2017 Mitre 10 Cup
The 2017 Mitre 10 Cup season was the 12th season of New Zealand's provincial rugby union competition since it turned professional in 2006. The regular season began on August 17, when the 2016 Championship winners North Harbour hosted a game against Otago. It involved the top fourteen rugby unions of New Zealand. For sponsorship reasons, the competition is known as the Mitre 10 Cup and it is the second 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 2017 Mitre 10 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 17, with North Harbour taking on Otago at QBE Stadium, in a repeat of the previous seasons Championship Division final. The opening round saw a repeat of the Premiership final with Tasman against the then current champions Canterbury.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: |
| Elliot Dixon | Southland | 1 | 2 | vs. Bay of Plenty |
| Viliami Lolohea | Tasman | 1 | 2 | vs. Taranaki |
| Levi Aumua | Tasman | 1 | 0 | vs. Otago |
| Augustine Pulu | Counties Manukau | 1 | 0 | vs. Manawatu |
| Albert Nikoro | Counties Manukau | 1 | 0 | vs. Tasman |
| Tony Lamborn | Hawke's Bay | 1 | 0 | vs. Manawatu |
| Newton Tudreu | Manawatu | 1 | 0 | vs. Hawke's Bay |
| Sam Henwood | Counties Manukau | 0 | 2 | vs. Auckland & Waikato |
| Pouri Rakete-Stones | Hawke's Bay | 0 | 2 | vs. Bay of Plenty & Taranaki |
| Marcel Renata | Auckland | 0 | 2 | vs. Waikato & Bay of Plenty |
| Ryan Tongia | Southland | 0 | 2 | vs. Canterbury & Wellington |
| James Tucker | Waikato | 0 | 2 | vs. Northland & North Harbour |
| Geoffrey Cridge | Hawke's Bay | 0 | 1 | vs. Southland |
| Jordan Trainor | Auckland | 0 | 1 | vs. Northland |
| Tima Fainga'anuku | Tasman | 0 | 1 | vs. Manawatu |
| Jordan Taufua | Tasman | 0 | 1 | vs. Manawatu |
| Nick Werahiko | Canterbury | 0 | 1 | vs. Hawke's Bay |
| James Lowe | Tasman | 0 | 1 | vs. Waikato |
| Heiden Bedwell-Curtis | Manawatu | 0 | 1 | vs. Bay of Plenty |
| Henry Stowers | Bay of Plenty | 0 | 1 | vs. Taranaki |
| Lachlan Boshier | Taranaki | 0 | 1 | vs. Bay of Plenty |
| Josh Ioane | Otago | 0 | 1 | vs. Tasman |
| Alex Ainley | Tasman | 0 | 1 | vs. Otago |
| Asafo Aumua | Wellington | 0 | 1 | vs. Waikato |
| Regan Verney | Wellington | 0 | 1 | vs. Waikato |
| Kara Pryor | Northland | 0 | 1 | vs. Otago |
| James Lentjes | Otago | 0 | 1 | vs. Northland |
| Slade McDowall | Otago | 0 | 1 | vs. Northland |
| Will Jordan | Tasman | 0 | 1 | vs. Taranaki |
| Hapakuki Moala-Liava'a | North Harbour | 0 | 1 | vs. Hawke's Bay |
| Billy Proctor | Wellington | 0 | 1 | vs. Otago |
| Trael Joass | Tasman | 0 | 1 | vs. North Harbour |
| Antonio Kiri Kiri | Manawatu | 0 | 1 | vs. Counties Manukau |
| Tevita Nabura | Counties Manukau | 0 | 1 | vs. Manawatu |
| Tim Nanai-Williams | Counties Manukau | 0 | 1 | vs. Manawatu |
| Sam Nock | Northland | 0 | 1 | vs. Hawke's Bay |
| Sevu Reece | Waikato | 0 | 1 | vs. North Harbour |
| Michael Alaalatoa | Manawatu | 0 | 1 | vs. Taranaki |
| Declan O'Donnell | Taranaki | 0 | 1 | vs. Manawatu |
| Ben Nee-Nee | Auckland | 0 | 1 | vs. Canterbury |
| Inga Finau | Canterbury | 0 | 1 | vs. Auckland |
| Lalakai Foketi | Bay of Plenty | 0 | 1 | vs. Waikato |
| Pita Ahki | Waikato | 0 | 1 | vs. Bay of Plenty |
| Phil Halder | Southland | 0 | 1 | vs. Otago |
| Baden Kerr | Counties Manukau | 0 | 1 | vs. Tasman |
| Sam Moli | Tasman | 0 | 1 | vs. Counties Manukau |
| Dan Pryor | Northland | 0 | 1 | vs. Wellington |
| Hugh Blake | Bay of Plenty | 0 | 1 | vs. Otago |
| Latu Vaeno | Otago | 0 | 1 | vs. Bay of Plenty |
| Seta Tamanivalu | Taranaki | 0 | 1 | vs. Tasman |
Ranfurly Shield
Pre-season challenges
December 2016, Canterbury accepted Ranfurly Shield challenges from both Wanganui and Mid Canterbury after it was confirmed that several offers were received from Mitre 10 Cup and Heartland Championship unions. Wanganui will travel to Christchurch and play at AMI Stadium, while the Shield will go on the road for a challenge against Mid-Canterbury which will be played at the Ashburton Showgrounds.In the first challenge, Canterbury beat Wanganui 71−5 in Christchurch, after running in 10 tries with 10 uncapped players. Canterbury's win ensured them their 133rd successful Shield defence. Captain and halfback Jack Stratton scored the opening try in the 10th minute, before four more first-half tries resulted in the lead out to 36−5 at the break. Also early in the half, a yellow card was awarded to Wanganui prop Viki Tofa, for a high tackle on flanker Billy Harmon. Debutant first-five eighth Brett Cameron kicked 17 points in the match, while hooker Nick Werahiko scored a double. Wing Ngane Punivai impressed with his power and speed. Midfielder Timoci Seruwalu scored the visitors' only try late in the first half, when he powered over the line on the back of a close scrum. Wanganui veteran Peter Rowe retired after the loss with 112 games.
The late pre-season match saw the current holders take on Mid Canterbury, with the opposition losing all 13 of their Ranfurly Shield challenges, with eight of the defeats against Canterbury. Canterbury went on to win another successful defence 69–7. Having led 33–0 at halftime, the defending Mitre 10 Cup champions went on to run in eleven tries to one and beat the Heartland Championship side at the Ashburton Showgrounds. Former New Zealand under-20s World Cup winner Josh McKay was one of four Canterbury players to make their debut in the match, with himself and outside back Nigel Gibb, who beat four defenders on his way to the line, scoring tries in the blowout win. Wing Marshall Suckling and hooker Nathan Vella scored doubles in the win also.