Tasman vs Manawatu Predictions - Manawatu can challenge Tasman in NPC

Simon Lewis

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Last updated: 2 hours ago

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Simon Lewis 2 hours ago

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Tasman suffered a heavy defeat last weekend, needing changes to bounce back.
Manawatu surprised with a strong win in their 2025 opener, doubling last season's points.
Tasman historically dominates, but Manawatu's new form could change dynamics.

Manawatu won their opening 2025 NPC match at home.(Getty Images)

Tasman vs Manawatu Predictions

Tasman should get back to winning ways on home soil after disappointing last weekend. However, given the performances of the two sides in round one, I feel the 21.5 handicap is a bit steep, so the value for me is with the visitors.

Tasman vs Manawatu Predictions
Head to Head
Tasman Form
Tasman Team News
Manawatu Form
Manawatu Team News

Tasman lost their last match by 30 points.
Tasman won 8 of their 10 round robin matches in the 2024 NPC.
Tasman have won their last 5 matches against Manawatu.
Manawatu lost 9 of their 10 matches in the 2024 NPC season.
Manawatu won their opening 2025 NPC match at home.

Head to Head

Tasman have won their last five matches against Manawatu. In three of those five games, Tasman scored 50+ points and Manawatu has failed to get within 10 points.

Tasman Form

Tasman had a strong season in 2024, finishing third on the table with eight wins from 10 matches. They ended on 38 points, just two points off the top two teams.

Unfortunately, despite that impressive season, Tasman were humiliated in the quarterfinal at home, losing 62-14 on home soil to Canterbury.

It was a horrific result for Tasman who had a chance to claim the title. Their round one fixture did not go well this season as they lost 37-7 away to Bay of Plenty.

Tasman Team News

Tasman were very poor last weekend and will need to get a good result here to get their campaign back on track. They will almost certainly make changes to the side.

Manawatu Form

Manawatu were by some distance the worst team in the NPC last season. They finished bottom with just one win in 10 games, but they also had a -197 points difference, far bigger than any other side.

Hopes were not high coming into the 2025 campaign, but Manawatu surprised many last weekend, winning 38-25 at home. They already have half the points they had all of last season.

Manawatu Team News

Manawatu should put out a similar side to last weekend after a superb opening round performance.

Verdict

Tasman v Manawatu

I am backing Manawatu to get within 21.5 points of Tasman.

Manawatu +21.5

Handicap

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