Bay of Plenty vs Manawatu Predictions - Bay of Plenty to end NPC losing streak

Bay of Plenty have won five of their last six matches against Manawatu. When they last met in 2020, The Bay won 53-35 away from home.

Bay of Plenty will be desperate to find their feet again in the NPC. They made the final of the 2023 NPC and then began this season with a bang, winning their opening three games.

Those victories came at Waikato, at home to Counties Manukau and North Harbour. However, the runners-up from last season have fallen flat in the last two weeks, losing 31-26 at Otago and 24-15 at Tasman last weekend.

Against Tasman, Bay of Plenty made a poor start in very wet conditions. From there it was always an uphill battle, and although they pushed in the second half, errors allowed Tasman to pull away.

Bay of Plenty will fancy their chances this weekend, so they opt to rest a few key players for bigger matches ahead.

Manawatu are rooted to the bottom of the NPC table with just two points from four games played. They have lost all four and have a -70 points difference.

In round one, Manawatu went down 54-21 at home to Tasman before losing 35-18 at Northland. They put up a good fight against Wellington in round three, losing 39-31.

Another decent performance last weekend saw Manawatu come close against the defending champions, Hawkes Bay. However, the 38-26 loss was just enough to get them a bonus point.

Manawatu have played well over the last two rounds, but this is a tough away trip for them. I can see them making a few changes.