That is a wrap on the ninth round of the NPC season, which means there is only one more week of regular season points reviews left after this one. Before we get to that, though, we need to dive into all the action from this past weekend, which featured some major repercussions from the results, which made it difficult to only choose five players from the round.
5. Lucas Casey (1 Point)
Back-to-back weeks on the list for Otago’s openside flanker, who is experiencing a breakout season in the NPC and was recently announced to be signing with the Highlanders from 2026 onward.
To start with, and this has almost become clockwork, Casey found the chalk again, dotting down for a five-pointer. Remarkably, it was his seventh try of the season.
Outside of the try, he does a huge amount of work to lay a platform for his side. This weekend, he did that once again by making the second-most tackles on his team with 20, and carrying the ball 14 times. Those carries led to 50 metres of go-forward, thanks to his ability to break tackles, which he did three times against North Harbour.
Otago are now set for a big playoff push, and Lucas Casey will be crucial to taking his team deeper into the finals if he can maintain this form.
4. Miracle Faiilagi (2 Points)
Hawke’s Bay put on an absolute clinic on Thursday evening in what was a must-win game for Auckland. The Magpies were up for every challenge that the ferocious backline Auckland possessed threw at them. One of the major reasons for that was the dominance of their forward pack, who controlled the contact area of the pitch all evening.
One of the main contributors to that effort was their blindside flanker, Miracle Faiilagi, who has had quite the past 12 months. The young loose forward was a handful all evening for the opposing forwards to deal with, as he constantly carried the ball in a bruising manner.
He carried the ball 11 times while gaining 97 metres, which was the second most on his team. Much of that came from a 30-metre dash when he was given space down the left flank. That run led to him dotting down for his own try, which he followed up not long after with a try assist, putting his teammate into the corner.
3. Kele Lasaqa (3 Points)
We have another Lasaqa on this list this weekend; however, it isn’t a fourth appearance for Veveni, but instead it’s his first cousin Kele who stole the show in Bay of Plenty’s win. Unlike his cousin, Kele is a back who has been deployed on the right wing during the business end of this season for the Steamers.
This Sunday, he was a terror with the ball, leading the game with two line breaks, 96 metres made, and six defenders beaten. The dangerous part about his carrying is that he can run around you in a blur, but he can also run over you with sheer determination and strength.
Away from that, Lasaqa scored his fourth try of the season in sensational fashion. Due to his rush defence, the ball fell to his feet, which he then hacked forward. Showing his blistering pace, he was first to the ball and dotted down for what was a sensational individual try.
2. Gibson Popoali’i (4 Points)
Counties have been handing out some hefty losses during the back end of this season. They did it once again to one of the bottom feeders of the competition, the Manawatu Turbos, in a 24-point drubbing on Sunday afternoon.
Looking at the game itself, there were a couple of stars for Counties, including Etene Nanai-Seturo and Ioane Moananu, who both showed off their pedigree.
However, there was nowhere else to look for the points in this one outside of Gibson Popoali’i. The Steelers’ second five led the game in carries and defenders beaten, while also finishing second in metres carried, only behind Nanai-Seturo. On top of that work, where he really stole the show was in his hat-trick performance that put the Turbos in the dirt.
What stood out about his three tries was just how direct and powerful a ball-runner Popoali’i is. He stormed over from about five to ten metres out each time, finding the chalk through sheer strength and low body position in tight contact areas. He was able to hit angles and holes the Turbos couldn’t defend, and Popoali’i made the most of every opportunity.
1. Michael Manson (5 Points)
We saw a barnburner between the Southland Stags and Tasman Mako this past weekend, which featured a ridiculous 93 points. Normally, you’d expect the player of the game to come from the side that put up 55 points. But that wasn’t the case, as Michael Mason, wearing the No. 14 jersey for the Stags, stood out above the rest on the paddock.
He almost scored a worldie in the corner off a chip kick from the base of the ruck, but was just knocked out of play by Macca Springer shortly after half-time. However, he got his own back with a strike move from halfway, where he was given half a gap to burst through. He burned everyone on the park and dotted down under the sticks for Southland’s second try.
In the 73rd minute, he was given the same opportunity off another chip kick. This time, he made the most of it, collecting it off the first bounce and finding his way to the right corner before the covering defence could reach him.
With a minute left on the clock, Mason scored his third try of the night in spectacular fashion. He found a bit of space down the right flank, then produced an outstanding chip and chase, gathering the ball past the try line to complete his hat-trick.
Even though he was on the losing side, the sheer explosiveness he showed was outstanding, and he will be one to watch going forward.
Leaderboard After Round 9 (Top 20)
1 Veveni Lasaqa | Bay of Plenty (11 Points)
1 Josh Jacomb | Taranaki (11 Points)
3 Fehi Fineanganofo | Bay of Plenty (7 Points)
4 Lucas Casey | Otago (6 Points)
4 Dylan Pledger | Otago (6 Points)
6 Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens | Taranaki (5 Points)
6 Michael Mason | Southland (5 Points)
6 Leicester Faingaʻanuku | Tasman (5 Points)
6 Semisi Tupou Ta’eiloa | Southland (5 Points)
6 Christian Lio-Willie | Otago (5 Points)
6 Caleb Tangitau | Auckland (5 points)
12 Ethan Blackadder | Tasman (4 Points)
12 Gibson Popoali’i | Counties Manakau (4 Points)
12 Macca Springer | Tasman (4 Points)
12 Corey Kellow | Canterbury (4 Points)
12 Fletcher Anderson | Tasman (4 Points)
16 Xavier Tito-Harris | Auckland (3 Points)
16 Zarn Sullivan | Hawke’s Bay (3 Points)
16 Kele Lasaqa | Bay of Plenty (3 Points)
16 Bradley Slater | Taranaki (3 Points)
16 Corey Evans | Northland (3 Points)
16 Dallas McLeod | Canterbury (3 Points)
16 Hoskins Sotutu | Counties Manukau (3 Points)