Taranaki were superb last weekend against Canterbury on home soil and are backed to win again at home. Their form on the road might be patchy, but on their own patch, few manage to match them.
Key Stats - Taranaki Strong at Home
- Taranaki have won 3 of their last 4 home matches.
- Taranaki have won 2 consecutive games against Auckland.
- Auckland have lost 4 of their last 5 fixtures.
- Auckland have lost 4 consecutive away games.
Share of the Spoils
In 14 NPC encounters, these two sides are level with seven wins apiece.
Taranaki Superb against Defending Champs
Taranaki scored three converted tries in the first half against Canterbury last weekend to lead 21-7 at half-time.
The Bulls added three tries and two conversions in the second stanza to secure a comfortable 40-26 home win over Canterbury.
Earlier in their campaign, Taranaki defeated Counties Manukau 20-5 away from home before losing 38-32 at home to Waikato, 42-0 to Northland, and 28-24 to Bay of Plenty away from home, respectively.
The Taranaki Bulls are 9th in the National Provincial Championship table with 13 points after five rounds.
Taranaki will be pleased with their recent performance and have an opportunity to secure more points when they host a struggling Auckland side that has lost four in a row on the road.
Auckland Suffered Narrow Loss
Auckland scored a solitary try in the first half against Bay of Plenty last weekend, going into the break trailing 12-5.
In the second half, Auckland added two converted tries to their points tally, but came up short, losing 22-19 at home to Bay of Plenty.
Before that, the team from Eden Park lost 38-31 to Canterbury away from home and beat Wellington 34-31 at home before they lost 44-31 at home to Hawke's Bay, and 27-19 away to North Harbour.
Auckland are ninth in the National Provincial Championship standings with nine points from five matches.
Auckland must find a way to start winning their fixtures if they have intentions of reaching the season-ending play-offs; however, they have failed to beat Taranaki in their last two meetings.
Taranaki vs Auckland Team News
Taranaki Bulls
Kaylum Boshier scored a brace against Canterbury last weekend.
Sam Clarke, Josefa Namosimalua, Zach Landon-Lane, and Willem Ratu each scored in the match.
Sam Clarke slotted five conversions.
The team for Taranaki will be added once it has been announced.
Auckland
Tevita Latu, Titi Nofoagatotoa, and Payton Spencer scored a try each against Bay of Plenty last weekend.
Alex Harford landed two conversions in the match.
The line-up for Auckland will be added once it has been announced.