Tasman back firepower against surging Northland with Ranfurly Shield on line

Ranfurly Shield fever has gripped Northland after the Taniwha demolished defending NPC champions Canterbury 36-12 in Christchurch last Thursday to take the Log o’ Wood for the first time since 1979.

Northland’s first defence of the Ranfurly Shield at Semenoff Stadium in Whangarei on Sunday against Tasman is sold out, with about 20,000 expected. A similar fervour swept through Tasman when the Mako won the Shield for the first time in 2024.

Formed in 2006 by merging Nelson Bays and Marlborough, the Ranfurly Shield had never been seen in Nelson after eight failed challenges between 1924 and 2005. Marlborough famously won it off Canterbury in 1973 with an intercept try to All Blacks winger Brian Ford. After six successful defences, the “Reds Devils” lost it to South Canterbury 18-6 on August 17, 1974, at Lansdowne Park in Blenheim. The Shield wasn’t seen again in the Tasman region until September 7, 2024.

At McLean Park in Napier, Tasman pipped Hawke’s Bay 25-24 with a 47-meter penalty goal on full-time kicked by Campbell Parata, now selling real estate in Waimea. The chance came from a breakdown penalty won by All Black Timoci Tavatavanawai.

The Mako have only four survivors from that night on Sunday: lock Antonio Shalfoon, captain and openside Johnny Lee who was on the bench, loosehead prop Ryan Coxon who came off the bench, and first-five William Havili who kicked 12 points with three penalties and a drop goal.

“We had a mindset that night to win the Shield; you have to win the Shield. By that I mean you have to attack from the start and keep going,” Havili told RugbyPass.

“We made a really strong start with tries to Ryan Coxon and Quentin MacDonald. We knew Hawke’s Bay would come back hard. We just had to keep attacking while staying disciplined and winning key moments.

“I went off with about ten minutes to go.  I chose to fail the HIA cause I knew I was going to fail anyway,” Havili laughed.

“I had every confidence Campbell would kick the penalty. It was a long way out with a lot of pressure, but I knew he was capable. I’d seen him knock over a few clutch kicks in club footy.

“The reception we got was huge; the airport was packed and the whole community rallied behind it. Can it become a distraction? Not at all. It’s a privilege. Hard-working people pay their money to support us. Part of our job is interacting with the community and what Northland will be experiencing this week will be special.”

Havili will be hoping Northland’s joy is short-lived but they are a formidable beast. Northland’s win against Canterbury was their first against the 15-time NPC champions since 1999, a first in Christchurch since 1987, and the biggest home loss Canterbury suffered since a 38-10 defeat to Tasman in 2014. A week earlier, Northland blanked Taranaki by a record 42-0, holding an NPC Division 1 opponent scoreless for the first time since 1980.

Tasman’s form is fair. A scratchy first-round win against North Harbour 31-29 in Nelson was offset by a 50-19 hiding by unbeaten Hawke’s Bay. Wins against bottom-end provinces Counties Manukau (50-35) and Southland (46-17) have the Mako back on track.

“Northland is a class outfit this year. We recognise their scrum and lineout are key to winning the game. We can’t invite them into our red zone; discipline will be key,” Havili said.

“A big focus for us has been our physicality. We want to win that breakdown. It’s hard to play with a slow ball at ten. If we can get that flow, we’ve got good outside backs and can even look to strike off the first phase.”

Northland have made no changes to their Canterbury starting XV while tight forward Heath MacEwan and outside back James Ramm come onto the bench. Tasman have retained 11 of their 15 starters from their most recent win over Southland. Young gun hooker Eli Oudenryn and Crusaders captain and William’s older brother, 30-Test All Black David Havili, have been promoted to a settled lineup. David has played 83 games for Tasman, scoring 27 tries and winning 60 times.

Meanwhile, no outside back in the NPC is better than winger Kyren Taumoefolau, who has broken the Tasman single-season record for most tries (10) in just four games, passing Will Jordan (9, 2018) and Tomasi Maka (8, 2025).

“Kyren is on fire. The more ball we can get to our outside backs, the better our chances will be. We’re keen to play fearless, optimistic footy,”  Havili said.

Head-to-Head

Last 5 Meetings

Wins

1

Draws

0

Wins

4

Average Points scored

25

37

First try wins

80%

Home team wins

60%

Back in 2024, Tasman beat eventual NPC champions Wellington 28-15 on September 15, 2024, at Lansdowne Park, Blenheim, in the first Shield defence. Taumoefolau scored a memorable try by fooling Riley Higgins.

On October 2, 2024, Tasman beat Auckland 31-17 in their second defence at Trafalgar Park in Nelson with William Havili booting 16 points. The brief run ended against Tasman 42-29 at the same venue four days later. All Black Josh Jacomb kicked 17 points, and Daniel Rona scored two tries.

Tasman have won 11 of their 15 NPC encounters with Northland, though Northland won their last meeting at home 32-5 in 2023. Heremaia Murray scored two tries.

The end of the NPC will be an uncertain time for Havili. Between 2022 and 2026, he was the most capped player for the now-defunct Super Rugby franchise Moana Pasifika. He appeared in 61 of 70 possible games and featured in all 15 wins, highlighting their 45-29 thrashing of 2025 champions the Crusaders in Christchurch as his favourite game. The 19-time Tongan international, who featured at the 2023 Rugby World Cup, scored the most points for Moana with 151.

“It’s pretty sad because I was there from the start. I feel sorry for the upcoming Pacific Island players who won’t get the same chance I did,” Havili said.

“The 2025 season was special, putting together consistently good performances which we hadn’t done before. Seeing the momentum build and crowd support was amazing. It really showed how good we could have been. Financials are tough and unfortunate. It’s not something players can control directly. I’ll be looking for other opportunities, I guess.”