NPC Number Crunching: Wellington v North Harbour

The Stat Attack by compiled by Peter Marriott continues for this year’s 50^th National Provincial Championship competition. The third one from the match against North Harbour is below.

Next up for the Lions is Otago on Sunday in Dunedin and for the Mike Gibson Memorial Trophy.

Round 3 v North Harbour: Lost 7-47

The Wellington Lions have lost their third match in a row and have yet to record their first win in 2026.

Only once before have they lost their first three matches. That was in 2014 when in fact they lost their first nine matches before beating North Harbour 58-34 in their 10th and final outing of the season.

With three losses this season and having lost their last two matches in 2025, the Lions are currently on a losing streak of five matches in a row.

Prior to their horror season in 2014 the Lions had lost the final match the year before and so their worst-ever losing sequence is actually 10 matches in a row.

The Lions can also claim a losing streak of six matches in succession: their last five matches in 1991and the first in 1992 were all lost.

Being beaten by North Harbour by a jumbo 7-47, means the Lions have been inflicted with the fifth highest losing margin (40 points) they have experienced in 526 National Provincial Championship (NPC) matches.

For the record the four larger margins are: 72 points (in their 10-82 loss to Otago at Dunedin in 1998), 66 points (a 7-73 loss to Canterbury at Christchurch in 1997), 49 points (a 17-66 loss to Canterbury at Christchurch in 1995) and 48 points (a 7-55 loss to Counties Manukau at Pukekohe in 2014).

The 40 point losing margin against North Harbour is therefore the largest for the Lions in a match played on a home ground.

North Harbour’s previous highest winning margin against the Lions was 26 points in their 43-17 win at Takapuna in 1994.

North Harbour’s 47 points in this match is a new record highest score against the Lions beating the 43 points scored at Takapuna in 1994.

The Lions have scored fewer than 10 points in a match 43 times for two wins, 39 losses and two draws.

On both occasions they won they scored seven points. The first time was a 7-3 win against Auckland, at Auckland, in 1983 and the most recent occasion was their 7-0 victory against Tasman at Wellington in 2023 in a successful defence of the Ranfurly Shield. James O’Reilly scored a try which was converted by Aidan Morgan.

North Harbour’s win brought an end to a losing sequence of 13 away matches stretching back to their last victory (48-29) against Manawatu at Palmerston North on 10 September 2023. The Lions were responsible for starting the losing streak when they beat North Harbour 26-6 at Porirua two weeks after the match against Manawatu. North Harbour had gone 1053 days between winning at away venues.

Wellington and North Harbour have now met on 35 occasions. Wellington is ahead with 21 wins to North Harbour’s 14.

Wellington has hosted North Harbour 20 times for 14 wins and six losses. Nine of Wellington’s wins have been in the last 11 matches.

This match was in fact the first between the two sides since 2023 when Wellington beat North Harbour 26-6 at the Jerry Collins Stadium in Porirua.

This match was also the first lost by Wellington as hosts since 2016 when North Harbour won a close Semi-final encounter 40-37 at the then named Westpac Stadium.

Wellington made three changes to the starting XV from that which started the previous match against Auckland. There were two changes in the backs (out went Riley Williams and Reo Matsushita and in came Jackson Ropata and Logan Henry) and one in the forwards (James O’Reilly for Penieli Poasa). Williams, Matsushita and Poasa all went onto the bench.

At the end of Round 3 the Wellington Lions finished 13th in the Standings, down one place from 12^th in the previous round.

This round of the Hilux NPC was dedicated to the competition’s front row forwards.

Callum Harkin scored all of Wellington’s points: a try and a conversion. His total points in all matches played is 81 in 22 appearances.

Penieli Poasa picked up a yellow card in the 52nd minute. It was the second one awarded to the Lions, in their third match of the season.

The seven tries scored by North Harbour is a new record for them in a match against Wellington. They had previously scored six tries twice: at Takapuna in 1994 and Albany in 2019.

In all matches against Wellington, North Harbour has scored 99 tries.

And here is a useless piece of information: In all NPC matches Wellington has scored 1839 tries and conceded 1340. That is a (plus) difference of 499 tries.

North Harbour debutant Israel Leota scored the first try of the match in the seventh minute and followed that up with his second try in the second half.

Cameron Howell scored a try and kicked two conversions for nine points: his first against the Lions.

George Reeves (not the American actor George Reeves who played Clark Kent/Superman on television between 1952 and 1958) scored his first try against the Lions. Reeves had originally played for Buller in 2023 before moving to Southland in 2025 when after appearing in four matches was loaned to Canterbury where he played three matches later in the same season.

Captain Jed Melvin scored his 10th try, his first against Wellington. Melvin started the match in the #8 jersey but it became so badly torn he had to replace it with a #3 jersey.

Coby Miln scored two tries and kicked four conversions. His 18 points are the most for North Harbour in a match against Wellington since Bryn Gatland kicked 20 points in the Semi-final match at Wellington in 2016.

Tony Tafa was awarded a yellow card in the 79th minute.

The referee, Mike Winter, has now controlled five matches which involved Wellington. It was his first Wellington/North Harbour match. Winter’s first Wellington match in charge was way back in 2017 and he “disappeared” for seven years before controlling his second match in 2024.

The Wellington Lions have played 526 NPC matches for 330 wins (62.7%), 184 losses and 12 draws.

North Harbour, which does not appear to have a nickname, has played 374 Premiership NPC matches for 170 wins (45.5%), 193 losses and 11 draws.