND". rugbyheartland.co.nz. 10 April 2014.
2. "Heartland 2007 - RUGBY HEARTLAND". rugbyheartland.co.nz. 10 April 2014.
3. "2010 Heartland Championship". www.globalrugbyresults.com.
4. "Year By Year , Our History ~ 2010 ~". 31 December 2010.
5. "Heartland 2011 - RUGBY HEARTLAND". rugbyheartland.co.nz. 9 April 2014.
6. "Total focus on Lochore Cup final". Stuff. 7 October 2011.
7. "Heartland 2012 - RUGBY HEARTLAND". rugbyheartland.co.nz. 9 April 2014.
8. "Buller triumph in Lochore Cup". RNZ. 28 October 2012.
9. Page, Jacob (28 October 2012). "Minnows deny SC a taste of glory". Stuff.
10. "South Canterbury lift Lochore Cup". ESPN.com. 27 October 2013.
11. "TALKING RUGBY WITH JOHN B PHILLIPS". NZ Herald. 28 October 2023.
12. "{Video} Wanganui - 2014 Lochore Cup Champions - RUGBY HEARTLAND". rugbyheartland.co.nz. 26 October 2014.
13. "2015 Lochore Cup Final" – via www.youtube.com.
14. "HIGHLIGHTS: 2016 Lochore Cup Final" – via www.youtube.com.
15. "North Otago claim Lochore Cup - RUGBY HEARTLAND". rugbyheartland.co.nz. 29 October 2016.
16. Piddington, Stu (30 October 2016). "Underdogs North Otago bite Rams in the Lochore Cup final". Stuff.
17. "LOCHORE CUP HIGHLIGHTS: Mid Canterbury v West Coast" – via www.youtube.com.
18. "Lochore Cup final preview - RUGBY HEARTLAND". rugbyheartland.co.nz. 28 October 2017.
19. https://westcoastrfu.com/wp/2017/10/29/2017-lochore-cup-rugby-final-report/
20. "LOCHORE CUP FINAL HIGHLIGHTS: Horowhenua-Kapiti v Wairarapa Bush" – via www.youtube.com.
21. "Horowhenua Kapiti claim Lochore Cup in tight finish - RUGBY HEARTLAND". rugbyheartland.co.nz. 28 October 2018.
22. "Wairarapa Bush reach LOCHORE CUP Final". waibush.co.nz. 20 October 2018.
23. "LOCHORE CUP FINAL HIGHLIGHTS: West Coast v South Canterbury - 2019" – via www.youtube.com.
24. Medlicott, Mark (27 October 2019). "South Canterbury win Lochore Cup Final against West Coast". Stuff.
25. "South Canterbury claim Lochore Cup - RUGBY HEARTLAND". rugbyheartland.co.nz. 27 October 2019.
26. "HIGHLIGHTS: Whanganui v North Otago (Lochore Cup Final 2021)" – via www.youtube.com.
27. "Heartland Rugby: Whanganui stage second-half comeback to claim Lochore Cup over North Otago" – via www.newshub.co.nz.
28. "Bunnings Heartland 2022 | FINAL Highlights | East Coast v Mid Canterbury". Provincial Rugby. 23 October 2022.
29. "Ngāti Porou East Coast win Lochore Cup Final - RUGBY HEARTLAND". rugbyheartland.co.nz. 23 October 2022.
30. "Ngāti Porou East Coast win Lochore Cup final". allblacks.com. 23 October 2022.
31. "Meads Cup and Lochore Cup finals: Team Lists".
32. "West Coast wins first national title". allblacks.com. 15 October 2023.