Bay of Plenty vs Taranaki Predictions - Bay of Plenty to win crucial NPC encounter

Bay of Plenty have won three of their last five against Taranaki, including the last two. When they met last year, Bay of Plenty won 29-26 away from home.

Bay of Plenty made a superb start to the season, winning their first three games. Unfortunately, they then suffered back-to-back defeats which dropped them a few places down the table.

Those defeats came at Otago and Tasman, but they returned home last weekend to thrash Manawatu 68-14. With four wins from their six matches, Bay of Plenty are still in a very strong position and are almost certain to make the playoffs.

However, securing a place within the top four will get them a home quarterfinal. Should they win this weekend, they can still push for a top two finish.

Bay of Plenty were in strong form last weekend against Manawatu. They are expected to make a few changes for this encounter.

Taranaki are currently fifth on the table, just two points behind their hosts after five matches. However, Taranaki do have a game in hand on Bay of Plenty.

With four wins and one defeat from their opening five rounds, Taranaki are looking good for a playoff spot this year. Their hope will however be to secure a top four finish and a home quarter-final.

Taranaki’s only defeat this season came against Wellington, the tournament favourites. So, overall, Taranaki are well placed. Last week, Taranaki were good at home, beating Waikato 25-19.

This is a massive game for Taranaki so they will almost certainly be at full strength.