Taranaki vs Waikato Predictions - Tight contest tipped in NPC

Taranaki have won three of their last five games against Waikato in the NPC. They met in early September this year, in a match that Taranaki won 25-19 at home.

Taranaki are the defending champions of the NPC, and they are in a strong place to defend that title. They finished second on the table with eight wins from 10 games and level on points with Wellington, losing out on head-to-head.

Last week, Taranaki traveled to Tasman, a team that was then in second place. In a must-win game to secure a top two finish, Taranaki were superb, winning 42-29.

The week before, Taranaki just got over the line at home against bottom-placed Manawatu. They won the game 33-31 after resting a host of key players.

Taranaki rotated plenty this season but chose their games well to do so. Last week they were at full-strength with a few international returns, and I suspect they will select an unchanged side this weekend, injury permitting.

Waikato’s season has fluctuated quite a bit this season. They ended up seventh with five wins and five defeats.

Last weekend, in the final round, Waikato could have climbed the table, but they lost 36-19 at Canterbury. That resulted in Canterbury jumping above them on the table.

The inability of the Hamilton-based outfit to put together successive victories regularly hampered them this season. Their away form has also been rather average which does not look good for this weekend.

Head coach, Ross Filipo has made some changes to the side this weekend. George Deyer comes into the side in the front-row. The big news is however the inclusion of All Black, Luke Jacobson who has been released from the national side for this fixture.