2015 Heartland Championship
The 2015 Heartland Championship, the tenth edition of the Heartland Championship since the 2006 reconstruction of the National Provincial Championship, was a rugby union competition involving the twelve semi-professional rugby unions in New Zealand. The tournament involved a round-robin stage in which the twelve teams played eight games each and then the top four advanced to the Meads Cup semifinals, while fifth to eighth advanced to the Lochore Cup semifinals. In both of these knockout stages the top seeds (first and fifth) played at home against the lowest seeds (fourth and eighth), the second highest seeds (second and sixth) played at home against the third highest seeds (third and seventh) and the final had the higher seed playing at home against the lower seed.
| Date | 22 August 2015–25 October 2015 |
|---|---|
| Countries |  |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |   |
| Runner-up |   |
← 2014 2016 → | |
Teams
The 2015 Heartland Championship was contested by the following teams.
| Team | Super Rugby partner | Hometown | Home stadium | Capacity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Buller | Crusaders | Westport | Victoria Square | 5,000 |
|
East Coast | Hurricanes | Ruatoria | Whakarua Park | 3,000 |
 |
Horowhenua-Kapiti | Hurricanes | Levin | Levin Domain | 6,500 |
|
King Country | Chiefs | Taupo | Owen Delany Park | 20,000 |
 |
Mid Canterbury | Crusaders | Ashburton | Ashburton Showgrounds | 5,000 |
|
North Otago | Highlanders | Oamaru | Whitestone Contracting Stadium | 7,000 |
 |
Poverty Bay | Hurricanes | Gisborne | More FM Rugby Park | 18,000 |
|
South Canterbury | Crusaders | Timaru | Alpine Energy Stadium | 12,000 |
 |
Thames Valley | Chiefs | Paeroa | Paeroa Domain | 3,000 |
 |
Wairarapa Bush | Hurricanes | Masterton | Trust House Memorial Park | 10,000 |
|
Wanganui | Hurricanes | Wanganui | Cooks Gardens | 15,000 |
 |
West Coast | Crusaders | Greymouth | Rugby Park | 6,000 |
Standings
| Pos. | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TB | LB | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | |
8 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 346 | 162 | +184 | 7 | 0 | 35 |
| 2 | |
8 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 295 | 228 | +67 | 5 | 1 | 34 |
| 3 | |
8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 318 | 185 | +133 | 6 | 1 | 33 |
| 4 | |
8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 238 | 192 | +46 | 5 | 2 | 23 |
| 5 | |
8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 263 | 261 | +2 | 5 | 2 | 23 |
| 6 | |
8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 200 | 187 | +13 | 3 | 2 | 21 |
| 7 | |
8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 245 | 192 | +53 | 3 | 0 | 21 |
| 8 | |
8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 189 | 252 | −63 | 2 | 2 | 20 |
| 9 | |
8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 206 | 255 | −49 | 4 | 0 | 16 |
| 10 | |
8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 184 | 208 | −24 | 3 | 1 | 16 |
| 11 | |
8 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 227 | 333 | −106 | 4 | 2 | 10 |
| 12 | |
8 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 112 | 368 | −256 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Meads Cup qualification | |
| Lochore Cup qualification |
In the case of a two-team tie on points the ranking of teams is decided by:
- (1) the winner of the round robin match between the two provinces; then
- (2) highest point difference; then
- (3) most tries scored; then
- (4) a coin toss.
In the caseof a three-team or more tie on points the ranking of teams is decided by:
- (1) the province with the most wins against other tied provinces in the Round Robin; then
- (2) if two teams remain tied they shall be ranked according to the criteria listed above, but if more than two teams remain tied, they shall be ranked according to criteria (2) to (4) only.
Finals
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Semifinals
- Meads Cup
| 17 October 2015 | |
25–21 | |
Alpine Energy Stadium, Timaru | ||
| 14:30 (NZST) | Report |
| 17 October 2015 | |
11–26 | |
Ashburton Showgrounds, Ashburton | ||
| 14:30 (NZST) | Report |
- Lochore Cup
| 17 October 2015 | |
12–57 | |
Horowhenua Community Trust Levin Domain, Levin | ||
| 14:00 (NZST) | Report |
| 17 October 2015 | |
6–20 | |
Victoria Square, Westport | ||
| 14:30 (NZST) | Report |
Finals
- Meads Cup
| 24 October 2015 | |
11–28 | |
Alpine Energy Stadium, Timaru | ||
| 16:35 (NZST) | Report |
- Lochore Cup
| 24 October 2015 | |
47–34 | |
Rugby Park, Te Kuiti | ||
| 13:35 (NZST) | Report |