Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens: 'When that maul’s going forward, don’t get in the way'

Taranaki seems to be charging home in the 2026 NPC faster than Kiwi did in the 1983 Melbourne Cup.

And like the racehorse from Waverley, a small town in the South Taranaki District, the Bulls are rampant in their sniff of glory as the finish line approaches.

Faced with a 3-win, 4-loss record before their round eight match against Southland, Taranaki had to win and did so with a 55-19 smashing of Southland in New Plymouth on September 20.

Since the Stags stampede, Taranaki have overpowered Hawke’s Bay (50-14), Wellington (68-26), and North Harbour (50-31). Electric fullback Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens scored a try in each win, making some admirers hoarse.

It’s an unprecedented scoring spree. No team has ever scored 50 points in four consecutive NPC matches. In 2012, Canterbury won the championship and scored 50 points five times in six matches. In 1984, with only four-point tries, Auckland scored four half-centuries, though not consecutively.

“That’s pretty surprising. We’ve beaten some good teams,” Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens marvelled with RugbyPass.

“We’ve really focused on performing at the right time of year, understanding what’s got us into successful positions before. Taranaki DNA is about pinpoint set-piece and taking calculated attack risks from anywhere.

“Was I worried we left our run too late? Of course, but we’ve been lucky to get some key players back at the right time. In our first game, Michael Loft and Fiti Sa were injured then it became a domino effect. Kaylum Boshier, Daniel Rona, and Adam Lennox were all injured, and then Bradley Slater and Josh Jacomb were named in the All Blacks, so we really had to dig deep. Some limited NPC experience showed with the young boys, but we’ve built depth because of that too.”

Taranaki will need to empty both barrels to conquer top round-robin qualifiers and defending champions Canterbury at One New Zealand Stadium in Christchurch in the semi-final on Saturday.

Since a 40-26 defeat to Taranaki on August 28, Canterbury have won six consecutive matches. Their best performance in that streak was a 62-26 demolition of Waikato in their quarter-final on Sunday. Canterbury hooker Brodie McAlister emulated Taranaki hooker Bradley Slater (against North Harbour) by scoring three tries from lineout drives. Will the backs see the ball?

“When that maul’s going forward, don’t get in the way,” Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens laughed.

“We’re under no illusions about what Canterbury will bring and how they’ll play. They’re a proud province with a big crowd cheering them on under the roof. We have to get our preparation right and challenge them with our strengths rather than focusing on them.”

Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens has a good track record against Canterbury. The second of his 67 games for Taranaki was a successful 23-22 Ranfurly Shield challenge at the now disused Apollo Projects Stadium in Christchurch, where he scored two tries. In 2023, Taranaki beat Canterbury 23-15 in a semi-final in New Plymouth en route to just their second title since 2014.

“That Shield match was pretty much All Blacks against All Blacks,” Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens recalled.

“We had Beauden and Joride Barrett, Josh Lord, Bradley Slater and Tupou Vaa’i. They had George Bridge, Richie Mo’unga, Mitchell Drummond, Cullen Grace, Sam Whitelock, Luke Romano, Codie Taylor, Joe Moody, Fletcher Newell and Brett Cameron. It was pretty special to make an impact in the one.

“After winning the semi in 23, it felt like we had unstoppable momentum for the final, which we won against Hawke’s Bay. It hosed down for the semi. It was the perfect day in the final.”

A confident Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens has played plenty of big rugby. His 34 games for the often struggling Highlanders are usually high quality. He was selected for the All Blacks XV in 2025 and played in their 33-19 win against the Barbarians in London and 45-21 success over Uruguay in France, scoring a try.

How does Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens, however, reconcile the relatively free-flowing state of NPC rugby with the more restrictive international environment?

“As a supporter, I hope our rugby is exciting to watch. People make a big investment in the NPC. A lot of players cherish the chance to play for their home province, so we want to reflect that passion and fun with exciting rugby,” Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens explained.

“I do feel like NPC is even more expansive than Super. There are so many chances to move the ball, whether from set pieces, broken play, or quick ball in the second or third phase. Defence is important, but so are calculated attacks.”

Born in Christchurch and raised in New Plymouth, Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens attended the same alma mater as the Barrett family, Francis Douglas Memorial College. He was in the First XV from 2017 to 2019 and rated victories against Wesley College and Palmerston North Boys’ High School as highlights.

He was selected for the New Zealand Secondary Schools in 2019 and then headed to Tauranga to start a two-year contract with the All Blacks Sevens. He struggled with a finger injury. Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens debuted for Taranaki in the NPC in 2020 and helped the Bulls to a perfect 10-0 season in 2021.

His hyphenated name honours his Fijian mum and hospital worker, Patty.