FORMAT

The Heartland Championship will be played:

1. In two rounds of pool play ("Pool Rounds"); followed by
2. Semifinals and finals ("the Finals Rounds") in the Meads Cup Pool and the Lochore Cup Pool.

Please click here for a graphical layout of the competition structure.
POOL ROUNDS

Round 1
Round 1 of the Pool Rounds will be played in a round robin format in two, nationally seeded pools as follows:

1. Pool A will consist of those Provincial Unions seeded 1st, 4th, 5th, 8th, 9th, and 12th in accordance with clause 7 of this Appendix.

2. Pool B will consist of those Provincial Unions seeded 2nd, 3th, 6th, 7th, 10th and 11th in accordance with clause 7 of this Appendix.


Round 1 will be played over a period of five weeks with each Provincial Union playing every other Provincial Union in its Pool.

Round 2
Round 2 of the Pool rounds will be played over three weeks in two pools as follows:

1. The Meads Cup Pool, consisting of the three Provincial Unions in Pool A with the most competition points in Round 1 and the three Provincial Unions in Pool B with the most competition points in Round 1;

2. The Lochore Cup Pool, consisting of the remaining Provincial Unions in Pool A and Pool B.


In the Meads Cup Pool, each Provincial Union will play the Provincial Unions in the pool that it did not play in Round 1. Home games in the Meads Cup Pool will be allocated using the following criteria:

1. The Provincial Unions placed 1st in Pool A and Pool B based on competition points in Round 1 will have two home games. When these two teams play each other, the team that had the most competition points in Round 1 will have the Home Match. Ties will be broken in accordance with clause 13 of this Appendix.

2. Of the Provincial Unions placed 2nd in Pool A and Pool B, the Provincial Union which has the higher aggregate competition points in Round 1 will have two home games. Ties will be broken in accordance with clause 13 of this Appendix.

3. All other Provincial Unions in the Meads Cup Pool will have one home game.


In the Lochore Cup Pool, each Provincial Union will play the Provincial Unions in the pool that it did not play in Round 1. Home games in the Meads Cup Pool will be allocated using the following criteria:

1. The Provincial Unions placed 4th in Pool A and Pool B based on competition points in Round 1 will have two home games. When these two teams play each other, the team that had the most competition points in Round 1 will have the Home Match. Ties will be broken in accordance with clause 13 of this Appendix.

2. Of the Provincial Unions placed 5th in Pool A or Pool B, the Provincial Union which has the higher aggregate competitions points in Round 1 will have two home games. Ties will be broken in accordance with clause 13 of this Appendix.

3. All other Provincial Unions in the Lochore Cup Pool will have one home game.