The 2011 ITM Cup is the 35th provincial rugby union competition in New Zealand, the sixth since the competition reconstruction in 2006 and the second under the new sponsor of ITM (Independent Timber Merchants).
The new competition format from 2011 will see 14 teams split into two divisions of seven teams based on their on-field finishing positions in 2010. The top seven teams will form the Premiership and the bottom seven the Championship. Teams will play all other teams in their division plus four teams from the other division (there will be an innovative new process for teams to select their cross-division opponents with the detail to be finalised in the first quarter of 2011). All matches will carry full competition points. Due to the ITM Cup season running up against the 2011 Rugby World Cup, to be held in September and October in New Zealand, the competition window will be truncated. Three midweek matches will be held during the regular season, and there will be no semi-finals; the top two teams in both the Championship and Premiership will advance directly to their respective finals. Semi-finals will return to both competitions in 2012.
The winner of the Championship will receive automatic promotion to the Premiership replacing the 7th placed team in the Premiership which will be relegated to the Championship.
Match Preview
Canterbury v Waikato
The two 2010 finalists meet in one of the more important matches the middle rounds will throw up. The winner will move towards the head of the pack, while the loser will get a little twitchy.
VENUE & TIME: Rugby Park, Christchurch, Wednesday August 10 @ 1435
HEAD TO HEAD: Played 44; Canterbury 26, Waikato 17, drawn 1.
LAST TIME: November 5, 2010 (Christchurch, final) – Canterbury 33-13 Waikato.
Both these teams have been pretty sharp over the last couple of weeks, with Canterbury taking all ten available points from its last two matches. They piled on late points against Manawatu, which possibly made the score look better than the game suggested, but let Tasman run a couple of late tries at Blenheim after holding a good lead for much of the match. Waikato has taken nine of the available points but has had to contend with some rough weather along the way and any win last Sunday, in the wind and rain against Counties-Manukau, was a good one. Waikato scored the only try of a tough, tight match to get over the line. As a result both sides are among the five Premiership teams with three wins; Canterbury sits second on the table thanks to five bonus points while Waikato, with only two, is in fifth.
TEAMS:
Canterbury: 1. Paea Fa'anunu, 2. Steve Fualau, 3. Andrew Olorenshaw, 4. Luke Romano, 5. Ash Parker, 6. George Whitelock (capt), 7. Matt Todd, 8. Nasi Manu, 9. Willi Heinz, 10. Tyler Bleyendaal, 11. Patrick Osborne, 12. Tom Taylor, 13. Robbie Fruean, 14. Telusa Veainu, 15. Sean Maitland.
Waikato: 1. Toby Smith, 2. Marcel Cummings-Toone, 3. Nathan White (capt), 4. Toby Lynn, 5. Romana Graham, 6. Matt Vant Leven, 7. Marty Holah, 8. Alex Bradley, 9. Tawera Kerr-Barlow, 10. Stephen Donald, 11. Tim Mikkelson, 12. Jackson Willison, 13. Richard Kahui, 14. Henry Speight, 15. Trent Renata.
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