The National Sevens is a rugby sevens tournament for New Zealand provincial teams. It is held annually and features a men's event and a women's event. The best teams in the country compete over two days for the respective men's and women's titles. The tournament is currently held in Tauranga.
 Tournament logo introduced in 2018 | |
| Sport | Rugby union |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1975 |
| No. of teams | 16 |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Most recent champion(s) | Tasman – Men (2018) Manawatu – Women (2018) |
| Official website | www.nationalsevens.co.nz |
The National Sevens also serves as an opportunity for players to be selected in New Zealand's national sevens teams.[1]
History edit
The National Sevens was first held in 1975 in Auckland, where Marlborough were the very first champions. Since then the tournament has been held every year (except 1987, 1988, and 2003) and held at various venues. A women's competition was introduced for the 1998 tournament in Roturura. In the first three decades Palmerston North hosted the National Sevens thirteen times, the last of which was in 2002. This was also the last tournament to host women's sevens until women's teams were reintroduced a decade later.
| Sponsors of the National Sevens | |
|---|---|
| 2004–2013 | Pub Charity Ltd |
| 2014–2018 | Bayleys Realty |
| 2018–present | TECT |
The National Sevens moved to Queenstown for ten seasons from 2004.[2] The 2009 event was the first tournament where the entire event was screened live by Sky TV.[3] A women's competition was reinstated in 2013. The National Sevens was relocated to Rotorua in 2014 and then to Tauranga in December 2018.
Format edit
The sixteen teams for men are divided into four pools. On day one each team plays the other three teams in its pool. The top two teams from each pool qualify for the championship playoffs while the bottom two enter the bowl competition.
Venue edit
The first tournament was held in Auckland in 1975. From there it moved to various venues around the country: Christchurch, Blenheim, Hamilton, Palmerston North, Feilding, Pukekohe and Rotorua. From 2004 to 2013 it was hosted in Queenstown at the Recreation Ground, which is usually the home of the Wakatipu Rugby Club. The tournament then returned to Rotorua for five seasons and, since December 2018, it is held in Tauranga.
Participants edit
This section needs expansion with: details from 2010 onward. You can help by adding to it. (January 2019) |
The following teams have participated in the tournament:
| Province | Appearances | Championships | 2009 Placing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Auckland | 2005-2009 | 2005,2006,2007,2008 | |
|
Bay of Plenty | 2006,2008-2009 | ||
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|
Buller | 2006 | ||
|
Canterbury | 2006,2008-2009 | ||
|
Counties Manukau | 2006,2008-2009 | ||
|
Hawke's Bay | 2006,2008-2009 | ||
|
Horowhenua-Kapiti | 2008-2009 | ||
|
Manawatu | 2006,2008-2009 | ||
|
North Harbour | 2004,2006,2008-2009 | 2004, 2009 | |
|
North Otago | 2005 | ||
|
Northland | 2008-2009 | ||
|
Otago | 2004-2009 | ||
|
|
Otago Country | 2007, 2009 | ||
|
South Canterbury | 2006,2008,2010 | ||
|
Southland | 2006,2008-2009 | ||
|
Taranaki | 2006,2008-2009 | ||
|
Tasman | 2008 | ||
|
Waikato | 2006,2008-2009 | ||
|
Wellington | 2006,2008-2009 | ||
|
West Coast | 2006,2008-2009 |
Results by year edit
Men's tournament edit
National Sevens winners since 1975:[4]
1975–2002 edit
| Year | Venue | Champion |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Auckland |  Marlborough
|
| 1976 | Christchurch | Marlborough
|
| 1977 | Blenheim | Manawatu
|
| 1978 | Hamilton | Manawatu
|
| 1979 | Palmerston North | Manawatu
|
| 1980 | Palmerston North | Auckland
|
| 1981 | Palmerston North | Taranaki
|
| 1982 | Feilding | Taranaki
|
| 1983 | Feilding | Auckland
|
| 1984 | Feilding | Auckland
|
| 1985 | Feilding | Counties Manukau
|
| 1986 | Feilding | North Harbour
|
| 1987 | Feilding | North Harbour
|
| 1988 | Feilding | Auckland
|
| 1989 | Christchurch | Auckland
|
| 1990 | Palmerston North | Canterbury
|
| 1991 | Palmerston North | Auckland
|
| 1992 | Palmerston North | North Harbour
|
| 1993 | Palmerston North | Canterbury
|
| 1994 | Palmerston North | Counties Manukau
|
| 1995 | Palmerston North | Counties Manukau
|
| 1996 | Palmerston North | Waikato
|
| 1996–97 a | Palmerston North | Waikato
|
| 1997 | Rotorua | Waikato
|
| 1998 | Rotorua | Waikato
|
| 1999 | Palmerston North | North Harbour
|
| 2000 | Palmerston North | North Harbour
|
| 2001 | Palmerston North | North Harbour
|
| 2002 | Palmerston North | Wellington
|
Notes
^a There were two events in 1996 due to a seasonal switch from March to November.[4] Waikato won four titles between 1996 and 1998.[5]
2004–2013 edit
The National Sevens switched from a November schedule to a January schedule for the 2003–04 season and, as such, the 2002 tournament was followed by the 2004 tournament.[6] The new venue was the Recreation Ground in Queenstown which hosted the National Sevens for ten years from 2004 to 2013.[7]
| Year | Venue | Cup final | Placings | Ref | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | Score | Runner-up | Plate | Bowl | Shield | |||
| 2004 | Queenstown | North Harbour |
48–7 | Otago |
Auckland |
Canterbury |
Manawatu |
[8] [9] |
| 2005 | Queenstown | Auckland |
42–12 | Northland |
Wellington |
Otago |
Manawatu |
[10] |
| 2006 | Queenstown | Auckland |
43–12 | Wellington |
Bay of Plenty |
Southland |
Canterbury |
|
| 2007 | Queenstown | Auckland |
36–17 | Canterbury |
Counties Manukau |
Wellington |
Northland |
|
| 2008 Details |
Queenstown | Auckland |
24–15 | Counties Manukau |
Manawatu |
Wellington |
Tasman |
|
| 2009 Details |
Queenstown | North Harbour |
29–26 | Counties Manukau |
Wellington |
Otago |
Southland |
|
| 2010 | Queenstown | Waikato |
21–14 | Bay of Plenty |
North Harbour |
Horowhenua-Kapiti |
||
| 2011 | Queenstown | Auckland |
36–26 | Taranaki |
North Harbour |
Manawatu |
Canterbury |
|
| 2012 | Queenstown | Auckland |
36–24 | Otago |
Taranaki |
Tasman |
Bay of Plenty |
[11] |
| 2013 Details |
Queenstown | Taranaki |
32–17 | North Harbour |
Auckland |
Hawke's Bay |
Counties Manukau |
|
2014 onwards edit
The tournament moved from Queenstown to Rotorua in 2014 for five seasons. A switch from playing in January to December coincided with the event moving to Tauranga for the 2018–19 season.
| Year | Venue | Cup final | Placings | Ref | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | Score | Runner-up | Semi-fi | nalists | |||
| 2014 Details |
Rotorua | Wellington |
26–19 | Auckland |
Taranaki |
Northland |
[12] |
| 2015 | Rotorua | Waikato |
38–19 | Wellington |
Counties Manukau |
Bay of Plenty |
[13] |
| 2016 | Rotorua | Counties Manukau |
54–14 | North Harbour |
Wellington |
Bay of Plenty |
[14] |
| 2017 | Rotorua | Counties Manukau |
14–7 | Waikato |
Taranaki |
Wellington |
[15] |
| 2018 | Rotorua | Waikato |
21–17 | Tasman |
Wellington |
Taranaki |
[16] |
| 2018–19 | Tauranga | Tasman |
12–7 | Counties Manukau |
Wellington |
North Harbour |
[17] [18] |
| 2019 | Tauranga | Waikato |
31–5 | Auckland |
Taranaki |
Bay of Plenty |
[19] [20] |
| 2020 | Cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic | ||||||
Women's tournament edit
Women's teams initially competed at the National Sevens from 1998 through to 2002.[4] After a ten-season absence, the women's tournament was reintroduced for the 2013 National Sevens held in Queenstown, with Manawatu earning the title.[21] The tournament then moved to Rotorua in 2014 for five seasons. A switch from playing in January to December coincided with the event moving to Tauranga for the 2018–19 season.
1998–2002 edit
| Year | Venue | Champion |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Rotorua | Auckland
|
| 1999 | Palmerston North | Wellington
|
| 2000 | Palmerston North | Wellington
|
| 2001 | Palmerston North | Auckland
|
| 2002 | Palmerston North | Canterbury
|
2013 onwards edit
| Year | Venue | Cup final | Placings | Ref | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | Score | Runner-up | Semi-fi | nalists | |||
| 2013 | Queenstown | Manawatu |
36–17 | Waikato |
Auckland |
? | [22] |
| 2014 | Rotorua | Manawatu |
19–12 | Auckland |
Counties Manukau |
Waikato |
[12] |
| Winner | Score | Runner-up | Third | Fourth | |||
| 2015 | Rotorua | Auckland |
29–14 | Manawatu |
Waikato |
Bay of Plenty |
[13] |
| 2016 | Rotorua | Manawatu |
16–19 | Wellington |
Counties Manukau |
Canterbury |
[23] |
| 2017 | Rotorua | Counties Manukau |
24–17 | Manawatu |
Auckland |
Waikato |
[24] |
| 2018 | Rotorua | Manawatu |
17–15 | Waikato |
Auckland |
Counties Manukau |
[16] |
| 2018–19 | Tauranga | Manawatu |
12–7 | Waikato |
Auckland |
Bay of Plenty |
[25] [18] |
| 2019 | Tauranga | Counties Manukau |
12–5 | Waikato |
Auckland |
Bay of Plenty |
[26] [20] |
| 2020 | Cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic | ||||||
References edit
- ^ "NZ rugby sevens in Queenstown". One Sport. 13 January 2006. Archived from the original on 16 June 2011. Retrieved 30 October 2011.
- ^ "Queenstown shaping up for sevens fest". The Southland Times. 9 January 2008. Archived from the original on 11 January 2008.
- ^ Pub Charity Sevens to kick off the 2008 rugby year[permanent dead link]. Sky Sport.
- ^ a b c White, Steven (25 January 2015). "National Sevens in Rotorua this weekend". Club Rugby. Archived from the original on 27 January 2019.
1996: Waikato (Won March & November official National events)
- ^ "Counties Manukau, Waikato claim National Sevens titles". 15 December 2019. Archived from the original on 24 January 2020. Retrieved 24 December 2019.
It is Waikato's eighth national title having won four-in-a-row between 1996-98 ...
- ^ "De Goldi to lead New Zealand". ESPN. 29 January 2003. Archived from the original on 27 January 2019. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
- ^ Caldwell, Olivia (11 January 2013). "Last home tournament". Otago Daily times. Archived from the original on 27 January 2019.
- ^ "Sevens fun, even if we never made the final". Southland Times. 11 January 2013. Archived from the original on 24 January 2020. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
- ^ "North Harbour take sevens title". ESPN. 18 January 2004. Archived from the original on 24 January 2020. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
- ^ "Auckland win 2005 National Sevens". New Zealand Rugby Museum. 16 January 2005. Archived from the original on 18 December 2019. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
- ^ "Auckland win 2012 National Sevens". New Zealand Rugby Museum. 8 January 2012. Archived from the original on 18 December 2019. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
- ^ a b "Wellington men, Manawatu women National Sevens champions". Club Rugby. 13 January 2014. Archived from the original on 22 January 2014.
- ^ a b "National Sevens Day 2 Results". Club Rugby. 18 January 2015. Archived from the original on 29 January 2015.
- ^ "Day 2 - Men's Play-offs" (PDF). nationalsevens.co.nz. 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 January 2016.
- ^ "Day 2 - Men's Play-offs" (PDF). nationalsevens.co.nz. 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 January 2017.
- ^ a b "National Sevens results January 2018". Archived from the original on 30 January 2018.
- ^ "National Sevens results Day 2 – Men December 2018" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 January 2019.
- ^ a b "Tasman make sevens history with men's title as Manawatū retain women's trophy". Stuff. Archived from the original on 27 January 2019. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
- ^ "National Sevens results Day 2 – Men December 2019". Archived from the original on 22 January 2019. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
- ^ a b "Waikato regains men's title and Counties Manukau lift women's trophy". Stuff. Archived from the original on 18 December 2019. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
- ^ "Women's Rugby History". communityrugby.co.nz. Archived from the original on 27 January 2019. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
- ^ "Manawatu surprise winners of 2013 National Sevens". rugbygirl. 13 January 2013. Archived from the original on 1 February 2019. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
- ^ "Day 2 - Women's Play-offs" (PDF). nationalsevens.co.nz. 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 January 2016.
- ^ "Day 2 - Women's Play-offs" (PDF). nationalsevens.co.nz. 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 January 2017.
- ^ "National Sevens results Day 2 – Wonen December 2018" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 January 2019.
- ^ "National Sevens results Day 2 – Women December 2019". Archived from the original on 16 December 2019.
External links edit
- Former nationalsevens.co.nz official website at the Wayback Machine (archived 22 January 2021)
- Former nz7.co.nz official website at the Wayback Machine (archived 20 May 2013)