2002, 2003 and most recently made the Final in 2018. Hastings Boys High School 1st XV won the competition in 2004, 2016, shared the title with Hamilton Boys' High School in 2017, and most recently reached the Final in 2021. Both schools also regularly feature in the (seeded) semi-finals to be played against the winner and runner-up of the Wellington Premiership school rugby competition for the Hurricanes Cup. The winner of the Hurricanes Cup represents the Hurricanes region in the National First XV Championship or Top 4. In the most recent years, the Hurricanes Cup was won by a Hawke's Bay 1st XV team: in 2016, 2017 and 2019 by Hastings Boys High School and in 2018 and 2021 by Napier Boys High School. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Hurricanes Cup and Top 4 were not played for in 2020; the Top 4 has also been cancelled for 2021. Hawke's Bay in Air New Zealand Cup Hawke's Bay made their debut, along with Tasman, Manawatu and Counties-Manukau, in the 2006 Air New Zealand Cup which had 14 teams. Hawkes Bay made their best effort to date in the 2007 Air New Zealand Cup, winning many games even against bigger unions such as Wellington and Waikato. They were the fairytale story of the competition, surprising everyone to reach the semi-finals where they were beaten by Auckland. They repeated this form in the 2008 and 2009 seasons where they were again beaten semi-finalists. This form in back to back seasons attracted warranted attention and many Hawke's Bay players were awarded with Super 14 contracts, both for the Hurricanes and elsewhere. Bunnings NPC Hawke's Bay All Black players 2020s Brodie Retallick 2012– Brad Weber 2015, 2019– Folau Fakatava 2022– Records Most appearances 158 – Neil Thimbleby 1959–71 147 – Hunt R.J. (Richard) 1967–83 125 – Hunter R.P. (Robbie) 1971–82 120 – Stuart R.L. (Robbie) 1967–80 111 – Crawford O. (Orcades) 1988–2000 108 – Davis W.L. (Bill) 1961–71 100 – Crawford K.K. (Karaan) 1964–71 100 – Paewai M.R. (Murdoch) 1991–2003 100 - Ahipene V.C (Victim) 1960 - 1972 Most points 1007 – J.B. (Jarod) Cunningham 1990–98 631 – Bishop I.R. (Ian) 1963–72 628 - Ihaia West 2012-2017 435 – Small A.G. (Tony) 1957–65 386 – O'Shaughnessy P.G. (Peter) 1981–90 343 – Cooper M.J.A (Matthew) 1985–89 339 – Bert Grenside 1919–31 311 – Hunter R.P. (Robbie) 1971–82 304 – Manawatu T.J. (Tim) 2001–03 Most