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The Bunnings NPC is the highlight of the New Zealand rugby calendar. Formerly known as the National Provincial Championship, this domestic competition was updated in 2022 and features the top 14 provincial rugby union teams in the country. Every year, the tournament’s top sides battle to win the championship, lift the trophy and be recognised as New Zealand’s premier provincial side.
Looking forward to the upcoming Bunnings NPC? Whether you’re searching for the next fixture, the latest results or the current stats, we’ve got all of this and more right here at RugbyPass. Explore below to discover team information, news and FAQs.
Table Standings
Bunnings NPC
P
W
L
D
PF
PA
PD
BP T
BP-7
BP
Total
1
Wellington
10
9
1
0
299
148
151
6
1
7
43
2
Taranaki Bulls
10
7
3
0
300
217
83
8
2
10
38
3
Canterbury
10
6
4
0
351
271
80
9
4
13
37
4
Bay of Plenty
10
7
3
0
285
241
44
6
1
7
35
5
Hawkes Bay
10
7
3
0
304
264
40
5
1
6
34
6
Auckland
10
6
4
0
291
243
48
6
2
8
32
7
Tasman Mako
10
6
4
0
230
206
24
5
2
7
31
8
Waikato
10
5
5
0
282
253
29
7
2
9
29
9
Counties Manukau
10
4
6
0
280
316
-36
7
1
8
24
10
North Harbour
10
4
6
0
272
295
-23
3
3
6
22
11
Otago
10
3
7
0
213
294
-81
4
2
6
18
12
Northland
10
2
7
1
243
282
-39
4
3
7
17
13
Manawatu
10
2
8
0
199
423
-224
4
0
4
12
14
Southland Stags
10
1
8
1
197
293
-96
2
1
3
9
Fixtures & Results
Bunnings NPC History & Sponsorship
The Bunnings NPC was launched back in 2006, when the Air New Zealand Cup replaced the National Provincial Championship. This original tournament had been in place since 1976 and it was New Zealand’s highest level of rugby union competition for two decades – it was superseded by the launch of Super Rugby in 1996.
The NPC was contested by 28 teams between 1976 and 2005. At this point, the tournament turned professional and it restructured into two separate competitions: The Air New Zealand Cup for the top 14 teams and the Heartland Championship for the remaining sides.
Since its debut, the tournament has been named after several sponsors. Although it continued as the Air New Zealand Cup until 2009, it was later known as the ITM Cup (2010-15) and the Mitre 10 Cup (2016-2021). It has existed as the Bunnings NPC since 2021.
Tournament Stats
Tries
Kaylum Boshier
Taranaki Bulls
4
Tries
Tackles
Caleb Delany
Wellington
58
Tackles
Kicks
Aidan Morgan
Wellington
44
Kicks
Points
Fergus Burke
Canterbury
43
Points
Bunnings NPC Format
The format of the Bunnings NPC tournament was updated in 2022. This means that all 14 sides now play to win one title.
In the current structure, teams are seeded based on their performance during the previous season and placed into two conferences: ‘Odds’ containing the 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, 11th and 13th ranked teams; ‘Evens’ containing the 2nd, 4th, 6th, 8th, 10th, 12th and 14th ranked sides.
Additionally, the Bunnings NPC utilises a round-robin format. Each team plays five home and five away games during the season: one against each side in their conference and a total of four against teams from the other conference. The top eight teams then progress to the play-offs, which include four quarter-finals, two semi-finals and a final.