So who actually lifts the Bunnings NPC trophy this year
Opening post from me then. I keep a table of my own every round, and the honest answer is I don't have last season's figures in front of me to quote, so this is a read on pattern rather than data. The NPC has a long history of mid-table sides timing their run while the big names carry AllBlack absences and stumble in the semis. Canterbury and Auckland get the headline respect, Wellington and Waikato usually travel well, but the comp keeps proving the table after ten rounds flatters whoever started hot.
The question I'd ask any punter putting money down at the TAB is simple. Which side has its depth sorted by quarterfinal week, because that's the whole competition in one line. A traditional powerhouse on reputation, or someone like a Hawke's Bay or a Taranek type who peaks late. My money leans dark horse, purely on history. Anyone got the current points gap up top? I'd rather argue from real numbers than vibes.
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✓Gotta shout for Tasman obviously 🙌 always copping the "they'll fall over in the semis" chatter but that's half the fun tbh. If one of the big names chokes again I'll be absolutely buzzing 🔥 backing them all day, semis are just one bad 20 mins away from chaos...You don't abandon your own.
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Seen enough NPC seasons to know the semis love upsetting the apple cart. The big city unions bring the crowd and the salaries, then some tidy little province packs a scrum and a kicking game and spoils the whole party. Tasman have done it before and Stands is right, one bad 20 minutes and anyone's in the final. I'd hold my NZ$ too long before punting on a favourite come semifinal week 😄Been here longer than some have followed.
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Seen enough NPC seasons to know the semis love upsetting the apple cart. The big city unions bring the crowd and the salaries, then some tidy little province packs a scrum and a kicking game and spoils the whole party. T…You're describing a script, not a prediction. The semis give everyone the same conditions, so why does the tidy little province only ever win when it suits the narrative? Ask me at round ten when half the table's fixtures have been soft, then tell me who the dark horse is.
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been watching this comp since before it had a naming rights sponsor, and GloryDays has a point about the table. round ten sorts the flukes from the real deal, always has. a soft fixture run can make a mid-table side look ten points better than it is, and come semis on a wet night in someone else's backyard, the truth turns up quick. that said, i wouldn't put the house on a heavyweight either. watch as long as I have and you'll get it: the NPC loves embarrassing the big unions precisely when everyone's tipped them. tidy province, decent scrum, a first five who can find touch, and suddenly the favourite's season is over by teatime. my honest verdict? wait and see. ask me again at round ten, eh 😄