| Home team | Canterbury |
| Away team | Bay of Plenty |
| Venue | One NZ Stadium |
| Competition | NPC- Ranfurly Shield |
| Kick-off time | 3:05 am (UK) 2:05 pm (NZ) |
| Watch Live in the UK | NPC Youtube |
Canterbury vs Bay of Plenty NPC and Ranfurly Shield preview as the sides meet at the One NZ Stadium.
Canterbury were one of only three sides to win their opening two games, but sit a point behind the other sides on nine points.
The Bay of Plenty have won one of their games, picking up two bonus points in the matches to sit on six points.
Richie Mo’unga has been called up to the All Blacks squad for the Greatest Rivalry Tour and therefore won’t be playing in this match, despite having been initially involved.
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Canterbury vs Bay of Plenty confirmed lineups
| Canterbury | Bay of Plenty | ||||
| Forwards | |||||
| Brewis | 1 | Kumeroa | |||
| Bordie McAlister | 2 | Kolose | |||
| Ainsley | 3 | Mafileo | |||
| Jack | 4 | Naitoa Ah Kuoi | |||
| Hannah | 5 | Knight | |||
| Cahill | 6 | Johnston | |||
| Kellow | 7 | Lasaqa | |||
| Gardiner | 8 | Broughton | |||
| Backs | |||||
| Chapman | 9 | Tahurionangi | |||
| TBA | 10 | Hohepa | |||
| Punivai | 11 | Forbes | |||
| Rova | 12 | Paul | |||
| McLeod | 13 | Armstrong | |||
| Fihaki | 14 | Ware | |||
| McNicholl | 15 | Robertson | |||
| Replacements | |||||
| Letiu | 16 | Tupou | |||
| Lienert-Brown | 17 | Rounds | |||
| Calder | 18 | Tukuafu | |||
| Treacy | 19 | Palmer | |||
| Abbott | 20 | Felise | |||
| Belworthy | 21 | Sinton | |||
| Andrew Knewstubb | 22 | Cashmore | |||
| Bell | 23 | Solo | |||
Recent Form:
Canterbury (Home team):
| Result | Date | Competition | Opponent | Score |
| Won | 9th August 2026 | NPC | Otago | 15-19 |
| Won | 1st August 2026 | NPC | Auckland | 38-31 |
| Won | 25th October 2025 | NPC Playoffs | Otago | 36-28 |
| Won | 18th October 2025 | NPC Playoffs | Hawke’s Bay | 43-19 |
| Won | 12th October 2025 | NPC Playoffs | Counties Manukau | 23-15 |
Canterbury have now won six games in a row, which included winning the 2025 version of the competition. In the last round, they claimed the Ranfurly Shield from Otago in a narrow 19-15 win.
Canterbury led 12-3 at halftime, with the second try coming into added time of the first half. Otago would score after 55 minutes to bring the game back to 12-8. Brodie McAlister would score a try converted by Mo’unga with 14 minutes to go to extend their lead to 11 points. Despite an Otago try being scored and converted with six minutes to go, Canterbury were able to hold on to that lead.
Bay of Plenty (Away team):
| Result | Date | Competition | Opponent | Score |
| Won | 8th August 2026 | NPC | Northland | 34-31 |
| Loss | 30th July 2026 | NPC | Waikato | 38-26 |
| Loss | 17th October 2025 | NPC Playoffs | Otago | 41-17 |
| Won | 11th October 2025 | NPC Playoffs | Tasman | 27-7 |
| Won | 4th October 2025 | NPC | Wellington | 33-26 |
The Bay of Plenty picked up their first win of the season with a narrow victory over Northland. The Bay of Plenty went 24-5 ahead and 31-17 ahead again just after half-time. Northland scored two more tries and brought it back to 31-31, with 10 minutes to go.
Jason Robertson kicked a penalty with three minutes to go to win by three points.
Canterbury vs Bay of Plenty head-to-head record (last five matches):
| Date | Competition | Winner | Score |
| 16th August 2025 | NPC | Canterbury | 7-21 |
| 19th October 2024 | NPC Playoffs | Bay of Plenty | 32-20 |
| 15th October 2022 | NPC Playoffs | Canterbury | 24-10 |
| 6th November 2021 | NPC | Canterbury | 40-28 |
| 24th October 2020 | NPC | Bay of Plenty | 44-8 |
Canterbury have won three of the last four games against the Bay of Plenty although did lose the playoff against the Bay of Plenty in the 2024 playoffs. All four of these most recent games have been decided by 14 or less but none have finished within seven points.
