NPC Power Rankings Post Round 4

Round four is in the books, and plenty of teams made statements as we begin to head into the middle period of the season.

With that said, we have another week added to our sample size, and with it, we have updated our power rankings.

14. Counties Manukau | 0-4 | Previous Ranking: 14

Another week, another showing from Counties that justifies why they have found themselves at the bottom of the table over the last few weeks.

For now, they will stay right at the bottom, but they will have an opportunity to jump up a spot if they can beat Wellington this weekend.

13. Wellington | 0-4 | Previous Ranking: 13

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 | 1-3 | Previous Ranking: 13

After a huge win versus Waikato, Southland hit the factory reset this weekend against Tasman, who put the Stags to the sword.

It was a tough outing for the Stags, and the hope for fans in the deep south is that it is not an accurate representation of who they are heading into the second potion of the season.

11. Manawatū | 1-3 | Previous Ranking: 11

In a lower North Island rivalry against the Magpies, Manawatū held their own for the first 50-odd minutes, with all their hard work derailed after their skipper, TK Howden, was shown a yellow card for a tackle off the ball.

From there, Hawke’s Bay were able to switch into another gear and ended up piling on the points, producing a scoreline that many would say did not reflect the closeness of the clash.

10. Taranaki | 1-3 | Previous Ranking: 10

Taranaki continue their demise in the first half of the season, as even with a much-improved performance against Bay of Plenty, they still added another loss to the column.

The worrying part is that you could argue their big names came to play, with the likes of Kini Naholo and Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens putting in a big shift, but it still was not enough to right the ship.

9. Auckland | 1-3 | Previous Ranking: 9

The Battle of the Bridge was a big opportunity for Auckland to make a statement and show they are still a side worth talking about in the upper mid-table of this year’s NPC.

While they put in a decent performance, they clearly lack some clinical execution in moments when the game was in the balance. For me, that was the major reason they were not able to fully turn the tide against North Harbour.

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

Bay of Plenty were able to carry over a solid performance against Canterbury and turn it into a win against a wounded Taranaki side.

For mine, there is so much untapped potential in the Steamers side, and the more they can lean on their dynamic loose forwards, the better off they will be heading into the next portion of the season.

7. Tasman | 3-1 | Previous Ranking: 10

The Mako are making a huge claim to climb back up the power rankings, but I was sitting here this week wondering who they could jump ahead of.

They were able to handle Southland comfortably and did so with some of the most dynamic play from a back three that I have seen all season.

For right now, though, I did not have anywhere to move them. But if Tasman continue to perform like this, they will certainly force their way up these rankings.

6. North Harbour | 3-1 | Previous Ranking: 9

Harbour were able to secure a close but famous win in the Battle of the Bridge this past weekend and just continue to add more feathers to their cap.They continue to play an extremely positive brand of footy and have players who are stacking massive performances week in week out.

Like Tasman they have been impressing me but I just wasn’t able to justify moving them above the remaining five teams just yet.

5. Waikato | 3-1 | Previous Ranking: 4

Waikato needed a response after their loss ot the Stags and they got that and some against Counties of Sunday afternoon.

Albeit seemingly having the rub of the green in many situations, ut props to them they executed in those moments allowing them to pile on the points and get back on the right track heading into round five.

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

As mentioned, Otago were able to demolish Wellington under the roof at Forsyth Barr. However, it took them a fair amount of time to gain control of the game, but once they did, there was no looking back.

They do slide down the power rankings, but it is not really their own fault and has more to do with the rise of another side.

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

The mighty have finally fallen, as Canterbury were dominated from start to finish at home, with the Shield on the line against Northland.

Now, I will say the reigning champions have shown some cracks over the past couple of weeks, and I was not stunned by the result. It was more the manner of the performance that surprised me.

2. Northland | 3-1 | Previous Ranking: 5

A big jump from five to two this week for the Taniwha, who have won the Ranfurly Shield for the first time since 1979, with the result being their biggest triumph in recent history.

Now, they are tasked with holding on to the Shield and proving they are not just a good story. However, I think they have the ammunition to do so, with Rivez Reihana driving them around the park and Rob Rush, perhaps the MVP of the first four rounds of the competition, putting on a show in all four of their games so far.

1. Hawke’s Bay | 4-0 | Previous Ranking: 2

Hawke’s Bay have been knocking on the door of being crowned the best side in the competition, and all they had to do was continue to dominate and wait for Canterbury to slip up.

With Thursday’s result, followed by the Magpies winning comfortably against the Turbos, that is exactly what has played out. Now, after four rounds of footy, we have a new leader in the clubhouse.