NPC Round 1 Wellington v Canterbury – numbers and stats

The Wellington Lions started the 2025 season as the winner of the 2024 National Provincial Championship (NPC) having beaten Bay of Plenty 23-20 in the Final at Wellington in extra time.

Wellington has begun the 50th season of NPC rugby with a loss, the 15th time they have been beaten in their first match of a new year.

Porirua Park opening round scene. Photo: Tane Nathan.

It is the 23rd instance of their first match being at a home venue but just the sixth time they have lost that opening match. Two of those losses have been against Canterbury in the five times they have met.

Canterbury had, in fact, not beaten Wellington at home since their 29-13 win at Wellington in the then ITM Cup Final of 2013.

Wellington won all of their eight home matches played in 2024.

Wellington has hosted seven NPC matches at the Jerry Collins Stadium in Porirua. This was their third loss after having won the most recent four matches played at the venue.

Wellington and Canterbury have now met in the NPC on on 57 occasions: Wellington is slightly ahead with 28 wins to Canterbury’s 27. There have been two drawn matches. Wellington has played Canterbury more often than they have any other side: Auckland is next on the list with 50 meetings.

Wellington’s record in home matches against Canterbury is: played 28, won 19 and lost nine.

Wellington and Canterbury were level (7-7) after 40 minutes but the home side had not lost a match when tied at halftime since being beaten 27-21 by Manawatu at Wellington in 2014, after the two sides were locked 6-6 at the break.

The two teams played for the Harry Saundercock Memorial Trophy which Canterbury regained by virtue of winning the match.

The Wellington side played in their individual club socks.

With the incumbent captain from last season (Du’Plessis Kirifi) away on All Black duty, Brad Shields led the side for the first time since the NPC Final against Bay of Plenty at Wellington in 2017.

Shields was forced to leave the field in the 15th minute for an HIA. He failed his assessment and was replaced by Julian Savea as the on-field captain.

Ruben Love kicked a (rare) 50/22 in the 58th minute.

Both Kenshi Yamamoto and Vili Tauofaga made their debut for Wellington.

Losi Filipo scored Wellington’s first try of the season. He had also scored the final try in last season’s Final against Bay of Plenty. Filipo has now scored 12 tries in NPC matches plus one against South

Canterbury in a 2023 Ranfurly Shield Challenge match. He also scored two tries against Canterbury at Christchurch in 2023.

Nui Muriwai scored his second try for Wellington.

Nui Muriwai gets his pass away. Photo: Stewart Baird.

Jackson Garden-Bachop, who brought up his 100th appearance for Wellington in their final match of 2024, kicked five points to take his tally in all matches to 788. He is now only 10 points short of passing John Gallagher who is in second place on Wellington’s all-time point-scoring list with 797 points. In all matches against Canterbury Garden-Bachop has totalled 84 points.

Callum Harkin missed his only attempt at a goal. It was he who kicked the winning penalty in extra time in the Final against Bay of Plenty last year.

For Canterbury, Johnny McNicholl scored twice, his first tries in a match against Wellington.

Nick Hyde and Corey Kellow scored their first try against Wellington.

It was Cullen Grace’s fourth try against Wellington: he scored a double at Christchurch in 2022 and another at the same venue in 2023.

James White kicked four points to add to the 11 (one try and three conversions) he picked up in last year’s match.

Chay Fihaki also kicked four points having scored a try in the match at Wellington in 2021.

Todd Petrie was in charge of his second match which involved the Wellington Lions.

Wellington’s overall record in the NPC is: played 514 matches, won 327 (63.6%), lost 175 and drawn 12.