NPC Power Rankings Post Round 3

Another week of the NPC bites the dust, and wow, was it some round of action, with upsets galore all over the slate.

Those results certainly throw a spanner in the works for our weekly power rankings, meaning there will no doubt be a bit of moving and shaking for this week’s edition.

14. Counties Manukau | 0-3 | Previous Ranking: 14

Counties took on Tasman, who were of course looking for a major bounce back after being trounced by Hawke’s Bay in round two. Unfortunately for Counties, they were on the other end of that result, as the Mako ran in 50 points to their 35 and conceded a record five tries to Kyren Taumoefolau, who torched Counties all afternoon.

13. Wellington | 0-3 | Previous Ranking: 11

The Lions have been flat-out bad to open the season, and after falling to 0-3 against North Harbour at home on Thursday, they truly found themselves near the bottom of the pack.

They seem to be error-prone across the paddock and lack any real parity in their forward pack, regardless of the level of opposition. The only shining lights for the side from the capital are their 10 and 12 combination of Harkin and Kirifi. Without them, they would be in a world of trouble and, no doubt, at the bottom of the power rankings.

12. Southland | 1-2 | Previous Ranking: 13

The Stags truly have a special place in my heart because when they are winning, it is better for New Zealand provincial rugby. This weekend, they pulled off the upset of the competition against Waikato, with several names making a stand at Rugby Park on Sunday afternoon.

For Southland, the growth of their young talent has been huge, with the likes of Mika Muliaina and Jimmy Taylor putting the competition on notice with their ability to dictate play and drive their team around the park.

Honestly, based on what I saw from the Stags on the weekend, I was ready to launch them up the rankings, but I have decided to keep a calm head for another week regarding their season prospects.

11. Manawatū | 1-2 | Previous Ranking: 12

Manawatū also showed that last weekend’s win against the Stags was not a fluke, as they almost upset Otago on Saturday evening and are seemingly growing in confidence with every passing week.

They are playing an exciting brand of footy that could be described as fearless, and they are seemingly reaping the rewards with their last couple of outings.

10. Taranaki | 1-2 | Previous Ranking: 5

The biggest fall in the competition came as Taranaki were destroyed by Northland on Friday evening, in a result that says a lot about this Taranaki side without Josh Jacomb.

They were completely and utterly outclassed by Northland from start to finish and, even worse, were out-hustled by the side running up the score on them. For me, this is a new low for Taranaki rugby, and they need to bounce back from this result as soon as possible.

9. Auckland | 1-2 | Previous Ranking: 7

Auckland have been constantly slipping down the rankings and just cannot seem to get out of their own way. Against Hawke’s Bay, they were shown red and yellow cards, which left them with not much in the tank around the 60-minute mark.

They were then dominated by the Magpies, who ran away with the result, but it is the self-inflicted wounds that seem to be stalling Auckland this season.

8. Bay Of Plenty | 1-2 | Previous Ranking: 6

Tough for Bay of Plenty, as I thought they put up a pretty solid performance against Canterbury in the Shield challenge, but poor decision-making down the stretch halted their magical comeback.

They do slip down the rankings this week, but it was less about what they did wrong and more about the sides around them putting up major statement victories, which has resulted in them moving back into the eighth spot.

7. Tasman | 2-1 | Previous Ranking: 10

Huge result for Tasman, as they put Counties to the sword, with their superstar winger Kyren Taumoefolau breaking the single-game try-scoring record for the Mako with five on the afternoon.

They move up three spots this week because of the response they showed to their humbling loss to Hawke’s Bay in round two. But it is not all rosy for Mako fans, as they are now without Noah Hotham, who is away with the All Blacks, and they seemingly cannot stop conceding large points hauls.

6. North Harbour | 2-1 | Previous Ranking: 9

North Harbour have officially doubled their 2025 win total, and we have only played three rounds of footy. Harbour look like a completely different outfit this year, with a really powerful loose forward trio and some exciting outside backs who will strike fear into any opposition.

This is a massive weekend for them, as they come up against their cross-town rivals in Auckland. For now, though, I give them the edge based on the form entering the match-up, but Saturday afternoon is certainly one game you will not want to miss.

5. Northland | 2-1 | Previous Ranking: 8

How good are the Northland Taniwha? They have just produced one of the best performances I have seen from them in a long time against Taranaki, scoring 42 points and, more impressively, holding the Bulls to a donut.

They have a really solid squad, with a skill set that complements their star first-five, Rivez Reihana, perfectly. The Crusaders No. 10 can pull the strings behind a forward pack generating plenty of go-forward, creating the exact environment in which his game thrives. If he can continue to play with confidence, the Taniwha will keep putting the competition on notice.

4. Waikato | 2-1 | Previous Ranking: 4

Waikato were so impressive in the first two weeks that even the slip-up against Southland has not managed to drop them down the rankings.

I am choosing to believe that the Stags simply put up a massive performance at home in front of a big Southland crowd, while Waikato were slightly off on the day. This weekend, they have an opportunity for a palate cleanser against Counties, and for a side of Waikato’s quality, I back them to right the ship pretty quickly.

3. Otago | 2-1 | Previous Ranking: 2

Otago almost had a catastrophic result in back to back weeks after being down by plenty with 10 minutes to go against Manawatū. However, they were able to rally in the final embers of the game and secure their second win of the season. After their last 160 minutes of action, though, I certainly have an eye on them for fraud watch.

2. Hawke’s Bay | 3-0 | Previous Ranking: 2

The Magpies handled business against Auckland on Saturday afternoon, but without the home side being down to 14 men for 30 minutes, it could have been a different story. It was the first time Hawke’s Bay had looked rattled all season, but their ability to overcome a solid Auckland side in the final quarter of the game showed they can win a dogfight rather than just smoke sides from the jump.

1. Canterbury | 3-0 | Previous Ranking: 1

Canterbury flew out of the gates against the Steamers in what felt like it was going to be a cruisy Shield defence after 20 minutes. However, Bay of Plenty responded with a massive second-half shift and even tied the game at 28-all.

As many Canterbury sides have shown in the past, they have the ability to come up big in big moments. Of course, they did so again this weekend, resulting in their first successful Shield defence of the season.