Canterbury features in all three New Zealand finals
PREVIEW: Canterbury, South Canterbury and Mid Canterbury will all compete for national provincial titles this weekend – as the NPC and the Heartland Championship’s Meads Cup and Lochore Cup all culminate in classic North v South finals.
Canterbury host Wellington in the NPC Final in Christchurch on Saturday, while South Canterbury play Whanganui for the Meads Cup in Timaru and Ngāti Porou East Coast and Mid Canterbury round out the weekend in Ruatōria on Sunday for the Lochore Cup.
Canterbury and Wellington have been the form teams through the 2022 season.
Canterbury topped the NPC Evens conference and have lost just one match all season, while Wellington recovered from a shaky start to top the Odds conference and have won eight matches in a row in reaching the Final.
The two provinces have a rich history when it comes to NPC finals but have charted different paths since Wellington last won the title in a memorable 34-29 win over Canterbury at a sold-out Lancaster Park in Christchurch in 2000.
In the 21 years since that match, Canterbury has played in 12 finals and won 11 titles, beating the Lions in 2004 (40-27), 2008 (7-6), 2009 (28-20) and 2013 (29-13) along the way.
In contrast, Wellington has featured in eight finals since 2000 and lost them all, the last being in 2019 against Tasman.
In the Heartland Championship, 2021 Meads Cup winners South Canterbury will be defending their title on Saturday in Timaru.
Since the introduction of the Heartland Championship Meads Cup and Lochore Cup format in 2007, Whanganui has won the Meads Cup six times, including beating South Canterbury in 2015 (28-11).
A decade after winning the Meads Cup in 2012, Ngāti Porou East Coast has made a return to the Heartland championship finals, up against Mid Canterbury for the Lochore Cup at home in Ruatōria on Sunday.
New Zealand Rugby General Manager Community Rugby, Steve Lancaster is looking forward to some intense clashes across finals weekend.
“This was our first year of the new single championship format for the NPC where we wanted to see evenly balanced conferences and strong competition in the play-offs,” Lancaster said.
“It is great to see the format change pay off, with every weekend of the competition delivering competitive, unpredictable, and close matches,” he added.
“To see Canterbury and Wellington compete in the NPC finals, for the first time in nine years is a classic North v South rivalry, as are the Heartland Championship finals. Credit to all the teams involved on outstanding performances this season.”
Finals
Saturday, October 22
NPC
Canterbury v Wellington
(Addington Showgrounds, Christchurch – Kick-off: 19.05)
Heartland Championship – Meads Cup final
South Canterbury v Whanganui
(Pleasant Point Domain, Timaru -Kick-off: 14.05)
Sunday, October 23
Heartland Championship – Lochore Cup final
Ngāti Porou East Coast v Mid Canterbury
(Whakarua Park, Ruatōria – Kick-off: 13.05)
