X-Nico

3 unusual facts about National Provincial Championship


David Kirk

After his studies at Oxford, he returned to New Zealand, becoming the coach of the Wellington NPC team in 1993 and 1994 and also a media commentator.

Waikato Rugby Union

Waikato became the first Union to win the National Provincial Championship (NPC) when the format included semi-final and finals structure for the 1992 season.

Wellington Rugby Football Union

The senior Wellington representative team, the Wellington Lions play in the ITM Cup, which replaced the National Provincial Championship in 2006 as the Air New Zealand Cup.


Joggie Viljoen

Viljoen, a native of South Africa's Eastern Cape Province, currently resides in New Zealand and is the first choice scrum-half for Manawatu in the NPC.


see also

ITM Cup

The ITM Cup (colloquially referred to as "National Provincial Championship" or "NPC") is the highest level of New Zealand domestic professional rugby union competition, contested annually from late August to early November and managed by the New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU).

Provinces of New Zealand

The districts are represented by teams in rugby union's ITM Cup and Heartland Championship, both of which replaced the National Provincial Championship.