Otago and Hawke's Bay met in the Bunnings NPC on 10 October 2026, with the hosts running out comprehensive 50:14 winners at home. The result sharpened the gap between third and sixth in the standings, where Otago sit on 37 points and Hawke's Bay on 33 after ten rounds each.
And here's the thing — you could see the shape of it early on. Otago came out with that familiar hunger, the kind that comes from needing to hold their position near the top. They found space quickly, moved the ball wider than Hawke's Bay expected, and by then the visitors were already chasing shadows. It wasn't a surprise, really, not when you look at the last time these two met on 4 September — Otago had won 24:35 then, and this was a different scale entirely.
We'd backed the home side before kickoff, gave Otago 68 per cent confidence for a reason. The number wasn't built on sentiment; it was built on pattern. Three wins in their last five, including that 50:21 over Counties Manukau and the 55:33 against Tasmans, while Hawke's Bay had lost four of ten and gone backwards since that September encounter. To be fair, the hosts were dominant in the air from set plays, and Hawke's Bay simply couldn't match that physicality over 80 minutes.
The visitors tried to stay compact, sat deep and soaked it up for long stretches, but one mistake ends it when you're playing a side that punishes possession. Otago picked up momentum through phases, hit them on the break when Hawke's Bay gave up the ball, and the wind seemed to ruin any passing game the away team might have planned. By the time the final whistle came, the margin told the whole story.
After the match, Otago remain third with 37 points from seven victories and three defeats, while Hawke's Bay drop further behind on 33 points despite six wins. The table goes out of the window in these games, but the gap matters when you're fighting for playoff positioning. Otago cannot afford another slip, and Hawke's Bay must find a way back into it before the season closes.
