Canterbury to host Waikato in NPC quarterfinal
Sunday 4 October 2026 · 2 outlets · 2 reports · updated In this story Bay of Plenty Steamers, North Harbour
Canterbury has finished at the top of the National Provincial Championship table and will host Waikato in a quarterfinal at One NZ Stadium. The final top-eight order was decided after North Harbour lost 38-21 to Bay of Plenty.
Key facts
4 facts
- Canterbury finished first in the NPC standings with 40 points
- Bay of Plenty defeated North Harbour 38-21 at Tauranga Domain
- The NPC quarterfinals will be held next weekend
- Wellington completed a winless NPC season
The full story
1 min read · 2 outlets
Canterbury have finished the National Provincial Championship regular season at the top of the table. They will host Waikato in a quarterfinal at One NZ Stadium next Sunday at 1.35pm. This match will be part of a double-header with the Canterbury women's team, who face Auckland in the Farah Palmer Cup decider at 4.05pm.
The final top-eight order was decided after Bay of Plenty defeated North Harbour 38-21 at Tauranga Domain on Sunday. North Harbour received two yellow cards during the match, where Fehi Fineanganofo and Joe Webber each scored two tries for Bay of Plenty. Although the win moved Bay of Plenty to ninth place, they remained two points behind Waikato.
The quarterfinal schedule features Northland hosting Tasman on Friday night in Whangarei. On Saturday, North Harbour will play Taranaki in Albany, followed by Otago hosting Hawke’s Bay in Dunedin.
In other regular season results, Northland defeated Southland 28-14 in Invercargill, while Otago beat Auckland 45-42. Taranaki recorded a 68-26 win over Wellington, marking their highest score and winning margin.
Where reports differ
- One report states the top-eight makeup was clear before the final two games, while another says the finishing order was only settled after the final match
Compiled from reports by Stuff and The Press.
