One Player To Watch For Every NPC Team (Part Three)

Just days away now from the kick-off of the 2026 Hilux NPC, and we are down to our final four teams for our player to watch series.

If you are interested in checking out the first 10 names selected for this series, you can check out part one (here) and part two (here).

With that, there are still a couple of really exciting names to talk about for this season, so why not crack into rounding out this series?

Northland | Reesjan Pasitoa

Northland are in need of some of their bigger names stepping up this season if they are going to make some noise in the 2026 campaign. One of those names is Highlanders midfielder and first-five Reesjan Pasitoa.

In 2025, Pasitoa made the move over to Northland after spending a couple of seasons in different Australian Super Rugby set-ups. He played seven times for the Taniwha and performed well enough to earn himself a contract with Jamie Joseph’s Highlanders side.

In the 2026 Super Rugby season, Pasitoa made eight appearances for Joseph and was trusted to start in the 10 jersey a few times through the middle of the season.

This year in the NPC, it is time for Pasitoa to really make a jump and show that his experiences in multiple high-profile rugby environments are beginning to refine his game, and hopefully, for Northland’s sake, make him look like one of the better players in the competition this year.

Honorable Mentions: Corey Evans and Rivez Reihana

Bay Of Plenty | Kele Lasaqa

If there was one word to describe Kele Lasaqa, that word would be electric. The youngster burst onto the scene towards the end of the NPC season for Bay of Plenty, playing six games for the Steamers and scoring five tries in his debut campaign.

At just 19, Lasaqa has since gone into the New Zealand 7s set-up and was awarded rookie of the year in one of the most prestigious competitions in the world. Now, Lasaqa will return to the team where he made his big break at the end of last season and will hope to continue that same blistering try-scoring form.

If that is the case, there is a real chance he will be on the Super Rugby radar come the start of 2027.

Honorable Mentions: Veveni Lasaqa and Roderick Solo

North Harbour | Kade Banks

Now at 26 years old, Kade Banks has played plenty of footy at provincial and Super Rugby level, but has never quite broken through to be a guaranteed starter at the next level.

He is certainly one of the biggest names in the North Harbour squad, and the hope for him is that he can truly break out this year. If that is the case and he is set to be in the Blues set-up next season, he can use this NPC campaign as a launch pad into finding more minutes for Jason Holland’s side.

When it comes to Banks, he is a versatile outside back who gets through plenty of work around the park. Ideally for North Harbour he will get his hands on the ball as much as possible and create moments of magic, like he has shown in past seasons.

Honorable Mentions: Tony Tafa and Raymond Tuputupu

Wellington | Callum Harkin

Callum Harkin is more than a great story now, as after plying his trade in club rugby for years at the highest level, he was given a chance in the Lions jersey two years ago and never looked back.

From his debut, after a few opportunities at either 10 or 15 for the Lions, it was clear that this guy was made to play at this level of rugby. From an overall skills and feel for the game standpoint, he slotted into professional rugby very easily.

Now, he is coming off a Super Rugby season as the first-choice fullback in maybe the greatest team that has ever played in the competition, and is ready to be the leader and first-five of this historic provincial side.

Harkin now has a real opportunity to show he can drive a team around and win as the man in command, and if he can do that, there is a real chance he sees his name called up for higher honours at some stage in the next few years.

Honorable Mentions: Logan Henry and Rupeni Raviyawa