Canterbury clinch semi-final berth with extra-time victory in NPC classic

Apollo Projects Stadium in Christchurch played host to the last of the Bunnings NPC quarter-finals for 2025, between top of the table Canterbury, and eighth placed Counties Manukau.

The side from Auckland battled hard in the 90 minutes of rugby, and led at halftime 15-5, but a strong performance at home in extra-time from Marty Bourke’s Canterbury, meant the home side booked their place in the last four for 2025.

There were some huge performances across the park from players on both sides, including 33 tackles from Adam Brash and 26 from Leo Ngatai-Tafau for Counties Manukau.

Canterbury will host Hawkes Bay next Saturday in Christchurch, while Otago will host Bay of Plenty in Dunedin under the roof at Forsyth Barr Stadium.

A heavy wind favouring Counties Manukau in the first half played a massive part in the opening 20 minutes, creating all sorts of pressure on Canterbury in their own end.

Canterbury’s playmakers struggled to get out of their own 22, and the away side managed to force Canterbury to make a number of tackles early on, and put pressure on with ball in hand.

Despite the strong wind, young Canterbury lock Jamie Hannah powered his way over the line down the short side, to give the home side the lead after a Gibson Popoali’i penalty for Counties Manukau opened the scoring.

Popoali’i then hit back with a try of his own, beating multiple defenders down the left hand touchline to go in five meters from touch.

Former Crusaders hooker turned Waratahs player Ioane Moananu then got himself involved in the action in the 30th minute, getting his hands on the ball at the back of a rolling maul.

The Counties Manukau hooker rolled his sleeves up, and dived over the line to the side of the maul, extending the away side’s lead to 15-5 just shy of halftime.

Canterbury started the second half with a 39 meter penalty from Chay Fihaki, before a 51st minute converted try for Braydon Ennor levelled the scores between the two sides.

The next 20 minutes of the encounter was back and forth, with both teams making breaks and creating half chances.

Canterbury managed to keep the away side out on multiple occasions on their line, while Counties Manukau’s breakdown work in the middle parts of the field kept them in the game.

The wind continued to cause havoc for the two teams, with Canterbury’s in-play kicks often going dead.

Both teams had their opportunities, but the defence of both teams held strong in the last ten minutes, forcing 20 minutes of extra time in Christchurch.

Extra-time was all Canterbury in the opening seven minutes, before replacement halfback Louis Chapman fired a pass wide to All Blacks Sevens star Andrew Knewstubb, who shifted it once more to Fihaki on the right wing.

Fihaki was too quick for the covering defenders, scoring his first of the afternoon with a couple minutes left in the first period of extra-time.

It was then that man again, who slotted a penalty from close to halfway, securing the home side’s quarter-final victory in a Bunnings NPC classic.