NPC 2022
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Here's what your team need to make next week's playoffs...
Wellington - Sitting atop odds conference and safely into the top four, but could still miss out on home advantage, if they lose to Counties Manukau, and Bay of Plenty and Waikato both win this weekend.
Bay of Plenty - Have two games (against Northland and Waikato) and still need a bonus point to be absolutely safe in the quarter-finals. Could easily steal top spot in the conference with a pair of wins or if Wellington stumble.
Waikato - Also need a bonus point to draw clear of elimination, but could also finish top of the conference. Ultimately, their fate may come down to the final game of the regular season at home game against the Steamers on Sunday.
Otago - Tied with Hawke's Bay for the final spot from their conference, but hold a head-to-head countback. Their fate will depend on what they can achieve against red-hot Canterbuy, compared to the Magpies' fortunes against Ta$man - both home games.
Hawke's Bay - See above
Canterbury - Have lost just once all season (to Taranaki) and have wrapped up home advantage through the playoffs. The team to beat.
North Harbour - Second in the evens conference, but could still miss the post-season, if Auckland, Ta$man and Northland all win out this weekend. They face a banana-skin game against Southland - fresh off their first win - in the deep south.
Auckland - Could still grab home advantage with victory over Taranaki, but could also miss out, if Ta$man and Northland win out this weekend.
Ta$man - Could still grab home advantage with a road win over Hawke's Bay, but could also miss out, if Northland manage a bonus-point win and draw over their 'storm' week.
Northland - Have two games up their sleeves and can snatch a quarter-final with a bonus-point win and draw against Bay of Plenty and winless Manawatū, but their season would end with a road loss to the Steamers on Wednesday. They hold head-to-head countback over Auckland, but not Ta$man.
Counties Manukau, Southland, Taranaki & Manawatū - out of contention
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@mikedogz well if Northland somehow pull it off, I am not sure where they hold it as they already moved the last RR game to Kaikohe...I'd have thought erecting a scaffold seating area like when they played in Keri Keri many years ago would be the way to go, but at Kensington Park (there is a small seated area at Trigg Arena at Kensington, but the field is shite)
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It would have been better if the playoffs (QFs) started with cross-over matches (between evens and odds), not from the SFs.
Ah. Was going to ask that.
SO QFs within pool, and SF crossover.
I wonder if that is to ensure the SFs are crossover? There's potential for them to be within pool otherwise.
But as @FakatavaAllBlack pointed out, there is potential for QFs to be repeats of recent pool games - which is always odd.
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@booboo yeah they probably just need to have 2 pools play one another, seeded from prior season, then the 1/4s are odds v evens, that would take out the need for storm week too, and have deeper playoffs for seedings
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@Bovidae seems the same as the draw posted above https://www.provincial.rugby/news/quarterfinalists-confirmed-in-the-bunnings-npc/
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@KiwiMurph said in NPC 2022:
You'd think Friday night will impact the Harbour crowd.
Just another leg up to Auckland…
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Looks likes NZR might have found someone with a brain. That draw carefully dances around the Women's RWC.
Sky could have been cynical and not bothered if there was a clash. I'm sure NZR wouldn't have been happy though.
The QFs have worked out well as there are three derbies, including a big grudge match in Wellington.