Du'Plessis Kirifi led Wellington to their first NPC title in 22 years. Wellington ended their decades-long title drought in Christchurch on Saturday night, beating Canterbury 26-18 to hoist their first NPC title since 2000. Heading into the match in Christchurch, Wellington had been in nine finals since the 2000 title with no success. Wellington set the tone early, taking a 10-3 lead inside the opening 20 minutes, and leading 17-13 at the break. "This year's a really good example of what we can do if we really put our heads to it.

Source: New Zealand Herald October 23, 2022 16:34 UTC