2009 Air New Zealand Cup FinalsDuration30 October – 7 NovemberSemifinal 1Date and time30 October 2009, 19:35VenueAMI Stadium, ChristchurchCanterburyHawke's Bay203Semifinal 2Date and time31 October 2009, 19:05VenueWestpac Stadium, WellingtonWellingtonSouthland3421Grand FinalDate and time7 November 2009, 19:35VenueAMI Stadium, ChristchurchCanterburyWellington2820 The 2009 Air New Zealand Cup Finals will determine the winner of the 2009 Air New Zealand Cup season. It will consist of two semifinals on 30 and 31 October and Grand Final on 7 November."Air New Zealand Cup semifinals confirmed", voxy.co.nz, 24 October 2009. Retrieved on 2 November 2009.
Canterbury were the first team during the round robin to qualify for the finals when they beat Manawatu on 9 October.Schumacher, Bob. "Canterbury takes try fest" , Sportal, 9 October 2009. Retrieved on 1 November 2009. Canterbury also gained homefield advantage throughout the finals when they beat Hawke's Bay on 16 October. Southland and Wellington were the next teams to gain a playoff spot while Wellington gained a home game in the second semifinal.Stoney, Emma. "Wellington secures home comforts" , Sportal, 23 October 2009. Retrieved on 2 November. Southland gained the spot after a final round win over Canterbury while Wellington gained a spot and a home semi with a win over Tasman. Hawke's Bay were the fourth and final team to claim a playoff spot after winning their game in the 13th round with a 4 try bonus point and when Waikato, the only team who could overtake them, lost to Auckland on 24 October.Ford, Greg. "Auckland deny Waikato semifinal berth", stuff.co.nz, 24 October 2009. Retrieved on 1 November 2009.
Canterbury were the first team to qualify for the final of when they beat Hawke's Bay 20 points to 3 on 30 October.Leggat, David. "Rugby: Canterbury's red and black wall", The New Zealand Herald, 21 October 2009. Retrieved on 1 November 2009. It was the second year in a row that Canterbury qualified for the final and the first time that an Air New Zealand Cup final was held at AMI Stadium. They played Wellington who beat Southland on 31 October winning 34–21. They played the 2009 Air New Zealand Cup Final on 7 November."Canterbury to host Wellington in Air Zealand Cup 2009 final", voxy.co.nz, 1 November 2009. Retrieved on 2 November 2009. Wellington qualified for all four Air New Zealand Cup finals and their eighth final in eleven years, but only winning in 2000 which was also against Canterbury in Christchurch.Worthington, Sam. "Take a deep breath: Lions in final again". The Dominion Post, 1 November 2009. Retrieved on 2 November 2009.
Fixtures There was a total of three games in the 2009 Air New Zealand Cup Finals: two semifinals on 30 and 31 October and a grand final on 7 November. Canterbury (no. 1 seed) beat Hawke's Bay (no. 4 seed) at AMI Stadium in Christchurch on 30 October. Wellington were the no. 2 seed and beat no. 3 seed Southland on 31 October for the second spot in the 2009 Air New Zealand Cup Final.
Semifinal 1DateHome teamScoreAway teamTimeVenueAttendance30 OctoberCanterbury20–3Hawke's Bay19:35AMI Stadium, Christchurch8,000Semifinal 2DateHome teamScoreAway teamTimeVenueAttendance31 OctoberWellington34–21Southland19:05Westpac Stadium, Wellington9,073Grand FinalDateHome teamScoreAway teamTimeVenueAttendance7 NovemberCanterbury28–20Wellington19:35AMI Stadium, Christchurch12,000
Round robin review Canterbury came out on top during the round robin with 47 competition points, 4 more than their closest contenders, and a league-leading 10 wins. Wellington were second with 43, while Southland and Hawke's Bay were third and fourth respectively and both on 41 competition points."2009 Air New Zealand Cup standings" , allblacks.com. Retrieved on 1 November 2009.
Hawke's Bay scored the most points throughout the round robin with 372. They also have scored the most tries along with other finalists Canterbury and Wellington with 40. Southland came through the round robin with the best defensive record with only 189 points scored against them and average of 14.5 points a game.
Standings Pos. Team Pld W D L PF PA PD BP1 BP2 Pts1Canterbury13100336923113843472Wellington1390436223712552433Southland (RS)139132601897121414Hawke's Bay1381437225611661415Auckland138052722234934396Waikato13805285297-1240367Bay of Plenty13706268267113328Taranaki13616252251111289Tasman13607243260-17222810Otago13508260283-23252711Manawatu13409305362-57352412North Harbour13409244320-76042013Northland13319226341-115021614Counties Manukau132011235436-2012212
Canterbury Canterbury finished the 2009 Air New Zealand Cup round robin with the most competition points with 47 and were rewarded the no. 1 seed for the playoffs which gave them homefield advantage throughout. They recorded the most wins with 10, scored 369 points, gave up 231 with an overall points differential of 138, the best in the competition. They scored 40 tries, and kicked 35 penalty goals, 2 drop goals and 29 conversion.
Dan Carter scored most of Canterbury's points throughout the season with 98 while Sean Maitland scored most of the tries with 8, third most in the competition.
Canterbury squad A total of 37 players played for Canterbury in the 2009 season. George Whitelock was the captain and Rob Penney and Tabai Matson were the coaches. 2009 Canterbury Squad Props Wyatt Crockett Peter Borlase Andrew Olorenshaw Owen Franks Rodney Ah You
Hookers Corey Flynn Ti'i Paulo Steve Fualau Will Catherwood
Locks Sam Whitelock James Broadhurst Isaac Ross Luke Ramano Brad Thorn Loose forwards Michael Paterson George Whitelock (c) Ash Parker Nasi Manu Matt Todd Aaron McCoy Richie McCaw Mike Coman Kieran Read
Halfbacks Tyson Keats Willie Heinz Andy Ellis Midfielders Stephen Brett Ryan Crotty Adam Whitelock Casey Laulala Tim Bateman Dan Carter
Back Three-Quarters Sean Maitland James Paterson Colin Slade Tu Umaga-Marshall Chris SmallCoaches Rob Penney (Head) Tabai Matson (Asst.)
– Most players are capable of playing multiple positions.
– Squad only include players who have been named in a starting 15 or reserves bench.
Wellington Wellington finished second on the 2009 Air New Zealand Cup points table and were rewarded a home semifinal for it. They finished with 9 wins and 4 losses out of 13 games. They scored 362 points including a league-leading 40 tries as well as 31 penalty goals, 3 drop goals (an Air New Zealand Cup record) and 30 conversions."The Records", Rugby News, Volume 40, Issue 23, p. 35. Retrieved on 2 November 2009. They also gave up 237 points and finished with a points differential of 125, second best in the competition.
Daniel Kirkpatrick scored most of Wellington's points with 95 of them through 11 games while, for the second year in a row, Hosea Gear lead Wellington in try-scoring with 11 through 9 games including a record-equaling 4 tries against Counties Manukau in round 6.
Wellington squad 37 players played for Wellington this season. Jacob Ellison was captain and Jamie Joseph and Andre Bell were the coaches. 2009 Wellington Lions Props Jacob Ellison (c) John Schwalger Anthony Perenise Neemia Tialata Arden David-Perrot
Hookers Ged Robinson Dane Coles
Locks Api Naikatini Jeremy Thrush Polonga Pedro Nick Paasi Daniel Ramsey Mark Reddish Loose forwards Faifili Levave Victor Vito Scott Fuglistaller Matthew Luamanu Rodney So'oialo Serge Lilo Masefau Leuliniu
Halfbacks Alby Mathewson Ruki Tipuna Piri Weepu Midfielders Daniel Kirkpatrick Shaun Treeby Robbie Fruean Ma'a Nonu Conrad Smith Fa'atonu Fili Charlie Ngatai
Back Three-Quarters Hosea Gear David Smith Tamati Ellison Buxton Popoali'i Alipati Leiua Cory Jane Apoua Stewart Coaches Jamie Joseph (Head) Andre Bell (Asst.)
– Most players are capable of playing multiple positions.
– Squad only include players who have been named in a starting 15 or reserves bench.
Southland Southland finished third on the points table with 41 competition points, 9 wins, 3 losses and 1 draw. They were the best defensive team in the competition with 189 points scored against and an average of 14.5 points a game, they also on 6 occasions held their opponent tryless. They scored 260 points and had an overall points differential of 71. They scored 28 tries, 30 penalty goals and 15 conversions. They also ended the round robin in the possession of the Ranfurly Shield.
Robbie Robinson scored the most points for Southland with 111 points through 11 games and 29 of Southland's 30 penalty goals. Locks Joe Tuineau and Josh Bekhuis were the leading try scores during the round robin with four each.
Southland squad 30 players have played for Southland during the season, Jamie Mackintosh was captain and Simon Culhane and David Henderson were the coaches. 2009 Southland Stags Props Jamie Mackintosh (c) Chris King Michael Peterson Fai Mika
Hookers David Hall Jason Rutledge Brayden Mitchell
Locks Josh Bekhuis Joe Tuineau Dave Gannon Loose forwards John Hardie Tim Boys Hua Tamariki Dion Bates Tom Fleming Noa Soqeta
Halfbacks Scott Cowan Jimmy Cowan Sonny Rangitoheriri Midfielders James Wilson Jason Kawau Kendrick Lynn Robbie Robinson Seminar Manu John Dodds
Back Three-Quarters Tony Koonwaiyou Matt Saunders Mark Wells Glen Horton Pehi Te Whare Coaches Simon Culhane David Henderson
– Most players are capable of playing multiple positions.
– Squad only include players who have been named in a starting 15 or reserves bench.
Hawke's Bay Hawke's Bay finished the round robin fourth on the points table with 41 competition points and 8 win, 4 losses and 1 draw. They scored the most points out of any other team with 372 and also gave up 256 points for an overall points differential of 116. They came first-equal in tries with 40 along with other finalists Wellington and Canterbury, they also scored the most 5 try bonus points with 6. In total they scored 40 tries, 36 penalty goals, 2 drop goals and 29 conversions.
Matt Berquist scored the most points for the Hawke's Bay team, and the whole competition, with 156 points and an average of 14.2 points a game. They also had the top try scorer of the competition in Zac Guildford who scored 13 tries through 12 games.
Hawke's Bay Squad A total of 30 players were part of the Hawke's Bay team this season, Jason Shoemark was captain and Peter Russell and Tom Coventry were the coaches. 2009 Hawke's Bay Magpies Props Faka'anaua Taumalolo Clint Newland Josh Keys Jodi Allen
Hookers Ash Dixon Hikawera Elliot
Locks Matt Egan Ross Kennedy Adam Bradey Hugh Reed Bryn Evans Loose forwards Michael Johnson Karl Lowe Thomas Waldrom George Naoupu Pama Petia
Halfbacks Chris Eaton Dane Shelford Kilifi Fangupu Midfielders Matt Berquist Sam Giddens Jason Shoemark (c) Andrew Horrell Aayden Clarke Richard Buckman
Back Three-Quarters Zac Guildford Nick Thomson Jason Kupa Mark Jackman Israel Dagg Coaches Peter Russell (Head) Tom Coventry (Asst.)
– Most players are capable of playing multiple positions.
– Squad only include players who have been named in a starting 15 or reserves bench.
Statistics Hawke's Bay scored 372 points this season, most by any other team. Matt Berquist scored the most points with 156, most among players. They also scored 40 tries including the only penalty try of the season; Zac Guildford led them with 13 tries, also most among players. Sona Taumalolo, Ash Dixon, Matt Egan and Ross Kennedy were the only players in the Hawke's Bay team to receive disciplinary cards with yellows in round 3, round 8, round 9 and round 13.
Semifinal One