Thames Valley Rugby Football Union
 | |
| Club information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Thames Valley Rugby Football Union |
| Nickname(s) | Swamp Foxes |
| Website | http://www.thamesvalleyswampfoxes.co.nz/ |
| Colours | Gold, Red, Black |
| Founded | 1921 |
| Current details | |
| Ground(s) | |
| Coach(s) |
Hayden Roe, Frank Bunce, Alan McLean |
| Competition | Heartland Championship |
The Thames Valley Rugby Football Union (TVRFU) is the governing body of rugby union in the region of Thames Valley in the North Island of New Zealand. Their senior representative team compete in the Heartland Championship. Thames Valley Rugby Football Union was founded in 1921 when it broke away from the now defunct South Auckland Rugby Football Union. The Thames Rugby Union, a sub-union that had remained affiliated with the Auckland Rugby Football Union, eventually joined the Thames Valley Union in 1951.[1]
The Thames Valley team plays at Boyd Park, Te Aroha and Paeroa Domain, Paeroa.
History
Rugby has been played in the region since the 1870s and 1880s.[2][3]
The Ohinemuri Union was founded at Waihī in 1896, and by 1904 this union was named the Goldfields Rugby Union. It consisted of a number of even smaller unions, but was itself a sub-union of the Auckland Rugby Football Union (ARFU), and was therefore not directly affiliated to the New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU).[2] Along with a number of other sub-unions, the Goldfields ceded from the ARFU to form the South Auckland Rugby Football Union in 1909.[4]
Several sub-unions split away from the South Auckland Union between 1909 and 1921 to form new independent unions, and in 1921 the Hauraki Plains, Paeroa, Piako, Waihī sub-unions did the same to form the Thames Valley Rugby Football Union (TVRFU). The union was from then on directly affiliated to the NZRU.[3] The Thames Valley Union, which had remained affiliated to the ARFU up until then, joined the TVRFU in 1951.[1]
Championships
Thames Valley won the NPC 3rd division in 1988, 1990 and 1995.
Heartland Championship placings
| Heartland Championship results[5][6][7][8] | |||||||||||||
| Year | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | BP | Pts | Place | Playoffs | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qual | Semifinal | Final | |||||||||||
| 2006 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 192 | 177 | −15 | 5 | 21 | 9th | Lochore Cup | Lost 15–17 to King Country | — |
| 2007 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 147 | 215 | −68 | 4 | 12 | 10th | Lochore Cup | Lost 3–65 to Poverty Bay | — |
| 2008 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 107 | 225 | −118 | 1 | 5 | 11th | No | — | |
| 2009 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 110 | 237 | −127 | 4 | 4 | 12th | No | — | |
| 2010 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 158 | 188 | −40 | 3 | 15 | 10th | No | — | |
| 2011 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 229 | 181 | +48 | 3 | 21 | 7th | Lochore Cup | Lost 27–30 to South Canterbury | — |
| 2012 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 203 | 263 | −60 | 3 | 11 | 11th | No | — | |
| 2013 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 153 | 200 | −37 | 1 | 17 | 8th | Lochore Cup | Lost 8–14 to South Canterbury | — |
| 2014 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 139 | 135 | +4 | 3 | 17 | 9th | No | — | |
| 2015 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 206 | 255 | −49 | 4 | 16 | 9th | No | — | |
Ranfurly Shield
Thames Valley have never held the Ranfurly Shield. They have challenged for the shield unsuccessfully on 14 occasions; their most recent challenge was a 68–0 loss to Counties Manukau.[9] The Swamp Foxes' following challenge was in June 2016, when they lost 83–13 to Waikato.[10]
| 2 July 2014 | Counties Manukau |
68–0 |  Thames Valley |
ECOLight Stadium, Pukekohe | ||
| 18:00 (NZST) | Try: Jared Page  (3)Maama Vaipulu (2)Kane Hancy Toni Pulu Karl Ropati Luke Graham Penalty try Con: Jared Page  (6/10)Pen: Jared Page (2/2) |
Report | Cards:  Aaron MacDonald |
| 6 June 2016 | Thames Valley |
13–83 |  Waikato |
Paeroa Domain, Paeroa | ||
| Try: Brett Ranga Jone Koroinsagana Pen: Josh O'Flaherty |
Report | Try: Iliesa Tavuyara (3) Whetu Douglas (2)Atu Moli (2)Latu Talakai Jake Ale Jason Robertson Hame Faiva Sevu Reece Murray Iti Con: Jason Robertson (6)Matt Lansdown (3) |
Thames Valley in Super Rugby
Thames Valley along with Waikato, Counties Manukau, Bay of Plenty and King Country make up the Chiefs Super Rugby franchise. Albeit, they were initially part of the Blues.
All Blacks
Two players have been selected for the All Blacks while playing their club rugby within the Thames Valley Rugby Football Union:[1]
Clubs
Thames Valley Rugby Football Union is made up of 13 clubs:
- COBRAS (Home of the Housefly)Colledge Old Boys Rugby And Sports Senior A
- Coromandel Town Senior B
- Hauraki North Senior A Senior B B reserve
- Mercury Bay Senior B
- Ngatea Senior B Senior C
- Paeroa Old Boys senior B
- Paeroa West Senior A and Senior C
- Tairua Senior A
- Te Aroha (COBRAS) Senior B and B reserves
- Thames Rugby and Sports Club Senior A Senior B
- Waihi Athletic Senior A Senior B Senior C
- Waihou Senior A and B
- Whangamata Senior B Senior C
Notes and references
- 1 2 3 "Regional rugby – Thames Valley rugby". nzhistory.net.nz. New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage. 28 August 2015. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
- 1 2 "History". thamesvalleyswampfoxes.co.nz. Thames Valley Rugby Football Union. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
- 1 2 Monin, Paul (13 July 2015). "Hauraki-Coromandel region". Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
- ↑ A. H. McLintock, ed. (1966). "Rugby Football Union – History". An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand (published 23 April 2009). Retrieved 2 September 2015.
- ↑ "Standings (2006–present)". Heartland Championship. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
- ↑ "Fixtures and Results (2006–present)". Heartland Championship. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
- ↑ "Finalists found in Lochore and Meads Cups". Newshub. 23 October 2010. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
- ↑ "2010 Lochore and Mead Cups finals wrap". Heartland Championship. 31 October 2010. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
- ↑ Eade, Shaun (2 July 2014). "Counties Manukau too strong for Swamp Foxes". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
- ↑ Pearson, Joseph (6 June 2016). "Waikato begin Ranfurly Shield defence as expected with thrashing of Thames Valley". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 9 June 2016.