Auckland have fought their way to an NPC quarter-final against North Harbour but have paid a heavy price and will be without a slew of key players on Friday evening.
Having already turned out for the Blues and All Blacks this year, former Warriors star Roger Tuivasa-Sheck will make his long-awaited debut for Auckland when they take on Bay of Plenty on Sunday.
Fifty-two of New Zealand’s top emerging talent in rugby will descend on Palmerston North next month as NZR launches the next phase of its development programme to find a World Champion Under 20 team.