2015 ITM Cup
The 2015 ITM Cup season was the 10th season of New Zealand's provincial rugby union competition since it turned professional in 2006. The regular season began on August 13, when Southland hosted a game against Auckland. It involved the top fourteen rugby unions of New Zealand. For sponsorship reasons, the competition is known as the ITM Cup and it is the sixth season under the lead sponsor. The winner of the Championship will be promoted to the Premiership, the 7th placed Premiership team will be relegated to the Championship.
Format
The Mitre 10 Cup standings are sorted by a competition points system. Four points are awarded to the winning team, a draw equals to two points, whilst a loss amounts to zero points. Unions can also win their side a respectable bonus point. To receive a bonus point, they must score four tries or more or lose by seven or fewer points or less. Each team is placed on their total points received. If necessary of a tiebreaker, when two or more teams finish on equal points, the union who defeated the other in a head-to-head gets placed higher. In case of a draw between them, the side with the biggest points deferential margin will get rights to be ranked above. If they are tied on points difference, it is then decided by a highest scored try count or a coin toss. This seeding format has been implemented since the beginning of the 2006 competition.The competition included a promotion-relegation process with the winner of the Championship receiving automatic promotion to the Premiership replacing the seventh-placed team in the Premiership which is relegated to the Championship for the following year. The regular season consisted of two types of matches. The internal division matches are when each team played the other six unions in their division once, home or away. The cross-division matches are when each team played four teams from the other division, thus missing out on three teams, each from the opposite division. Each union played home or away games against teams from the other division, making a total of ten competition games for each union. The finals format allows the top four teams from each division move on to the semi-finals. The top two division winners, based on table points, received a home semi-final. In the first round of the finals, the semi-finals, the second division winner hosted the third division winner, and the first division winner hosted the fourth division winner. The final was hosted by the top remaining seed.
Standings
Standings progression
Regular season
The 2015 ITM Cup played across nine weeks with every team playing one Wednesday night fixture in a double-up round where they played twice that week. The competition started on Thursday, August 13, with Southland taking on Auckland at Rugby Park Stadium. The last matchup of the beginning week saw Hawke's Bay host Northland for the competitions first Ranfurly Shield defense.Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
Week 9
Play-offs
Semi-finals
----Finals
----Statistics
Leading point scorers
Source:Leading try scorers
Source:Points by week
Tries by week
| Offensive | Defensive |
Sanctions
| Player | Team | Red | Yellow | Suspended for match: |
| Jamie Mackintosh | Southland | 1 | 1 | vs. Wellington & Otago |
| Matt Talaese | Northland | 1 | 0 | vs. Southland |
| Ardie Savea | Wellington | 0 | 2 | vs. Southland & Otago |
| Ben Tameifuna | Waikato | 0 | 2 | vs. Canterbury & Hawke's Bay |
| Johan Bardoul | Bay of Plenty | 0 | 2 | vs. Counties Manukau & Otago |
| Marty Banks | Tasman | 0 | 1 | vs. Waikato |
| Kurt Baker | Taranaki | 0 | 1 | vs. Wellington |
| Brad Shields | Wellington | 0 | 1 | vs. Taranaki |
| Jayden Spence | Otago | 0 | 1 | vs. Canterbury |
| Nafi Tuitavake | North Harbour | 0 | 1 | vs. Wellington |
| Ross Geldenhuys | Tasman | 0 | 1 | vs. Bay of Plenty |
| Hamiora Thomas | Manawatu | 0 | 1 | vs. Waikato |
| Jordan Payne | Waikato | 0 | 1 | vs. Manawatu |
| Tawera Kerr-Barlow | Waikato | 0 | 1 | vs. Manawatu |
| Pauliasi Manu | Counties Manukau | 0 | 1 | vs. Canterbury |
| Shane Christie | Tasman | 0 | 1 | vs. Manawatu |
| Ben Funnell | Canterbury | 0 | 1 | vs. Auckland |
| Mitchell Graham | Taranaki | 0 | 1 | vs. Otago |
| Culum Retallick | Bay of Plenty | 0 | 1 | vs. Waikato |
| Ma'ama Vaipulu | Counties Manukau | 0 | 1 | vs. Taranaki |
| Akira Ioane | Auckland | 0 | 1 | vs. Waikato |
| Sam Vaka | Counties Manukau | 0 | 1 | vs. North Harbour |
| Chris Vui | North Harbour | 0 | 1 | vs. Counties Manukau |
| Mitchell Crosswell | Taranaki | 0 | 1 | vs. Bay of Plenty |
| Zak Hohneck | Bay of Plenty | 0 | 1 | vs. Hawke's Bay |
| Josh Goodhue | Northland | 0 | 1 | vs. Counties Manukau |
| Sam Nock | Northland | 0 | 1 | vs. Counties Manukau |
| Trent Renata | Tasman | 0 | 1 | vs. Auckland |
| Jono Hickey | Auckland | 0 | 1 | vs. Tasman |
| Jono Kitto | Bay of Plenty | 0 | 1 | vs. Northland |
| Joe Tupe | Bay of Plenty | 0 | 1 | vs. Northland |
| David Havili | Tasman | 0 | 1 | vs. Counties Manukau |
| Robbie Malneek | Tasman | 0 | 1 | vs. Counties Manukau |
| Sam Henwood | Counties Manukau | 0 | 1 | vs. Tasman |
| Alex Woonton | North Harbour | 0 | 1 | vs. Manawatu |
| Jason Woodward | Wellington | 0 | 1 | vs. Hawke's Bay |
| Chris Eaton | Hawke's Bay | 0 | 1 | vs. Wellington |
| Peni Iowane | Waikato | 0 | 1 | vs. Counties Manukau |
| Marshall Suckling | Canterbury | 0 | 1 | vs. Tasman |
| Heiden Bedwell-Curtis | Manawatu | 0 | 1 | vs. Taranaki |
| Jeffery Toomaga-Allen | Wellington | 0 | 1 | vs. Bay of Plenty |
| Ben May | Wellington | 0 | 1 | vs. Bay of Plenty |
| Fletcher Smith | Otago | 0 | 1 | vs. Northland |
| Zac Guildford | Hawke's Bay | 0 | 1 | vs. Waikato |
| Johnny McNicholl | Canterbury | 0 | 1 | vs. Taranaki |
| Scott Scrafton | Auckland | 0 | 1 | vs. Canterbury |
Ranfurly Shield
Pre-season challenges
won the Ranfurly Shield when they defeated Counties Manuaku in August 2014, and subsequently made four successful defenses. Hawke's Bay announced their first three defenses against Wairarapa Bush, Horowhenua-Kapiti, and Meads Cup winners Mid Canterbury after receiving six Heartland Championship offers.In the first challenge, Hawke's Bay were missing players due to Super Rugby and international duties but managed to score forty-one unanswered second-half points which saw them safely retain the shield, winning 58–7 at McLean Park. Prop Jarvy Aoake scored from close range to open the scoring with their second try coming from fullback Zac Guildford and Tyrone Elkington-MacDonald kicked every conversion and penalty. Wairarapa Bush flanker Brock Price was awarded a try after chasing a kick downfield. Shannan Chase, Billy Ropiha, and Brendon O'Connor also scored tries with Jonah Lowe completing the scoring, in the final minute.
Again Hawke's Bay was missing players plus their coach also. Horowhenua-Kapiti were within four points with 15 minutes to play in Napier for the second Ranfurly Shield challenge. They dominated the opening half with Perry Hayman kicking three-from-three penalty shots at goal. Hawke's Bay although was in control with a dominant scrum and tries to Joseph Penitito and American Tony Lamborn. Sam Gardner scored for Horowhenua-Kapiti which brought the game back to within four points. But captain Antony Fox was then sent to the sin bin for a cynical infringement during a Hawke's Bay drive on his own try line which caused three Hawke's Bay penalties and tries to Shannan Chase, Tom Stanley and Mark Braidwood.