Domestic rugby will hit the ground running in August with the 2025 National Provincial Championship (NPC) draw announced on Monday featuring some scintillating Round 1 fixtures.
Reigning champions Wellington host traditional heavyweights Canterbury, battle lines will be drawn in the Deep South with the Southland Stags hosting Otago for 'Stag Day', while the Ranfurly Shield will be up for grabs when Taranaki host Northland.
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'Stag Day' at Invercargill's Rugby Park will aim to get more than 10,000 passionate Stags fans through the gates on Saturday, August 2 (kick-off 4.35pm), cementing it as the single-biggest sporting event in Southland.
The 'Battle of the Bombays' between Auckland and Waikato will open the season on Thursday, July 31 (kick-off 7.05pm) at Eden Park, before the Lions host Canterbury at Sky Stadium two days later (kick-off 2.05pm) and Taranaki put the Log o' Wood up for grabs in New Plymouth (kick-off 7.05pm).
Fans will have to wait until Round 10 for a repeat of the 2024 final (won 23-20 in extra-time by Wellington over Bay of Plenty), with the Lions welcoming the Steamers to the Capital on Saturday, October 4 (kick-off 2.05pm).
Fans showed their love to the NPC last season, with an 11 percent increase in social media followers (on official channels) and the 2024 final attracting an audience of 290,000 viewers on Sky Sport and Sky Open, plus 99,000 viewers on Sky Sport Now and 62,000 viewers on Sky Go*.
New Zealand Rugby general manager of community rugby Steve Lancaster said on the back of an exciting and engaging 2024 competition, fans could expect more of the same.
“Last year’s NPC was enthralling. The quality of play we saw on the field really amplified the traditional rivalries on which this competition was built.
"The dramatic final in Wellington going to extra-time, in the rain, was a perfect example of the passion and excitement this competition continues to deliver,” said Lancaster.
The competition will run across 10 weekends of round-robin (eliminating the polarising 'Storm Week'), with the top-eight teams progressing to the playoffs.
The quarterfinals see the top-ranked team hosting (1 vs 8, 2 vs 7, 3 vs 6, 4 vs 5), the following weekend semifinals will see team’s playoff for a spot in the final (1 vs 4, 2 vs 3). The final will be hosted by the highest-ranking qualifier on Saturday, October 25.
All matches will be live and exclusive on Sky Sport, with one match per week also available free-to-air on Sky Open.
The women's Farah Palmer Cup draw will be announced on Tuesday, followed by the Heartland Championship draw on Wednesday.