New Zealand Rugby Loses Bid for Chiefs Injunction

New Zealand Rugby lost its High Court bid for an interim injunction to halt the branding launch of the rival Papua New Guinea NRL expansion team, clearing the way for the Port Moresby club to unveil its jersey and logo next week ahead of its 2028 debut.

High Court Rejects Interim Injunction Over Chiefs Trademark

Justice Karen Grau declined New Zealand Rugby’s urgent application in the High Court at Wellington following a two-hour hearing. The decision allows the National Rugby League to proceed with unveiling the Port Moresby-based franchise’s strip and branding in Papua New Guinea.

New Zealand Rugby had rushed to court ahead of the scheduled October 21 launch, arguing that use of the Chiefs name by an incoming rugby league team would cause significant confusion and damage to the brand value built by the Waikato-based Super Rugby franchise over the past three decades. The rugby union body has held trademark protections for the Chiefs name and logo in New Zealand since the 1990s.

New Zealand Rugby's legal bid over Chiefs name fails

Lawyers for the Australian Rugby League Commission successfully argued that an eleventh-hour injunction would harm the expansion outfit’s recruitment efforts during the upcoming free agency period. The PNG Chiefs are slated to enter the league as its 19th team in 2028.

Lawyers Clash Over Trademark Infringement Claims

During the Wellington hearing, barrister Earl Gray, representing New Zealand Rugby, accused the league’s governing body of negligence for failing to check existing trademark registries. He argued that the expansion side had thumbed their noses at New Zealand and its laws.

Gray told the court that promotional materials and social media channels frequently dropped the “PNG” geographic qualifier, creating substantial overlap and a loss of control for the established rugby union brand. He warned that confusion can reign among sports fans who follow both codes.

Photo: SMH.com.au

Defending the league, barrister Clive Elliott countered that the branding unveiling merely maintained the status quo and that an immediate court order would cast an unwanted cloud over the franchise’s reputation just as it attempts to sign top talent. Elliott pointed out that the team name had been publicly announced nearly a year prior in October 2025, arguing that New Zealand Rugby had waited too long to seek emergency relief.

The launch would go ahead. It’s going ahead in PNG regardless.

Clive Elliott, KC, acting for the NRL

Justice Grau questioned whether sports followers were genuinely likely to confuse rugby union and rugby league, noting that fans typically understand the distinctions between the two codes.

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Executives Argue Over Cross-Code History

ARLC executive chairman Peter V’landys hit back at the rugby union’s legal challenge by labeling it hypocritical.

The hypocrisy is mind-blowing, considering the Auckland Blues in 1996 used the NSW Blues name without any consultation or approval. The NSW Blues had been the Blues for in excess of 50 years before that.

Peter V’landys, ARLC executive chairman

League representatives also pointed to other cross-code examples, such as the New South Wales Blues State of Origin team and rugby union’s Auckland-based Blues, sharing identical monikers across the Tasman Sea.

Courts Schedule Full Trademark Hearing for 2027

While the interim injunction was denied, both organizations acknowledged that the substantive legal battle is far from over. The core trademark dispute is scheduled to proceed to a full hearing in a New Zealand courtroom in early 2027.

A team runs out onto a field in jerseys and shorts — Photo: ABC News & Headlines

Today’s decision is not a judgement on the strength of our case, and the matter will still be heard in full. As the trademark holder, our responsibility to protect the Chiefs brand hasn’t changed. We remain open to working with the ARLC on a solution.

Steve Lancaster, New Zealand Rugby chief executive

PNG Chiefs chief executive Lorna McPherson confirmed that the franchise looked forward to the October 21 event in Port Moresby, while club officials noted that the trademark applications remain subject to ongoing review by intellectual property regulators in Australia and New Zealand.