NPC Round 3 Wellington v Otago – numbers and stats

Each week throughout the NPC, Hurricanes and Wellington statistician Peter Marriott will provide the numbers and statistics, records and happenings that you need to know about the game that has just played. Next up is the Wellington v Otago match.

Round 3 v Otago: Lost 41-46

There have now been 47 NPC matches played between Wellington and Otago.

Wellington has won 27 times and this was Otago’s 18th win. There have been two drawn matches.

The Wellington Lions have hosted Otago 25 times for 15 wins, nine losses and one draw.

This was the first NPC match between the two sides at Jerry Collins Stadium in Porirua. It follows 12 matches being played at the old Athletic Park and 12 at Westpac/Sky Stadium.

The Lions have now played eight NPC matches in Porirua for four wins and four losses which include both matches held there this season.

This loss was Wellington’s first against Otago following three successive wins.

Otago has only bettered their 46 points once: in their 82-10 win over Wellington at Dunedin in 1998.

The points aggregate in this match (87) has only been beaten by the 92 in that match at Dunedin in 1998.

The Lions have never won a match when they have conceded 46 points or more. However, they did beat Bay of Plenty 59-45 at Wellington in the Final of 2017.

Otago scored six tries in the match which is second only to the 12 they scored at Dunedin in 1998.

During the match Otago brought up 1000 points against Wellington. Their total currently sits on 1014.They are the fourth side to reach this milestone after Canterbury (1473 points), Auckland (1229) and Waikato (1221).

During the match Wellington scored their 150th try against Otago. The total now sits on 151. They have scored 150 tries against four other sides: Waikato (173), Canterbury (171), Taranaki (158) and Bay of Plenty (157).

Otago passed 500 points in away matches to Wellington, just the third side to do so. Canterbury has scored the most points (637) followed by Auckland (553) and Otago (531).

Otago kicked the first penalties (two) against Wellington this season. Bay of Plenty remains the only side not to have a penalty kicked against them.

The Lions made four changes to their starting XV from the one which started in the previous match against Waikato. Two of those changes were in the forwards and two in the backs.

Asafo Aumua appeared in his first match this season. He went on as a replacement and took the number of different players to have replaced starting hooker James O’Reilly to three in three matches.

Those who went before Aumua were Leon Tuiloma and Penieli Poasa.

A total of 29 players (including three debutants) have now made an appearance for the Lions in 2025.

Matt Proctor scored the Lions’ first try, and the last. He now has 14 in 59 matches since making his debut 13 years ago. Of his 14 tries, six have been scored against Otago including a hat-trick in Dunedin in 2012. Proctor has scored two or more tries in a match on three occasions.

Hugo Plummer scored his third try in 24 appearances.

In his second match and first start for Wellington, Esi Komaisavai scored his maiden NPC try. He is  the third halfback to start in as many matches after Kyle Preston and Nui Muriwai. Mitch McLeod, who was on the bench as Komaisavai’s replacement, did not get onto the field.

Tom Maiava also scored his first try for Wellington, in his sixth match.

Akira Ieremia’s try was his third in 19 matches. It was his second against Otago and he had the honour of scoring Wellington’s 150th NPC try in all matches against them.

Jackson Garden-Bachop was again in charge of the kicking duties. His 11 points took his overall total for Wellington in 103 matches to 814. Of that total 66 have been scored against Otago.

Callum Harkin was sent for an HIA in the 20th minute. He failed and was replaced for the remainder of the match by Stanley Solomon.

Brad Shields resumed the captaincy having missed the previous round.

Otago scored six tries against Wellington including two to Lucas Casey. He had previously scored one in Dunedin last year.

Jona Nareki, Dylan Pledger and Will Tucker all scored tries for the first time against Wellington whilst Thomas Umaga-Jensen scored his second: his first was during last year’s match in Dunedin

Nareki’s try was the 150th to be scored in this year’s competition.

Cameron Millar kicked 16 points to take his total in all NPC matches against Wellington to 26. If his seventh attempt at goal had not hit the upright, he may well have had a perfect eight from eight and two extra points. In 2021 Wellington and Otago played a non-championship match in Dunedin where Millar kicked 18 points missing none of his seven attempts at goal.

Samuel Nemec-Vial, who was listed on the bench as a replacement, did not play in the match.

This round of the Bunnings Warehouse NPC celebrated Referee Appreciation Week.

Otago’s win meant Wellington relinquished the Mike Gibson Memorial Trophy after having held it for the past three years.

After three rounds Wellington are in eighth place in the Standings, the same position they were in at the end of the second round.

Doctor Stuart Curran was the referee in charge. It was the fifth match he has controlled which involved the Lions.

Wellington’s overall record in the NPC is: played 516 matches, won 328 (63.6%), lost 176 and drawn 12.