Auckland vs Northland Predictions - Auckland to secure first win of the NPC season

Ralph Staniforth

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Last updated: 4 hours ago

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Ralph Staniforth 4 hours ago

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Auckland aims for their first NPC win after 3 consecutive losses.
They have won 14 out of the last 15 matches against Northland.
Northland plans to exploit Auckland's recent poor form for an away win.

Auckland have won 14 of their last 15 matches against Northland. (Getty Images)

Auckland vs Northland Predictions

Auckland were poor last weekend but were also unfortunate to lose their opening two games. A return to full-strength should see their performance improve, so I’m backing the hosts to get their first win of the season, covering the -5.5 handicap.

Auckland vs Northland Predictions
Head to Head
Auckland Form
Auckland Team News
Northland Form
Northland Team News

Auckland have won 14 of their last 15 matches against Northland.
Auckland have lost their last 3 matches.
Auckland lost their last match by 42 points.
Northland have lost 2 of their last 3 matches.

Head to Head

Auckland have dominated this fixture, winning 14 of their last 15 matches against Northland. They met in 2024, a game Auckland won 24-17 away from home. Since 2008, Northland have only managed one victory over Auckland and that was a one-point success in 2022.

Auckland Form

Auckland have made yet another poor start to an NPC season, losing all three matches to date. They have picked up three bonus points at least.

It was a tough start for Auckland in round one as they lost 36-35 at home to Waikato, a game they could and arguably should have won. Round two was more heartbreak for the former champions as they lost 19-15 away to Canterbury.

While the first two results could have gone either way, Auckland were thrashed last weekend at home against Taranaki. From start to finish they struggled to get any momentum in the game and suffered a humiliating 50-8 defeat.

Auckland Team News

Expect wholesale changes from the coaches after last weekend’s horrid performance.

Northland Form

Northland are in 11th place with one win from their three games. They won’t be too disappointed though given how competitive they’ve been.

In round one, Northland hardly threatened at Taranaki but managed to defend reasonably well. They lost the game 23-3 but bounced back to win in round two, 22-17 against Southland.

Last weekend, Northland suffered a 28-14 loss at home to Tasman. While a defeat at home is always tough to take, Tasman are a very good side and for the most part, Northland held their own.

Northland Team News

This is a game Northland will feel they can target for an away win given Aukland’s performance last weekend.

Verdict

Auckland v Northland

Auckland are tipped to cover the -5.5 handicap against Northland on Saturday.

Auckland -5.5

Handicap

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