Hawke's Bay eventually lost their last game after winning all season, but should bounce back against a Bay of Plenty side struggling to get any momentum.
Key Stats - Bay of Plenty Inconsistency
- Bay of Plenty has lost 4 of their last 7 matches.
- Bay of Plenty lost 43-12 to the Southland Stags in their previous match.
- Hawke's Bay has won 6 of their last 7 matches.
- Hawke's Bay lost 31-24 to North Harbour in their previous match.
- Hawke's Bay has won 2 of the last 5 matches against the Bay of Plenty.
Narrow Lead for The Bay
It is 3-2 in favour of Bay of Plenty in thier last five games against Hawkes Bay.
Bay of Plenty Struggling to get any momentum
Bay of Plenty were defeated by the Southland Stags 43-12 in Round 7 of the NPC at Rugby Park Stadium in Invercargill, after trailing 17-12 at the break.
Bay of Plenty scored first with a drive to the line from Seuseu Naitoa Ah Kuoi, converted by Riley Hohepa, only for Southland to respond with a converted try.
Bay of Plenty retook the lead with a try by Rory van Vugt, but couldn't sustain their attacking pressure once Southland turned up the intensity, and they collapsed in the second half, giving up 26 unanswered points.
Bay of Plenty has had a mixed run of form in their 2026 campaign, losing four of their last seven matches. Bay of Plenty lost to Waikato (38-26), beat Northland (34-31), lost to Canterbury (33-28), before beating Taranaki (28-24), and Auckland (22-19), and losing to Manawatu (29-12) and Southland (43-12).
Bay of Plenty are 10th in the NPC table with 17 points after seven matches of the 2026 campaign.
Bay of Plenty Starting Lineup
Starting XV: 1 Josh Bartlett, 2 Sione Tupou, 3 Solomone Tukuafu, 4 Seuseu Naitoa Ah Kuoi, 5 Kalin Felise, 6 Joe Johnston, 7 Veveni Lasaqa, 8 Nikora Broughton, 9 Richard Judd, 10 Lucas Cashmore, 11 Rory van Vugt, 12 Joe Webber, 13 Tamiro Armstrong, 14 Regan Ware, 15 Cole Forbes.
Replacements: 16 Taine Kolose, 17 Tevita Mafileo, 18 Filipe Vakasiuola, 19 Aisake Vakasiuola, 20 Aidan Spratley, 21 Charlie Sinton, 22 Riley Hohepa, 23 Viliami Lea.
Hawke's Bay Finally Lost
Hawke's Bay's unbeaten streak was shattered by North Harbour in a top-of-the-table clash, losing 31-24 during Round 7 of the NPC at McLean Park in Napier.
Hawke's Bay were down 12-10 at the break after initially opening the score with a try from Nic Benn. Hawke's Bay dominated the early stages of the second half. Centurion Geoff Cridge celebrated his 100th NPC match with a try, followed quickly by a Folau Fakatava try, both converted by Harry Godfrey, giving Hawke's Bay a commanding 24-12 lead with just 20 minutes remaining.
Hawke's Bay suffered from poor discipline, receiving a yellow card in the second half, which severely hampered their defence late in the game, with North Harbour scoring 19 unanswered points in the last 11 minutes.
Hawke's Bay has been in top form this season, winning six of their last seven matches. They beat Wellington (52-33), Tasman (50-19), Auckland (44-31), Manawatu (59-17), Southland (36-21), Otago (35-24), and lost to North Harbour (31-24).
Hawke's Bay are top of the NPC table with 32 points after seven matches of the 2026 campaign.
Hawke's Bay Starting Lineup
Starting XV: 1 Clement Castets, 2 Jacob Devery, 3 Josh Smith, 4 Tom Allen, 5 Geoff Cridge, 6 Frank Lochore, 7 Sam Smith, 8 Cooper Flanders, 9 Folau Fakatava, 10 Harry Godfrey, 11 Darby Lancaster, 12 Anaru Paenga-Morgan, 13 Bailyn Sullivan, 14 Nic Benn, 15 Will Cole.
Replacements: 16 Kianu Kereru-Symes, 17 Hadlee Hay-Horton, 18 Manahi Goulton, 19 Hunter Morrison, 20 Patrick Mauga, 21 Connor McLeod, 22 Lukas Ripley. 23 Zarn Sullivan.