Tasman — Auckland: 22:24, Bunnings NPC

Auckland beat Tasman 24-22 in the Bunnings NPC on 2026-09-18. The visitors held on for a narrow win after 80 minutes. It was a tight contest from start to finish and the final score told the story.

Tasman came into the match seventh with 22 points from eight games, four wins and four losses. Auckland sat eleventh with 18 points, three wins and five defeats. The hosts had been mixed lately — wins against Saunland and Wellington, but heavy losses to Otage and Northland. Auckland showed more consistency in their recent run, beating Counties Manukau 43-33 before losing to Taranaki.

By then the gap between them in the table was four points. The result keeps Tasman ahead but closes the distance. Auckland extended their unbeaten run to eight matches in all competitions, though this competition record remains separate. To be fair, the table doesn't tell the whole story of how close this was.

We had backed Tasman at 72 per cent confidence. The prediction didn't come off. What shifted it was Auckland's ability to hang in when the game tightened. Things came to a head in the final quarter and the visitors saw it out.

The win leaves Auckland on 18 points, still eleventh. Tasman remain seventh with 22 points after the loss. The difference between them is now just four points in a tight mid-table race.