Tasman Mako draws announced for 2022
By Peter Jones [Marlborough App]
The Tasman Mako men’s and women’s 2022 rugby draws have been announced, with both sides earning some attractive home games.
The Mako men, who compete in the Bunnings Warehouse NPC, will host Southland (Sunday, August 7), Canterbury (Friday, August 26), Wellington (Wednesday, September 7), Taranaki (Sunday, September 11) and Northland (Saturday, September 24) in the round robin matches.
The first two matches, against the Stags and the Red and Blacks, will be played at Blenheim’s Lansdowne Park, while the other three fixtures are scheduled for Nelson’s Trafalgar Park.
This season a new format will be trialed for the men’s competition, meaning that any of the nation’s 14 top provincial unions can be crowned NPC champion at season’s end.
Instead of the NPC being split into premiership and championship divisions, this year it has been divided into two conferences, with all 14 teams now competing for the same title.
The conferences were based on the previous season’s standings, with teams playing all six conference rivals, as well as four cross-conference games.
The top four teams in each conference will play off for quarterfinal spots, with the top two teams across the conferences playing against each other in the semis. Winners will meet in the NPC final.
The Ranfurly Shield remains unchanged and is automatically contested when the holder of the shield plays at home in any round, excluding quarterfinals, semi-finals, and finals. It is currently held by Hawkes Bay.
Waikato won the Premiership title in 2021 beating Tasman in the final, while Taranaki went unbeaten for the season to win the Championship crown.
The Mako women, who take part in the Farah Palmer Cup, will play three of their five round robin matches on home turf, hosting North Island powerhouses Taranaki (Saturday, July 3), North Harbour (Sunday, August 7) and Hawke’s Bay (Saturday, August 20). The Harbour clash will be played at Lansdowne Park, the others at Trafalgar Park.
Men’s draw
August 7 – v Southland, Blenheim 2.05pm
August 13 – v Otago, Dunedin 2.05pm
August 20 – v North Harbour, Albany 4.35pm
August 26 – v Canterbury, Blenheim 5.35pm
September 2 – v Manawatu, Palmerston North 7.05pm
September 7 – v Wellington, Nelson 7.05pm
September 11 – v Taranaki, Nelson 2.05pm
September 17 – v Auckland, Auckland 4.35pm
September 24 – v Northland, Nelson 2.05pm
September 30 – v Hawke’s Bay, Napier 7.05pm
Quarterfinals are set down for October 7-9, with semi-finals on October 14-15 and the final on October 22.
Women’s draw
July 23 – v Northland, Whangarei 4.35pm
July 30 – v Taranaki, Nelson 2.05pm
August 7 – v North Harbour, Blenheim 11.35am
August 13 – v Otago, Dunedin 11.35am
August 20 – v Hawke’s Bay, Nelson 2.05pm.
Quarterfinals will take place on August 27, semi-finals on September 2-4 with the Farah Palmer Cup final scheduled for early September.
