The Lion Red Cup was a New Zealand domestic rugby league competition that ran from 1994 to 1996 sponsored by brewers Lion Nathan. It was created due to the increase in public awareness of domestic rugby league due to the Auckland Warriors being accepted into the Winfield Cup. The competition was a huge success in its inaugural year, although it made a massive loss financially. Throughout its three-year history it continued to make a loss, eventually being scrapped by the New Zealand Rugby League.
Teams The teams that participated were:
TeamSeasonsPlayedWDLPFPAPDPremiershipsRunner upMinor PremiershipsWooden SpoonAuckland City Vulcans199423 14 1 8 539 393 1190000Auckland Warriors Colts199524 19 0 5 711 398 3230110Bay of Plenty Stags1994-667 15 4 48 1024 2028−10610002Canterbury Country Cardinals1994-669 32 5 32 1504 1475 1970000Christchurch City Shiners1994-666 21 1 44 1173 1692 -5190001Counties Manukau Heroes1994-676 53 3 20 2115 1332 8011110Hawkes Bay Unicorns1994-666 24 2 40 1217 1545 -3280000Hutt Valley Firehawks/Dolphins1994-667 33 2 32 1460 1429 520000Manawatu Mustangs199622 5 0 17 404 732 -3280000North Harbour Sea Eagles1994-675 50 1 24 1940 1235 10272000Taranaki Rockets1994-666 23 2 41 1336 1744 -4530000Waikato Cougars1994-673 45 3 25 1696 1412 3630000Waitakere City Raiders1994-668 39 2 27 1705 1257 4040110Wellington City Dukes1994-666 27 2 37 1446 1554 -1080000
Seasons
YearChampionsScoreScoreDefeatedMinor PremiersWooden Spoon1994North Harbour Sea Eagles2416Counties Manukau HeroesCounties Manukau HeroesBay of Plenty Stags1995North Harbour Sea Eagles2821Auckland Warriors ColtsAuckland Warriors ColtsBay of Plenty Stags1996Counties Manukau Heroes3422Waitakere City RaidersWaitakere City RaidersChristchurch City Shiners
Leading Scorers Top Point Scorers 500: Paul Howell (Wellington City/Hutt Valley) 405: Blair Nickson (Taranaki) 395: Earl Va’a (Wellington City/Hutt Valley) 304: Ben Lythe (Waitakere City)Top Try ScorersNew Zealand Rugby League Annual '98, New Zealand Rugby Football League, 1998. 36: Paul Howell (Wellington City/Hutt Valley) 34: Don Stewart (North Harbour) 30: Marlon Gardner (Bay of Plenty) 39: David Bailey (Waitakere City)Most Appearances 73: Esau Mann (Counties Manukau) 72: Matthew Sturm (Counties Manukau) 68: Darryn Avery (Canterbury Country) 66: Paul Howell (Wellington City/Hutt Valley)
References
External links Zealand Competitions The Vault