Taranaki Rugby Union
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| Union | New Zealand Rugby Union |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Taranaki Bulls |
| Founded | 1889 |
| Location | New Plymouth, New Zealand |
| Region | Chiefs |
| Ground(s) | Yarrow Stadium (Capacity: 25,500) |
| Coach(es) | Colin Cooper |
| Captain(s) | Charlie Ngatai |
| Most caps | Ian Eliason (223) |
| Top scorer | Unattached |
| League(s) | Mitre 10 Cup |
| 2015 | 4th |
| Official website | |
| www |
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The Taranaki Rugby Football Union (known as the Taranaki Bulls for competition reasons) are a New Zealand governing body of rugby union in the New Zealand province of Taranaki. The main stadium is Yarrow Stadium which is located in New Plymouth. The union also represents the Taranaki Bulls, which is professional rugby union team who compete in the Mitre 10 Cup competition and contest for the Ranfurly Shield. Before 2006 the Bulls competed in the National Provincial Championship.
On 25 October 2014 Taranaki won their first ITM Cup, defeating Tasman 36–32 in New Plymouth. This was the first time a team from outside the main population centres had won the premier New Zealand domestic rugby competition since Manawatu in 1980. Taranaki has won the NPC second division more than any other Union in New Zealand, a record that the club will keep now the NPC is defunct. Taranaki also plays for the Ryan Wheeler memorial trophy, a trophy played for annually with the Waikato Rugby Union.
In 2013, Taranaki changed its Super Rugby allegiance to the Chiefs, after severing ties with the Hurricanes, which it had been part of since 1996.
On May 31, 1889 the Hawera club convened a meeting in Hawera, of delegates from the Hawera, Waimate (Manaia), New Plymouth, Okaiawa, and Eltham clubs. This meeting agreed to form the Taranaki Union. During the year Stratford and Midhirst clubs united as Manganui club, Tikorangi and Waitara clubs combined as Clifton club, and Inglewood and New Plymouth Star clubs were and among others founded and became part of the union. By the turn of the century, Taranaki R.F.U. had produced eleven All Blacks, six of whom toured Great Britain in 1905. Taranaki currently plays in the professional Mitre 10 Cup, which it won in 2014.
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