Former Bay of Plenty captain and flanker Tuck J Waaka was reunited with an old friend this week – the Rugby Cup.

Tuck, also a former captain of the New Zealand Māori team, was the first man to hold aloft the Rugby Cup after Bay of Plenty won the inaugural National Provincial Championship back in 1976.

Bay of Plenty Steamers coach Clayton McMillan with The Rugby Cup which will be contested for by 14 teams in the 2016 Mitre 10 Cup.

Last presented to 2005 NPC winners Auckland, the newly-restored Rugby Cup is making its return to New Zealand's national competition for this year's renamed 2016 Mitre 10 Cup.

On Tuesday the Rugby Cup took pride of place as 14 provincial head coaches converged on Eden Rugby Club to mark the launch of the competition.

NZ Rugby chief strategy and operations officer Nigel Cass says the Mitre 10 Cup plays a vital role in the development of the New Zealand's best sporting talent and continues to hold an important place in the rugby calendar.

'The Mitre 10 Cup brings out the very best in provincial rivalry and is unique because of its links to the past and strong focus on the future of the game in New Zealand,” says Nigel.

'There are always plenty of surprises during the season, and each game will be fiercely contested and no doubt some exciting new talent will emerge during the competition.”

This is the first year that both the Cup and Heartland Championship competitions will be supported by the same title sponsor, Mitre 10.

The partnership also includes sponsorship of the Women's Provincial Championship – recently re-named the Farah Palmer Cup – and the Jock Hobbs Memorial Under 19 tournament.

Mitre 10 is the first sponsor of all the major fifteens domestic competitions in New Zealand, while Valspar are the new sponsors of provincial rugby match officials across all four competitions.

Nigel says each year they strive to improve the quality of rugby and new breakdown laws being trialled this year are designed to make the game safer to play, easier to understand and more entertaining to watch.

NZ Rugby's focus once again will be on providing fun, family-friendly entertainment, with at least one game in each provincial union giving kids the opportunity to eat for free, adds Nigel.

'Our players of the future will run the ball onto the field at the start of every game and each home team will be available to sign autographs after the final whistle.

'The rich history of provincial rugby is passed on through stories of great matches between fierce rivals and the Ranfurly Shield is integral to that legacy.

'The Log o' Wood remains the most cherished trophy in domestic rugby and another chapter in its colourful 114-year existence will be written over the coming weeks,” says Nigel.

Following an 11-week competition, involving 76 matches across the country, the Rugby Cup will be awarded to the winners of the Mitre 10 Cup Premiership Final to be played on October 29.

The first round of the 2016 Mitre 10 Cup will see Bay of Plenty take on Taranaki at the Tauranga Domain on Saturday, August 20.