The five top performers from the Hilux NPC semi-finals

The most shocking and sensational moment of the 50th NPC was on August 20 in Christchurch when Northland smacked Canterbury 36-12 to win the Ranfurly Shield for the first time since 1978.

It was their first win against Canterbury since 1999 and their first in Christchurch since 1987.

Can the Taniwha pull off an even more remarkable heist at Te Kaha/One New Zealand Stadium on Labour Day Sunday and win the top NPC for the first time?

In their 38-19 semi-final dismissal of 2025 runners-up Otago, Northland showed they have the grunt and smarts to go all the way.

Canterbury are 15-time title winners and are on a seven-game win streak. In their 38-28 semi-final win against Taranaki, they were polished, defusing Taranaki, who had scored an unprecedented four half-centuries in a row. 

The visitors didn’t lead once, with Canterbury in front for 66 minutes. Since 2007, Canterbury have won 23 of 25 home finals matches.

Meanwhile, the silverware was dished out in the Heartland Championship. Whanganui edged South Canterbury 43-42 in the Lochore Cup. 

There was also a new winner of the premier Heartland competition, the Meads Cup.

Who were the performers of the week in the penultimate showcase of NPC 50?

Kurtis MacDonald (Canterbury)

Standing 193cm and 108kg, the strapping 22-year-old winger has the height and weight to impose himself physically but is also adept in the air.

In the build-up to Canterbury’s fourth try scored by lock Sam Darry, he outjumped All Black Josh Jacomb to snatch possession and surge inside the 22. 

Earlier, he prevailed in another kicking duel and powered to within an inch of the line, resisting the temptation to reach out and instead recycled calmly to lock Xavier Tracey.

MacDonald was everywhere in this contest with 14 carries for 100 meters, including four line breaks, but his aerial work sets him apart. He’s one of the quickest, smartest, and most capable in the NPC.

His try was a beauty. Almost everyone expected a lineout drive from 10 meters out. Instead, in an act of deception, openside Corey Kellow provided a pivot pass that saw MacDonald streak through untouched.

A product of the Christchurch Boys’ High School First XV, where he played with fellow Canterbury reps Riley Brewis, Finn McLeod and Manumaua Letiu, MacDonald played five games for Canterbury last year.

That was enough to attract the Crusaders’ interest. He scored a try with his first touch of the ball in Super Rugby Pacific in a 50-21 win against Moana Pasifika at North Harbour Stadium on March 21.

On May 18, he returned in the Crusaders’ 36-20 win over the Blues in Christchurch, but unfortunately received a 20-minute red card and a four-match suspension after colliding with Stephen Perofeta while leaping for a high ball.

High ball issues haven’t hampered him in the 2026 NPC. In eight games, he’s scored three tries and appears an intriguing prospect, especially if the current trend of contestable kicks continues.

Sam Darry (Canterbury) 

Canterbury have won 12 of their last 13 matches when Sam Darry starts at lock, and the big All Black was at the heart of Canterbury’s forward dominance.

He carried 15 times, scored a try, topped the hosts’ tackle count with 12, and helped the lineout win 17 of 19 throws, including the catch that led to the outstanding Kurtis MacDonald try. 

Furthermore, Canterbury’s pack prevented Taranaki from launching their dangerous driving game.

The Canterbury pack is strong, but they always look more formidable when the Christ’s College product lands in the second row.

Esile Fono (Northland) 

While Maori All Blacks tighthead prop Marcel Renata scored two tries and Crusaders Super Rugby Pacific winner Rivez Rehanina booted 18 points, seven goals from eight attempts, the work of loosehead prop Esile Fono is just as vital to Northland’s success.

The Whangarei Boys’ High School and Hora Hora product played the whole 80 minutes of Friday’s semi and was busy with ten tackles and nine carries. More crucially, his scrumming became more fearsome throughout. 

His dismantling of the Otago scrum in the 56th minute led to a try for Heremaia Murray, making it 22-14. The visitors imploded thereafter, conceding the next 16 points unanswered.

Fono debuted for Northland in 2022. He has played 32 games. In 2026, he was in the Blues’ wider training squad.

Ryan Martin (Northland Coach)

Northland will contest its first NPC Division I final, and much of the credit goes to second-year head coach Ryan Martin.

He has assembled a smartly built squad powered by experienced forwards rarely bettered in the set piece but also capable of producing surprises, superbly guided at halfback by centurion Sam Nock and first-five Reviz Rehanina.

Ironically, Martin is from Otago; he captained the Otago Boys’ High School First XV from halfback in 1998, leading them to 23 of 27 wins, including a National Top Four title, with future All Blacks captain Richie McCaw (148 Tests, 131 wins) on the openside.

After a decorated tenure coaching at his former school, where he won 94 of 100 competition games and 48 of 55 inter-school fixtures, he led Kaikorai Rugby Club to the 2016 Dunedin Senior Championship. 

He then joined Otago as an attack coach and won the Ranfurly Shield twice in 2018 and 2020. Following spells with the Asia Pacific Dragons, Melbourne Rebels, and Toyota Verblitz, he rejoined the New England Free Jacks in Major League Rugby.

 In 2025, he led the Free Jacks to a 14–5 record and captured the Major League Rugby title, completing a historic three-peat. He was named the 2025 MLR Coach of the Year.

In 2025, he led Northland to five wins and a draw against eventual champions Canterbury. In 2026, Northland have won more Division 1 games than in any season and captured the Ranfurly Shield for the first time since 1978.

 Following the shock loss of the Shield to Counties Manukau, there might have been alarm that the wheels were about to fall off. Instead, Northland is resurgent, winning three games in a row. Even if they lose the final, the season would be considered a major triumph.

Since 1997, Northland have had only three seasons where they have won more games than they’ve lost; two of them are under Martin. In 2001, they were 5-5, and in 2020, 6-6.

King Country Rams 

King Country won the Heartland Championship for the first time on Saturday, beating defending champions Mid Canterbury 24-14 in the final in Ashburton. 

The Rams had only two wins last season and have had just seven seasons with more wins than losses since the Heartland Championship began in 2006.

King Country was one of three teams to win six of eight round-robin games, while five other teams won five. In the semi-final, they upset North Otago 36-24 in Oamaru. Halfback Kristian Gent-Standen scored two tries. 

First-five Hone Mathieson was a key figure and has scored 92 points for his province. Prop Joe Walsh, who played 75 games for Southland, strengthened the set-piece. Veteran hooker Liam Rowlands, with 63 appearances, was consistently reliable.

 Lock Peter Te Kahu has been a mainstay for two seasons, and openside Leveson Gower is a workhorse. Head coach Aarin Dunster played 113 games for King Country, including appearances with his son Cruise.

King Country President Paul “Ox” Mitchell has played more games for King Country than anyone else (146). 

e is the younger brother of former All Blacks and England women’s coach John Mitchell. Paul is married to former New Zealand basketball player Shelley Meads, daughter of King Country’s most famous rugby identity, Sir Colin ‘Pinetree’ Meads, who played 139 games for the Rams. 

Black Ferns Rugby World Cup-winning captain Dame Farah Palmer and legendary commentator and writer Keith Quinn also hail from King Country.