Tasman Rugby Union
| Full name | Tasman Rugby Union |
|---|---|
| Union | NZRU |
| Nickname(s) | Makos |
| Founded | 2006 |
| Ground(s) |
Lansdowne Park (Capacity: 15,000) Trafalgar Park (Capacity: 18,000) |
| CEO | Peter Barr |
| Coach(es) |
Leon MacDonald (head coach) Mark Hammett (assistant) Andrew Goodman (assistant) |
| Captain(s) | Shane Christie |
| Most caps | Robbie Malneek (102) |
| Top scorer | Marty Banks (618) |
| Most tries | Robbie Malneek(25) |
| League(s) | ITM Cup |
| 2016 | |
| Official website | |
| www |
|
The Tasman Rugby Union is the governing body for rugby union at the top of the South Island in New Zealand. It is New Zealand's newest provincial union, founded in 2006 with the amalgamation of the existing Marlborough and Nelson Bays sub unions. The union's premier team is the Tasman Makos, who compete in New Zealand's provincial rugby competition, the ITM cup.
When the New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) reviewed the domestic competitions in 2005, a new 14 team premier division of competition was created, as the Air New Zealand Cup, taking the place of the National Provincial Championship (NPC).
The restructured domestic competition opened the door for the Nelson Bays and Marlborough Rugby Unions to form a relationship, forming one organisation in an attempt to be awarded a position in the new competition. The Makos brand was created.
A Tasman XV played Canada 'A' on April 26, 2006 at Trafalgar Park. The Tasman side won by 40 points, the final score being 48 points to eight. The Makos were grouped in Pool A of the 2006 Air New Zealand Cup.
In their first ever match in the Air New Zealand Cup, the Makos earned a bonus point in a loss to the North Harbour team, losing 33 points to 27. They were defeated by Auckland the following week by 40 points. However, the Makos won their first match in round three, defeating Manawatu by 43 points to 0. Their only other win of the season came at home against Northland, with an impressive 56-15 win. Despite the season record of just 2 wins and 7 losses, the Makos showed the ability to compete and provided a platform to build for the future.
The 2007 season was disappointing for the Makos, finishing the season with a record of 2 wins and 8 losses. Wins came against Hawke's Bay and Manawatu, with close losses against Waikato and Canterbury.
Early on in the 2008 season, the NZRFU announced that Tasman and Northland would be relegated from the competition at the end of the season, due to failing to meet a set of criteria including financial stability. With the axe hovering over them, the Makos produced their best season yet, silencing their critics. In round 2 against Waikato, Tasman first five Miah Nikora nailed a stunning last minute drop-goal to snatch a 14-16 victory and claim the Makos first scalp over a major union. This was followed with wins over Taranaki, Northland, Manawatu and a draw against Otago to see the Makos finish the season 7th on the ladder. Facing a strong Canterbury side in the quarter-finals, the Makos went down 48-10. However, their strong season coupled with public pressure forced the NZRFU to reverse its decision and announce that Tasman and Northland would remain in the competition.
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