Regional rugby

For 125 years Taranaki has maintained the rugby traditions associated with New Zealand’s rural hinterland. With tough, uncompromising forwards complemented by accurate kickers, the ‘Naki set the benchmark for provincial rugby during its heyday between the late 1950s and mid-1960s, when two tenures of the Ranfurly Shield yielded 28 successful defences.

Though the Taranaki Rugby Football Union was not officially established until 1889, a team chosen from the clubs then in existence played as Egmont in 1885. Taranaki currently plays in the professional ITM Cup, which it won in 2014. Initially affiliated to the Hurricanes, in 2014 Taranaki joined Counties Manukau, Waikato, Thames Valley, Bay of Plenty and King Country, Taranaki in the Chiefs Super Rugby franchise.

Great moments in amber and black

Following a brief dalliance with a ‘chocolate coloured’ jersey, Taranaki donned amber and black in 1892. In these famous colours the ‘Naki has won the Ranfurly Shield on five occasions. It has also won seven second division titles in the National Provincial Championship, more than any other team.