With Super Rugby now over, the Mitre 10 Cup is the next domestic tournament on the agenda down in New Zealand. Darry Worthington takes a look at the teams that will duke it out in the cup's two tiers.
While the main focus this coming August will be the international rugby scene, there's still some great domestic action on the go with the Mitre 10 Cup starting on Thursday the 8th of August.
The competition offers great value for the shrewd punter out there with cross-conference games often ending in major upsets.
Competition Format
For those who are yet to be exposed to the tournament, the most important thing to remember is that this is a two-tier competition featuring a Championship and Premiership segment. The Premiership features the top teams in the competition while the Championship features the rest. Auckland are the reigning Premiership champions while Waikato were promoted to the Premiership after winning last year’s Championship with Taranaki dropping to the second tier.
The tournament gets underway on Thursday the 8th of August and will run up until the 28th of October. Each team will play 10 games a piece and be involved in two fixtures in the space of seven days at some point in the season. The top four teams in each tier square off in semi-finals to see who advances to the final for each tier.
The two winning sides from the Championship semis play a final which will see the winner promoted, while the Premiership semi-final winners go head-to-head for top honours in their segment.
All of the sides will play against teams in their own tier once and will play against four opponents from the other tier. This system allows provincial derbies to remain in place.
Premiership
Teams
Wellington Lions
Canterbury
Auckland
Counties Manukau
North Harbour
Tasman
Waikato
Contenders
Auckland
2018 Finish: Champions
The reigning champions will be looking to bring some smiles to the Eden Park faithful after the Blues disappointing Super Rugby season.
Last year saw Auckland produce something of a shock as they won nine of their regular season games on the way to beating Wellington 38-17 in the semi-finals and then Canterbury 40-33 in the final.
Can they repeat the trick this year? They have kept the majority of last season's squad and have made some shrewd off-season signings including former Brumbies man Robbie Abel, Jacob Umaga as well as Johnathon Ruru. They will also have some fired-up players in the squad with Akira Ioane the likes of Akira Ioane having missed out on All Black selection.
Player to Watch: Akira Ioane
Overlooked for All Black selection, Ioane will be looking to revive a career that's on the decline.
The Blues' man enjoyed a brilliant Mitre 10 Cup campaign last season but look rather languid during the Blues unsuccessful Super Rugby campaign.
The burly number eight is a brilliant ball career and is almost impossible to stop when he's five metres from the opposition try line. He needs to add a bit of dynamism to his game and the Blues will be hoping he does that this term.
Canterbury
2018 Finish: Runners-Up
The most successful team in the tournament's history will be looking to bounce back from last year's final defeat by claiming their 10th title this season.
Canterbury will have a rather weakened squad this term with a number of their players involved in the All Blacks squad for the Rugby Championship.
Thankfully for Canterbury, they have a great production line and a number of young players who will undoubtedly step up to the plate this coming season.
Player to Watch: Ngane Punivai
The Christ College old boy didn't get much of a look in during the Super Rugby season having been elevated to the Crusaders squad at the start of the year.
A former All Black Under 20, Punivai is equally at home in the centres or on the wing. With both Jack Goodhue and Braydon Ennor involved in the All Black set-up, Punivai is likely to get a lot of game time in midfield.
Tasman
2018 Finish: Semi-Finals
Canterbury's arch-rivals will be looking to improve upon their 2019 semi-final finish. Tasman have been perpetual bridesmaids in the tournament making three finals and losing all three. 2019 may just be their year, however, as the majority of their squad will not be involved in the All Black set-up.
Player to Watch: Quinten Strange
The Crusaders lock will play a key role for Tasman this year. He's a mobile forward who makes a heck of a lot of metres with his strong ball carrying. He's also a solid lineout option.
Dark Horse
Wellington
2018 Finish: Semi-Finals
The Wellington Lions enjoyed a solid campaign upon their return to the Premiership last year where they managed to make the semi-finals.
They have a handy squad that includes Wes Goosen as well as the Umaga-Jensen brother.
Player to Watch: Ben Lam
The 2017 Super Rugby top try-scorer was snubbed from the New Zealand Rugby Championship squad and he will have a point to prove here. He is a deadly finisher and his all-round game has improved greatly over the past 12 months.
Verdict: Tasman
This should be a fascinating Premiership season with the extended All Blacks squad ensuring that the domestic playing field is levelled somewhat. I like the looks of both Wellington and Tasman, who have very solid squads. I'd lean towards the latter to take the tournament title, however.
Championship
Teams
Otago
Hawke's Bay
Northland
Taranaki
Bay of Plenty
Manawatu
Southland
Contenders
Otago
Losing Finalists
Last year was absolute heartbreak for Otago who went down 36-13 to a Sevu Reece inspired Waikato outfit in the Championship final. The loss meant that they missed out on qualification to the Premiership.
Otago have a very talented squad which features the likes of All Black Liam Coltman and New Zealand Sevens star Vilimoni Koroi. They will be without talismanic pivot Josh Ioane for the majority of the tournament with the young gun having been called up to the national side for the upcoming Rugby Championship.
Player to Watch: Vilimoni Koroi
The 21-year-old enjoyed a solid HSBC Sevens Series campaign and will be looking to get his hands on a Super Rugby contract with a solid Mitre 10 Cup season.
He's a dynamic player who can play in a host of positions across the backline. He's got blistering pace and also has a deft passing game. With Josh Ioane in the All Blacks set-up, Koroi will be one of the players tasked with producing moments of magic on the field.
Taranaki
2018 Finish: Relegated from the Premiership
The Taranaki Bulls had a season to forget last year losing eight of their regular season games on the way to being relegated from the Premiership. They will be looking to bounce back into the top tier at the first time of asking but face a huge challenge in doing so as there are a number of solid teams in the Championship this year.
Head coach Willie Rickards is currently working with his wider training squad that features big names such as overlooked All Black Waisake Naholo, and Chiefs Marty McKenzie and Sean Wanui.
Player to Watch: Waisake Naholo
Having been snubbed from Steve Hansen's Rugby Championship squad, Naholo will be looking to keep his World Cup dream alive by putting in solid displays for Taranaki in the early parts of the time 10 Cup.
The big winger had an injury-plagued Super Rugby campaign and will be looking to hit the ground running come the start of the Mitre 10 Cup. He's a seasoned international whose experience will be vital for Taranaki.
Dark Horse
Northland
2018 Finish: Losing semi-finalists
The men from Auckland have steadily improved which each passing year and will be looking to continue that improvement by claiming promotion to the Premiership.
While they don't have the most eye-catching of squads - the majority of it compromises of journeymen and a few talented youngsters - there are some quality players in the Northland set-up including Blues lock Josh Goodhue and New Zealand Sevens and Under 20's star Scott Gregory.
Player to Watch: Jack Debreczeni
The former Melbourne Rebels man enjoyed solid if not spectacular season with the Waikato Chiefs and will be looking to pull the strings for this Northland side.
The fly-half has a wealth of experience and is a composed player on the ball. He also has a solid kicking game which will be key during the early phases of the tournament as it tends to rain a bit in New Zealand during August.
Verdict: Taranaki
The Bulls have a very talented squad and although I think they will be run close Otago my money is on them returning to the Premiership at the first time of asking.
Written by Darry Worthington for Hollywoodbets
