The Bush Rugby Football Union is a former provincial rugby union

Rugby union

Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...

 team from New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

, existing from 1890 - 1971.

The union was formed on 19 April 1890 at Pahiatua

Pahiatua

Pahiatua is a rural service town in the south-eastern North Island of New Zealand with an urban and rural population of over 4,000. It is between Masterton and Woodville on State Highway 2 and the Wairarapa Line railway, north of Masterton and east of Palmerston North...

 by the Pahiatua, Woodville

Woodville, New Zealand

Woodville is a small town in the southern North Island of New Zealand, 75 km north of Masterton and 25 km east of Palmerston North. In the 2006 census 1,398 people are usually resident in Woodville, a decrease of 81 people, or 5.5%, since the 2001 Census.-Early History and Local...

 and Eketahuna

Eketahuna

Eketahuna is a small rural service town, the most southerly in the Tararua District in the Manawatu-Wanganui region of the North Island of New Zealand, but is considered to be in northern Wairarapa. It was called Mellenskov, but was renamed soon after its founding.The town is located at the foot of...

 rugby football clubs. The original plan was to include Dannevirke and name the team "70 Mile Bush", but the Dannevirke club instead opted to remain part of Hawkes Bay

In 1971 Bush amalgamated with the Wairarapa Rugby Football Union

Wairarapa Rugby Football Union

The Wairarapa Rugby Football Union was formed in 1886 and played until 1971, when they amalgamated with the Bush Rugby Football Union to form Wairarapa Bush Rugby Football Union.-Ranfurly Shield:...

 to form Wairarapa Bush Rugby Football Union

Wairarapa Bush Rugby Football Union

The Wairarapa Bush Rugby Football Union was formed in 1971 with the amalgamation of the Wairarapa Rugby Football Union and Bush Rugby Football Union....

. In 1950 the Wairarapa and Bush unions put up a combined team to play the touring British Lions

British and Irish Lions

The British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...

, losing 13-27

Ranfurly Shield

Bush had 7 unsuccessful challenges for the Ranfurly Shield between 1927-1968

• 1927 Wairarapa 53 vs Bush 3, Masterton
• Wairarapa 57 vs Bush 11, Masterton
• 1939 Southland 38 vs Bush 0, Invercargill
• 1957 Wellington 22 vs Bush 9, Wellington
• 1962 Auckland 46 vs Bush 6, Auckland
• 1965 Taranaki 33 vs Bush 6, New Plymouth
• 1968 Hawkes Bay 36 vs Bush 6, Napier

All Blacks

Bush had only one All Black during their existence, Athol "Tonk" Mahoney who represented New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

in 26 matches from 1929-1936. Mahoney also played 36 matches for the Bush union between 1927 and 1939.