This Bay of Plenty rugby union preview has been refreshed on 27 September 2026 to reflect the latest position ahead of round six of the NPC. Bay of Plenty face Manawatu at Tauranga Domain, and both squads have now named their teams for the clash. Full detail on the fixture first appeared in our original match coverage, and this update carries the story forward with confirmed lineups and current form.
Updated NPC round six match status
The match remains fixed for Tauranga Domain, with kickoff set for 3:05am UK time and 2:05pm in New Zealand. That timing has not changed since the fixture was first previewed.
What has changed is the team news. Lineups have now been confirmed for both Bay of Plenty and Manawatu, moving this from a straightforward preview into a genuine matchday update.
Form guide and head-to-head history
Bay of Plenty arrive with three wins from their five games so far, good for 17 points in the standings. Their most recent outing saw them edge Auckland 22-19 on 28 August 2026, a result that keeps them well placed in the competition.
Manawatu have two wins from five for 11 points. They go into this round on the back of a 43-40 win over North Harbour on 29 August 2026, a high scoring affair that showed plenty of attacking intent from both sides.
History favours the home side heavily here. Bay of Plenty have won each of the last five meetings between these two teams, and in every one of those wins they have scored more than 45 points.
Bay of Plenty rugby union confirmed lineups
Confirmed lineups have now been released for both Bay of Plenty and Manawatu ahead of this round six meeting. That confirmation is the key update since the fixture was first previewed, with both sides settled on their matchday squads for Tauranga Domain.
The specific team sheets, name by name, have not been published in full through the channels available to us at the time of writing. Supporters should treat the confirmation of team news as official, even where individual selections are still filtering through.
What happens next
Kickoff stays at 3:05am UK time, 2:05pm in New Zealand, at Tauranga Domain. Bay of Plenty will fancy their chances given their recent record against Manawatu and their current run of form.
For wider context on the round, our earlier report covers other results from the same period, while our recent rugby union updates track the broader picture across the game. We will update this page again once full team sheets and the final score are available.
