Fairytale final set as Northland prepare to clash with Canterbury in NPC decider

A dream season in provincial rugby is set for its ultimate showdown after Canterbury held off the Taranaki Bulls 38-28 on Sunday afternoon to line up a Labour Day Grand Final against Northland.

The result sets up a mouth-watering clash between the competition’s steady heavyweights and Northland’s fairytale underdog story on Monday, 26 October at One NZ Stadium in Christchurch.

The Taniwha punched their ticket to a historical first-ever National Provincial Championship Grand Final with a clinical 38-19 victory over Otago on Saturday.

Otago captain Christian Lio-Willie, of Sāmoan heritage, paid full respect to Northland after the match, admitting his side could not stop Northland’s momentum once they took control of the contest.

“Riv [Rivez Reihana] and the boys they control the game very well. They got into the territory game and we were just on the back foot from there,” Lio-Willie told Sky Sport.

“And so when Northland get into the roll like that they’re hard to stop. Full credit to them.”

Northland Taniwha captain Rivez Reihana. Photo/Joshua Devenie/Photosport.

For Taniwha captain Rivez Reihana, reaching the title decider was something few outside their camp thought possible at the start of the year.

“Just crazy man, I don’t think anyone would’ve thought we would be in this position at the start of the season,” Reihana told Sky Sport. “We’ve had a rollercoaster year, I’ve got to give it up to our fans, they got us over the line tonight.

“We felt the love throughout the season and for them to turn out tonight is bloody special. We got another week with them, so how good.”

When asked about the Taniwha’s team environment, the 26-year-old fly-half said the tight-knit culture within the squad has been the real driver behind their remarkable run to the final.

“I think the culture is awesome, you got boys that have come in from out of the region. They are the ones driving the standards, they are the ones driving the care.”

Punching their ticket to the Grand Final, Northland will meet a formidable Canterbury side, who secured a tense 38-28 victory over the Taranaki Bulls on Sunday afternoon.

While Canterbury will hold home ground advantage, Northland will carry plenty of belief into Christchurch.

The last time the two teams met in Christchurch back in late August, Northland dominated with a 36-12 victory to lift the Ranfurly Shield off the red and blacks.

But Canterbury captain Brodie McAlister knows his side faced a tough test against Taranaki and will need to recover quickly before facing a soaring Taniwha team.

“This Taranaki team threw it all at us, so we’re going to recover over the next couple of days and look forward to a good challenge ahead against Northland,” McAlister told Sky Sport.

He said making the most of Taranaki’s errors and poor discipline in the first half was key to the win.

“Going into halftime, we knew that Taranaki have been a dangerous team all season, so we knew that they were going to throw the kitchen sink at it in the second half and we had to be right on, and they did that,” he said.

For more information on the 2026 NPC Championship click here.