NPC 2026 finals series

The story so far

Northland beat Tasman 26-21 in an NPC quarter-final in Whangārei, after a slow start and a strong second half, which secured them a home semi-final.^{9 Oct} In the other quarter-finals, Taranaki beat North Harbour 50-31 in Albany and Otago beat Hawke's Bay 50-14 in Dunedin.^{10 Oct} Northland then beat Otago 38-19 in Whangārei to reach their first NPC final.^{16 Oct} The win followed a historic season that included ending a 48-year Ranfurly Shield drought.^{16 Oct}

Latest

Northland will play defending champions Canterbury in the NPC final in Christchurch on Labour Day, Monday.^{24 Oct} Canterbury will be boosted by the return of All Blacks locks Sam Darry and Jamie Hannah.^{24 Oct}

What's next

The final between Canterbury and Northland is on Monday in Christchurch, with Northland aiming for their first top-division NPC title.^{24 Oct}

Key moments

1. 9 OctNorthland beat Tasman 26-21 in the quarter-final in Whangārei.
2. 10 OctTaranaki and Otago won their quarter-finals to reach the semi-finals.
3. 16 OctNorthland beat Otago 38-19 to reach their first NPC final.
4. 24 OctNorthland to face defending champions Canterbury in the Labour Day final.

Written from the stories below; each sentence links to its sources.