Hilux NPC scores big wins in 2026 match attendance and social media engagement

The 2026 Hilux NPC regular season has concluded with significant growth in several key metrics, including a 57 per cent jump in match attendance and a 103 per cent increase in views across the competition’s social media channels.

The numbers were released ahead of the first round of the playoffs this week and also highlighted the remarkable firepower on display throughout the season, with a historic 61.6 points scored per game on average thanks to 645 tries across the 10 weeks of competition.

Tasman winger Kyren Taumoefolau did his part to push the attacking numbers, obliterating the previous single-season try-scoring record of 15 when he crossed the line four times in the final outing of the round-robin, bringing his season tally to 18. The 23-year-old also led the season in linebreaks, tackle busts and metres gained, and becomes All Blacks-eligible this week after representing Tonga as a teenager at the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

From a team perspective, Otago led the way by scoring 386 points, the most any team has accumulated since Canterbury’s 2022 campaign. Otago’s rising star loose forward, Lucas Casey, was overshadowed by Taumoefolau’s try-scoring exploits, but finished with an impressive tally of 10 tries, the second-most by any player in 2026.

The season’s match attendance count came in north of 300,000, a figure that is sure to have benefited from Canterbury’s new stadium, Te Kaha, opening its doors just four months ahead of round 1. But the added interest is reflected in the broadcast figures, too, with just shy of two million Kiwis tuning in on Sky Sport and TVNZ, while Sky Sport Now and Sky Go accounted for 4.35 million streams across the season.

The social media engagement figures include 35,000 new followers across the provincial rugby channels, which generated 92 million views.

This weekend’s quarter-finals will see Northland host Tasman, North Harbour host Taranaki, Otago host Hawke’s Bay, and Canterbury host Waikato. Counties Manukau have locked away the Ranfurly Shield for the summer, but the eight remaining teams are vying for the title of NPC champions in the competition’s 50th season.