The four top performers from round five of the Hilux NPC

The regular season of the NPC has reached the halfway mark with Hawke’s Bay still unbeaten after a comfortable 36-21 win against Southland in Invercargill on Thursday night.

The middle of the table has tightened with six teams holding three wins. Taranaki secured a vital 40-26 win against Canterbury in New Plymouth. Manawat? upset North Harbour 43-40 in Palmerston North. Bay of Plenty edged Auckland 22-19 for just their fourth win at Eden Park since 1976 and their first back-to-back.

Otago pipped Waikato 43-38 in a high-octane Dundien thriller. Openside Lucas Casey has scored tries in seven consecutive games, one short of the Otago record held by John Timu. Hooker Henry Bell scored two tries, made a dozen tackles and helped the lineout win all 12 throws.

Wellington’s dire season plunged to a new low, beaten 43-35 by Counties Manukau at Hnry Stadium. Supercharged by “Bricks on legs” Gibson Popoali’i, Counties won in the capital for the first time since 2010, achieving their highest score in Wellington since a 43-9 slaying in 1977. All Black and serviceman in the New Zealand army, Robert Kururangi scored three tries in that game. The Lions have lost seven consecutive matches and three in a row at Hnry Stadium, where they’ve won 103 of 145, for the first time since 2014.

Northland retained the Ranfurly Shield with a 20-10 win against Tasman that looked like it came out of the other side of a hangover.

Who were the performers of the week in Round Five of the NPC?

Reviz Reihana (Northland) 

A captain’s knock by Northland’s first-five helping the Taniwha retain the Ranfurly Shield, resisting a gritty challenge from Tasman.

Reihana scored 15 of the winners’ 20 points, charging through for the winning try at 13-10 in the 75th minute, which he converted. He also converted a Jordan Trainor try he helped create with a step to open a hole and a pass to space. Penalties in the fourth and 69th minutes kept the scoreboard ticking over. His kicking game, especially in the second half, ensured Northland were largely anchored in the right parts of the field while one of Reihana’s two linebreaks nearly became a try

Reihana scored 15 points in a failed Ranfurly Shield challenge (30-55) against Hawke’s Bay in Napier in 2024. The most points for Northland in their previous Ranfurly Shield tenure of five defences between 1978 and 1979 was Tuck Waaka’s 13, from two tries, a conversion, and a penalty in Northland’s 35-3 win against Thames Valley on August 4, 1979. In 1976, loose forward Waaka was captain of the first Bay of Plenty team to win the NPC.

The record for most points by a Northland player in a Ranfurly Shield match is 17 by Ben Seymour in a 31-22 loss to Waikato in Hamilton in 2013. Embattled Wellington Lions coach Trent Renata scored 16 points for Waikato. Seymour played one season for Northland after coming from the Western Force in 2012. Seymour now runs a fitness and nutrition company.

Kaylum Boshier (Taranaki)

With three consecutive defeats, a win was non-negotiable for Taranaki to keep their playoff hopes alive. Amber and Black delivered with their eighth win against Canterbury since 2010. Canterbury conceded 40 or more points in a match for the first time since they were embarrassed by North Harbour 65-19 in 2024. They also conceded the most points to Taranaki since their infamous 55-43 Ranfurly Shield defeat in Christchurch in 2017.

Riddled by injuries, Taranaki needed their experienced players to lift, and Kaylum Boshier did with a commanding display. He scored two tries, setting the tone with an assertive early surge and later capitalising on a dozen-man rolling maul. More crucially, Boshier controlled the breakdowns, leading tackles (19) and turnovers (3).

With Canterbury unable to build any flow, Taranaki did the opposite. First-five Sam Clarke finished a contender for try of the season and kicked 10 points in his best display since Josh Jacomb was promoted to the All Blacks. Kini Naholo, Meihana Grindlay, and Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens combined for 235 meters and five line breaks.

Taranaki won the NPC in 2023 and have reached the quarter-finals the past two years. Their record under now All Blacks assistant coach Neil Barnes was 39 wins in 57 games.

George Worboys (Manawatu)

After a big impact from the bench in Manawatu’s come-from-behind 36-35 victory against Southland on August 9, the Ealing Trailfinders first-five secured the Turbos starting position. In the season-saving win against North Harbour, Worboys kicked five penalties and converted all four tries for 23 points. This is the most by a Turbos player against North Harbour since Andre Taylor scored 27 in a 42-16 win in 2009.

Furthermore, his cross-kick directly led to a try for Mosese Bason (18 tackles), and he made the first pass in a break that led to a Kyle Brown try.

Worboys’ 23 points are the most by any Manawatu player in a single game since Brett Cameron scored 23 in a 38-27 win against Southland in 2021, while his five penalties are the most since Cameron kicked six in a 39-21 win against Counties Manakau, also in 2021.

It was a similarly big night for North Harbour first-five Coby Miln, who scored two tries and kicked five conversions to finish with 20 points. This is the most points by an individual in a loss for North Harbour since Warren Burton scored all 24 points in a 29-24 loss to Waikato in Hamilton in 1993.

In 2014, Worboys lost his younger brother Thomas ‘Toti’ Worboys to leukaemia at age 11. Together with his parents Nick and Amelia, George has helped The Children & Young People’s Cancer Association raise more than £250,000 for cancer victims and research.

Frank Lochore (Hawke’s Bay)

Hawke’s Bay have made their best start to any season since winning seven in a row to start 2024.

The unassuming leadership and vital industry of blindside Frank Lochore perfectly complement more expressive players like first-month Duane Monkley Medal Best and Fairest leader Hunter Morrison.

In the Magpies’ 36-21 win over Southland in Invercargill, Lochore’s toil was rewarded with two well-taken tries while an offload he delivered helped create one of two tries for halfback Folau Fakatava.

A dozen tackles is standard, keeping him among the top 20 tacklers in the NPC. Most impressively, Lochore secured nine of the Magpies’ 11 lineout throws in tricky conditions while helping reduce the Stags’ lineout to a rabble. They won only a quarter of their own possession.

The grandson of All Blacks legend Sir Brian Lochore, Frank captained the Napier Boys’ High School First XV in 2019. His professional career gained real momentum in 2025 when he was named Forward of the Year for the Utah Warriors in Major League Rugby. He played all 18 games and led the league in lineout takes and tackles. His 303 tackles surpassed Cory Daniel’s 2024 record to set a new season high.

It’s worth noting that when Lochore led Hawke’s Bay to a 44-31 win over Auckland on August 15, it was the Magpies’ first win at Eden Park since a 6-3 triumph in 1969. A drop goal from All Black Blair Furlong was the telling difference. Hawke’s Bay won 13 of 14 games that season, with their only loss a famous 18-11 defeat to Canterbury that surrendered the Ranfurly Shield after 21 defences.

The coach of that side, Colin LeQuesne, led Hawke’s Bay to 105 wins, 11 draws, and 53 defeats in 169 games over 13 seasons. Since 2018, Hawke’s Bay have won 64, lost 26, and drawn two games, with more wins than any other side holding the Ranfurly Shield (20) in that span.