The 2023 draw for New Zealand’s premier women’s provincial rugby competition has been released with the Bay of Plenty Volcanix kicking of their season at home to play Waikato on Saturday 15 July. 

New Zealand Rugby (NZR) General Manager Community Rugby Steve Lancaster was looking forward to the FPC continuing its rapid rise in its quality and competitiveness in front of a growing fan base.

“We are seeing a surge in energy and momentum around women and girls’ rugby in the wake of the Rugby World Cup and increasing player numbers and we’re looking forward to new and old fans brining that enthusiasm and passion to our venues in 2023. The quality of athletes coming into the competition continues to be impressive and we have an increasing number of players with professional experience now able to pass on their expertise.”

The opening round JJ Stewart Trophy challenge match is the first of three scheduled at Rugby Park during the 2023 FPC Premiership draw with the others being against Bay of Plenty in Week 3 and Counties Manukau in Week 6.

There are 36 FPC round-robin matches across the Premiership and Championship divisions of the FPC during a seven-week regular season which features family friendly afternoon kick off times, with all but two 5:05pm Friday matches to be played on Saturday or Sunday, and every match televised on Sky Sport.

The seven-team Bunnings Warehouse FPC Premiership title will be contested by Hawke’s Bay, Auckland, Canterbury, Wellington, Bay of Plenty, Waikato and Counties Manukau with a six-week round robin followed by semi-finals and a final.

The six-team Bunnings Warehouse FPC Championship title will be contested by Tasman, Otago, Taranaki, Manawatū, North Harbour and Northland with a five-week round robin followed by quarter-finals, semi-finals and a final. The format will see the top two teams after the round robin advance to the semi-finals and the bottom four play off in the quarterfinals (3 v 6, 4 v 5) with the two winners advancing to the semi-finals.

Click here to see the full 2023 Farah Palmer Cup, presented by Bunnings Warehouse draw.

Bay of Plenty Volcanix 2023 Farah Palmer Cup Draw
Round One: Volcanix v Waikato, Venue TBC, Saturday 15 July, 2.05pm
Round Two: Counties Manukau v Volcanix, Navigation Homes Stadium, Pukekohe, Saturday 22 July 4.35pm
Round Three: Canterbury v Volcanix, Rugby Park, Christchurch, Saturday 29 July, 12.05pm
Round Four: Auckland v Volcanix, Colin Maiden Park, Auckland, Saturday 5 Auguts, 12.05pm
Round Five: Volcanix v Wellington, Tauranga Domain, Tauranga, Saturday 12 August, 11.35am (Double Header with Steamers)
Round Six: Volcanix v Hawke's Bay, Venue TBC, Sunday 20 August, 12.05pm
Round Seven: BYE
Semi-Finals: 1-3 September
Grand Final: 8-10 September

Home game tickets will be available to purchase online from July.

Article added: Tuesday 18 April 2023