National Provincial Championship

The National Provincial Championship (which for sponsorship reasons, is referred to as Air New Zealand NPC or just simply NPC) is New Zealand's principal domestic rugby union competition. It is held annually, with 27 provincial unions competing in three divisions.

History

The NPC was first contested in 1976, and although the basic format of Division One has been much the same since then, there have been a number of changes to the lower divisions.

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Initially, Division One was made up of 11 teams, 7 from the North Island and 4 from the South. The remaining unions contested a split Division Two, with teams from each island playing amongst themselves. The bottom placed Division One team from the South Island played the winner of the Southern Division Two to determine whether they switched divisions, whilst the bottom placed Division One team from the North Island was automatically relegated, switching places with the winner of the Northern Division Two.

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The format continued until 1985, when the split Division Two was replaced by a united Division Two and a Division Three. The top and bottom placed teams in each division were automatically promoted and relegated each year.

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In 1992, three teams from Division One were relegated so there were 9 teams in each division. Also, 1992 saw the introduction of semi-finals and a final to determine the champion in each division—previously, a league system had been used.

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The only change since then was in 1998, when the number of teams in each division was changed to its present arrangement of 10 in Division One, 9 in Division Two, and 8 in Division Three. Having an even number of teams in Division One removed the necessity for byes.

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A major realignment will take place in 2006, when the current three-division setup is replaced by a two-division setup. This differs from the two-division 1976-1984 setup, in which Division Two was split on a North Island/South Island basis, in that both divisions will be nationwide. The new divisions will be designated the Premier Division and Division One. Also, the number of teams will be reduced to 26, as two current unions will form a unified side. For more details on the new setup, click here.

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The 2006 expansion of the Super 12 and Tri Nations Series will have a major effect on the NPC, at least in the new Premier Division. This expansion will create the Super 14, adding two extra fixtures to that competition, and will also add two more Tri-Nations test matches for each national side. Because of these changes, it is intended that players in the All Blacks selection pool will no longer participate in the NPC from 2006 on. This may well make the competition in the Premier Division more even than in the past.

Related Topics:
2006 - Tri Nations Series - Super 14 - All Blacks

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