Central North Island RUGBY

1st XV & Development XV

The Central North Island (CNI) 1st XV Rugby competition was established in 2012 and originally consisted of seven schools that were interested in enhancing their rugby programme. The aim of the competition is to provide 1st XV teams with a consistently high standard of challenging rugby fixtures.

In its inaugural year, the Taine Randell Cup was donated by Lindisfarne College (Hastings) who were also the winners after a six-game round robin competition. In 2013, St Peter’s School (Cambridge) was initiated into the competition and, after a seven-game round robin, Francis Douglas (New Plymouth) and St Paul’s Collegiate (Hamilton) contended in a hard fought final, which was deservedly won by Francis Douglas (25-21). In addition to the Championship Trophy, the Rick Francis Memorial Shield is played for. The shield was donated by Feilding High School in 2014, and is played for each time the holder is playing a CNI fixture.

Although the competition is still in its infancy, players from the competing schools have already been selected for their respective regional Super Rugby franchise development squads, New Zealand Secondary Schools and New Zealand U20 teams.

We hope that you enjoy the exploits, triumphs and disappointments of the ten proud rugby schools that make up the CNI 1st XV rugby competition.