The Rugby Cup was the inaugural NPC trophy in 1976, lifted by winning Bay of Plenty captain Tuck Waaka. By Campbell BurnesNew Zealand Rugby is marking 40 years of the NPC with a nod to the past in the form of the newly restored Rugby Cup, which will be up for grabs in the Premiership section. James Dwan was responsible for the reconstruction of the Rugby Cup, known colloquially as the 'punch bowl.' Now 68 and looking sprightly, Waaka was on hand earlier today at the Mitre 10 Cup season launch at Auckland's Eden Rugby Club. Waaka would never have guessed that he would be not only the first Bay of Plenty skipper to hold the NPC trophy aloft, but also the last.

Source: New Zealand Herald August 09, 2016 03:11 UTC