Mid Canterbury, North Otago win Heartland titles
- harrisonryburn18
- 9 hours ago
- 2 min read
Mid Canterbury have lifted the Meads Cup, whilst North Otago have won the Lochore Cup, as the Heartland Championship concluded for the season on Saturday.
Squaring off in a rematch of the 2024 final, Mid Canterbury defeated Thames Valley 21-18 in the Meads Cup decider in Ashburton.
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It completes a perfect season for the Hammers, winning all 10 of their games across the campaign, to lift the Meads Cup for the first time since 2014, and the third time overall.
Leading 21-6 at the 50 minute mark, Thames Valley threatened a late comeback with two tries in the final half hour, but ultimately fell three-points short.
In the Lochore Cup final, North Otago beat Horowhenua Kapiti 64-47 in a high-scoring thriller at the Maheno Rugby Club.
Tied up at 19-19 at the half-time break, momentum swayed to and fro, as a remarkable 10 tries were shared between the two sides in the second half.
North Otago scored six of those ten tries, helped by two from fullback Ben Paton, to eventually run away on the scoreboard.
It is North Otago’s third Lochore Cup title, and their first since 2016.
It also marks the second time in three seasons that both cup winners have been South Island provinces, a feat that South Canterbury and West Coast achieved in 2023.
A New Zealand Heartland XV is now due to be selected from all of the 12 Heartland provinces, ahead of a tour to Samoa in two weeks time.
The New Zealand Heartland XV will play two games against a Samoa President’s XV and a Samoa XV, during early November.
