Talking Rugby: Whanganui miles ahead in Heartland Championship history

Whanganui have chalked up an outstanding record in the Heartland Championship over the years.

Although again losing to unbeaten South Canterbury in the recent Meads Cup final, Steelform Whanganui remain the most successful union in the history of the annual Heartland Championship.

Based on overall placings since the competition started in 2006, the Butcher Boys have an aggregate of 38 points, well clear of South Canterbury (73), North Otago (74) and Mid Canterbury (85).

The points are based on 1 for winning the Meads Cup, 2 for runners-up, 3 for third, 4 for fourth, 5 for winning the Lochore Cup, 6 for runners-up, down to 12 for the last of the dozen unions in the series.

Whanganui have an outstanding record of having qualified for the post-section playoffs in each of the 17 years the championship has run since. In 2020 there was no competition because of Covid restrictions.

The Butchers have contested 13 Meads Cup finals, winning six times and claiming Lochore Cup titles in two finals.

They were beaten in the home semifinals at Cooks Gardens in 2018 (17-7, Meads Cup by Thames Valley) and 2013 (40-30, Lochore Cup by Buller).

In terms of titles, closest to Whanganui’s eight championships are South Canterbury and North Otago with five each - three Meads and two Lochore wins for both South Island unions.

Mid Canterbury have three Heartland titles including two Meads Cup finals, with single Meads Cup honours to Wairarapa Bush, East Coast and Thames Valley.

Poverty Bay have won the Lochore Cup four times, including in the first three years. Whanganui, South Canterbury and North Otago have won twice each, and Mid Canterbury, Wairarapa Bush, Buller, King Country, Horowhenua-Kāpiti, East Coast and West Coast once each.

West Coast recently celebrated becoming the last of the 12 Heartland unions to win a championship, with a 23-20 home Lochore victory over Poverty Bay.

Finalists Rewarded

Whanganui and South Canterbury, finalists in the recent Bunnings Warehouse Meads Cup, provide half the 2023 New Zealand Heartland squad for matches in the South Island next week.

Twelve of the 23-strong squad come from the two unions that have dominated the national championship over the past two seasons.

South Canterbury, now three-peat Meads Cup winners, supply seven players and Whanganui five for fixtures against Canterbury Development XV at Methven on Wednesday, November 1 and New Zealand Barbarians in Ōamaru on Saturday, November 4.

It is the first time the national Heartland and Barbarians teams have met since the Baabaas won 36-24 at Taupō in 2021.

Last year the New Zealand Heartland side massacred the New Zealand Police 84-14 in a complete mismatch at Taupō’s Owen Delaney Park.

Whanganui halfback Lindsay Horrocks, who has been selected for a sixth time for the national team, will be playing in his ninth New Zealand Heartland match, as will be South Canterbury halfback William Wright, when he takes the field.

Horrocks, who recently passed a century of rep games for the Whanganui union, will be joined by his cousin Douglas, one of 11 Heartland debutants.

Douglas Horrocks, a hard-working loose forward, rejoined Kaierau on his return from Ireland.

Another new national cap is Taihape lock Peter Travis Hay-Horton, a brother of 2021 New Zealand Heartland rep prop Hadlee Hay-Horton.

Whanganui also supply a third newcomer to the New Zealand squad in attacking Kaierau fullback Peceli Malanicagi.

The fifth local selected is Butcher Boys skipper and goalkicking first five Dane Whale, named for a third successive year.

Lindsay Horrocks now becomes the second-most-selected local New Zealand Heartland rep with six – 2015-16-19-21-22-23 - behind Northern Wanganui’s national captain Peter Rowe on nine (2006-07-09-10-12-13-14-15-16).

Hooker Cole Baldwin won five selections (2009-10-11-14-15).

The Methven fixture starts at 4pm next Wednesday and the Ōamaru game at 2pm on Saturday week.

This is the final weekly Talking Rugby column for 2023.