The four top performers from the Hilux NPC quarter-finals

The NPC semi-finalists are locked in and, as in 2025, the final could be an all-South Island affair between Canterbury and Otago. Rampant Canterbury will host raging Bulls Taranaki, who are on an unprecedented scoring spree. Taranaki whopped North Harbour 50-31 in Albany to chalk up their fourth consecutive win, scoring 50 points. Canterbury were more emphatic, demolishing Waikato 62-26 in Christchurch.

Otago will travel to Whangarei to tackle Northland in a buoyant mood after thrashing Hawke’s Bay 50-14. Otago’s biggest win against Hawke’s Bay is 64-21 at McLean Park in Napier in 2017. In that game, Fletcher Smith scored 34 points. Otago won 37-0 at Carisbrook in Dunedin in 2006. Hawke’s Bay won their first six games and lost their next five, their worst run since 2016.

It was a high-scoring, high-octane weekend of rugby. Who were the NPC quarter-final performers of the week?

Bradley Slater (Taranaki)

Taranaki have scored 50 or more points in four consecutive games, something a Division 1 NPC union has never achieved. Their major weapon is the lineout drive. All Blacks hooker Bradley Slater repeated his round-robin hat-trick against North Harbour with pushovers from the trusty source. Along with Asafo Aumua, he now has two hat-tricks in the NPC.

Taranaki’s lineout secured 16 of 17 throws while Slater made 14 tackles and 10 carries in a typically industrious, accurate display. He’s not flashy, but few get the job done more efficiently.

Winger Kini Naholo celebrated his 50th game with two tries. Fullback Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens can’t be far from All Blacks contention. The obvious question is his high ball prowess, but he has the height and size to hold his own.

Taranaki’s scoring run is extraordinary given they won only three of their first seven matches. In 1984, champions Auckland scored four half-centuries, though not consecutively. What made their effort remarkable was that tries were only worth four points. It was the first of 10 championships in 13 years. Overall, they won 208 of 235 matches.

In 2012, Canterbury won the championship and scored 50 points in a span of five out of six wins, with their lowest score coming in a 44-3 win over Hawke’s Bay.

North Harbour were overachievers, going from a single victory in 2025 to six wins and fourth place in 2026. Byrn Hall, who passed 100 games at halfback, led superbly along with workhorse flanker Jed Melvin, who ranked inside the top ten of the NPC for carries (128) after the round-robin. Centre Tom Barham and winger Rory Taylor ranked among the top ten try scorers. Taylor was a revelation, also ranking in the top ten for carries, meters gained, and defenders beaten.

Brodie McAlister (Canterbury)

When Canterbury scored from a try on a 15-meter lineout drive involving a dozen players, it signalled a lousy afternoon ahead for Waikato. Sure enough, they conceded their largest ever score against Canterbury. The previous worst score was 58 in 2014 and 1995.

Canterbury nailed all 14 lineout throws, and hooker Brodie McAlister profited with a hat-trick. Additionally, he made a forceful carry before a Dominic Gardiner try. Nine tackles and eight carries underscored his all-round excellence.

Canterbury locks Sam Darry (12 carries, 13 tackles) and Taylor Cahill (16 tackles, 7 carries) each won four lineouts, with the latter scoring a try.

With the basics done well, potent backs Dallas McLeod and Kurtis MacDonald flourished, helping Canterbury win their sixth game. Canterbury are the title favourites.

Terrell Peita (Northland)

When the fierce charging No.8 barged over for a 51st-minute try, his third impactful carry in a minute, he propelled Northland into a lead they never lost. Peita gained more ground than any Northland player with possession and ranked second for tackles (15). Northland quickly fell behind 14-0 but reverted to the direct, abrasive, precise, uncomplicated approach that has served them well in 2026. Tasman couldn’t match the hosts’ physicality.

A product of Mount Albert Grammar School in Auckland, Peita seemed destined for big things when, in 2018, he was appointed captain of the New Zealand M?ori Under 18 (Ng? Whatukura) team that included future All Blacks Ruben Love and Cortez Ratima. They stunned the higher-ranked New Zealand Barbarians 21-20 in Wellington. In 2020, he was in the New Zealand Under-20 squad, but his career then ground to a halt.

Seven games in three seasons for Auckland was frustrating, so he ventured to Manawatu in 2023. He played eight games, including rare wins against Northland (31-30) and Auckland (33-31). He scored a try for the Turbos in their first win at Eden Park since 1980.

Since joining Northland, he’s found his feet, featuring in 25 of the last 31 games. In 2025, he was Northland’s player of the year and has reached that standard again. Northland have won 13 games in the past two years; Peita has been involved in 11 of them. In May, he debuted for the Blues in their 45-19 win over Moana Pasifika in Super Rugby Pacific.

Tasman’s season was a mixed bag, finishing with a 6-5 record, never winning more than two games in a row. What could have been if All Blacks like Timoci Tavatavanawai and Ethan Blackadder weren’t consistently cotton-wooed? Winger Kyren Taumoefolau, with a record 19 tries, scoring at least once in nine of 11 matches, was phenomenal. Youngsters Eli Oudenryn (hooker), Johnny Lee (flanker), and Cooper Roberts (midfield) enhanced their growing reputations.

Meanwhile, David Havili played his last first-class game in New Zealand for the time being, thus ending one of the most dominant domestic careers. With the Mako, he played 90 games, scored 29 tries and achieved 63 wins as part of Tasman’s two NPC title-winning teams in 2019 and 2020, and their Ranfurly Shield win in 2024.

With the Crusaders, the record was even more impressive. Seven titles, 155 games, 37 tries and 115 wins. All Black #1161 played 32 Tests (23 wins) between 2017 and 2024.

Fixture

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Australia

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16 Oct 26

New Zealand

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Canterbury Women

After three consecutive final defeats, Canterbury romped to a 50-24 win over Auckland to claim their sixth Farah Palmer Cup (FPC) Premiership title. Since 2017, Canterbury have been the standard bearers in New Zealand women’s rugby, winning 69 of 79 games, with 2026 arguably their most dominant season, scoring 50 or more points in five wins, including the semi-final and final.

Players of real promise include fullback Winnie Palamo, wingers Louise Blyde (15 games, 12 tries) and Binky Muamua (12 games, 18 tries), hooker Hooly Wratt-Groeneweg, lock Paris Lokotui, loose forward Fiaali’i Solomon, and halfback Kelsey McCook. Former English international flanker Maisy Allen (5 Tests, 5 wins) was a dominant addition.

Only two previous occasions have a team passed 50 points in a FPC Premiership decider. In 2002, Auckland smacked Canterbury 53-3 in the midst of a 71-game winning streak. In 2018, Canterbury powered past Counties Manukau 52-29, with the Black Ferns’ most-capped player, Kendra Cocksedge, scoring 27 points.