Northland into their first NPC final: Taniwha 38, Otago 19

Northland are into the NPC final for the first time. On a Friday night in Whangārei they beat Otago 38-19 at Semenoff Stadium, scored four tries to three, and had captain Rivez Reihana's goal-kicking to thank for 18 of the points.

How it unfolded

Marcel Renata, the Northland prop, scored inside seven minutes, finishing from a lineout, and Reihana converted for 7-0. Otago hit back through Kieran McClea, and Cameron Millar's conversion levelled it at 7-7 after 21 minutes. Reihana put Northland back in front with a penalty, but a Northland offside gave Otago a platform and their captain, Christian Lio-Willie, scored near the end of the half. Millar converted for 14-10 Otago.

Renata had the last word before the break. His second try came on the stroke of half-time, Reihana converted, and Northland led 17-14 at the interval.

The second half belonged to the home side, 21-5. The turning point came in the 57th minute, when a penalty at a Northland scrum shunted the Otago pack backwards and winger Heremaia Murray scored in the left corner. Reihana's conversion from the touchline made it 24-14. He kicked three more penalties, one of them after an Otago offside, to stretch the lead to 33-14, and Nathan Salmon added a fourth try in the left corner in the 77th minute. Otago's Jona Nareki scored from a loose ball in the 80th minute, though Millar missed the conversion. Rugby365's match data has Northland leading for 63 minutes. The named referee was Paul Williams.

The men who did it

Rivez Reihana, the Northland captain and first five-eighth, finished with three conversions and four penalties for 18 points, steering the game from the tee and from first receiver. Reihana said afterwards that the group were "very hungry to create more history".

Marcel Renata, the prop, scored twice and made 19 carries, a heavy night's work for a front-rower.

Heremaia Murray and Nathan Salmon were the two corner finishers on the left. Murray's try, off the scrum penalty, broke the contest open; Salmon's late score ended any thought of a comeback.

For Otago, Christian Lio-Willie, the captain, scored Otago's second try before half-time and paid tribute to the opposition. "When Northland get on a roll like that, they are hard to stop," he said, adding that Reihana and the rest of the Northland team "controlled the game really well". Cameron Millar kicked two conversions a week after playing his 50th game for Otago, and the Blues have announced him for 2027. Jona Nareki scored in the 80th minute, and Kieran McClea scored Otago's first try.

Winger Brady Rush said the Northland group had a slogan for a possible home final, "Defend the pa", and described a "sea of blue" in the crowd.

The man in charge

Ryan Martin joined Northland as attack coach in 2024 and became head coach in 2025. His aim, he has said, was to win the competition from day one of pre-season. Assistant coach Robbie Abel credits Martin for the culture the side has built. It follows a 26-21 quarterfinal win over Tasman in which Northland trailed 14-0.

What comes next

The final is on Labour Weekend. The other semifinal is Canterbury against Taranaki on Sunday at 3.35pm at One NZ Stadium in Christchurch, with Ben O'Keeffe refereeing; Taranaki won the sides' last meeting 40-26 earlier in the season. If Canterbury win, they host Northland in Christchurch on Labour Day Monday, 26 October. If Taranaki upset them, Northland, as the higher-ranked side, will host the final in Whangārei.

Whichever way it goes, the Taniwha have a final to prepare for in the 50th season of the competition.