| 2019 Heartland Championship | |
| Date: | –[1] |
| Countries: |  New Zealand |
| Matches: | 54 |
| Website: | heartlandchampionship.co.nz |
| Preceded By: | 2018 |
| Succeeded By: | 2021 |
The 2019 Heartland Championship, known as the 2019 Mitre 10 Heartland Championship for sponsorship reasons,[1] was the 14th edition of the Heartland Championship, a rugby union competition involving the twelve amateur rugby unions in New Zealand. The tournament began with a round-robin stage in which the twelve teams played eight games each, from which the top four advanced to the Meads Cup semifinals, while fifth to eighth advanced to the Lochore Cup semifinals. In both of these knockout stages the top seeds (first and fifth) played at home against the lowest seeds (fourth and eighth), the second highest seeds (second and sixth) played at home against the third highest seeds (third and seventh) and the final featured the higher seed playing at home against the lower seed.
The 2019 Heartland Championship was contested by the following teams.[2]
| Team | Super Rugby partner | Hometown(s) | Home stadium | Capacity[3] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buller | Crusaders | Westport | Victoria Square | 5,000 | |
| East Coast | Hurricanes | Ruatoria | Whakarua Park | 3,000 | |
| Horowhenua-Kapiti | Hurricanes | Levin | Levin Domain | 6,500 | |
| Waikanae | Waikanae Park | ||||
| King Country | Chiefs | Taupō | Owen Delany Park | 20,000 | |
| Te Kūiti | Rugby Park | ||||
| Mid Canterbury | Crusaders | Ashburton | Ashburton Showgrounds | 5,000 | |
| North Otago | Highlanders | Oamaru | Whitestone Contracting Stadium | 7,000 | |
| Poverty Bay | Hurricanes | Gisborne | More FM Rugby Park | 18,000 | |
| South Canterbury | Crusaders | Timaru | Fraser Park | 12,000 | |
| Thames Valley | Chiefs | Paeroa | Paeroa Domain | 3,000 | |
| Wairarapa Bush | Hurricanes | Masterton | Trust House Memorial Park | 10,000 | |
| Wanganui | Hurricanes | Wanganui | Cooks Gardens | 15,000 | |
| West Coast | Crusaders | Greymouth | Rugby Park | 6,000 | |
| Team | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thames Valley | 8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 240 | 163 | +77 | 4 | 2 | 30 | |
| 2 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 241 | 166 | +75 | 3 | 2 | 29 | ||
| 3 | Wairarapa Bush | 8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 209 | 181 | +28 | 4 | 1 | 29 | |
| 4 | Wanganui | 8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 294 | 184 | +110 | 6 | 2 | 28 | |
| 5 | West Coast | 8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 217 | 232 | -15 | 3 | 0 | 27 | |
| 6 | Buller | 8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 261 | 196 | +65 | 5 | 1 | 26 | |
| 7 | South Canterbury | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 237 | 176 | +61 | 4 | 3 | 25 | |
| 8 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 237 | 257 | −20 | 6 | 2 | 20 | ||
| 9 | Horowhenua-Kapiti | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 184 | 250 | −66 | 3 | 2 | 17 | |
| 10 | King Country | 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 172 | 230 | −58 | 3 | 2 | 13 | |
| 11 | Mid Canterbury | 8 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 161 | 236 | −75 | 2 | 2 | 10 | |
| 12 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 172 | 354 | −182 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| Meads Cup qualification | ||
| Lochore Cup qualification |
In the case of two teams being tied on points, the ranking of teams is decided by:
In the case of three or more teams being tied on points, the ranking of teams is decided by:
The schedule of fixtures was confirmed on 25 February 2019.[1] [2]
See also: Ranfurly Shield 2010–19.
For the 2019 preseason, Ranfurly Shield holders Otago saw challenges from the reigning 2018 Heartland Championship champions Thames Valley as well as neighbours North Otago.[4]