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Taranaki vs Wellington Predictions - Taranaki to continue their winning momentum in NPC clash

Nigel Williams

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Last updated: 1 hour ago

Nigel Williams 1 hour ago

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Taranaki in strong form with key players returning.
Wellington winless and struggling defensively.
Taranaki expected to cover a -30.5 points handicap at home.

Taranaki to continue their winning momentum in NPC clash (Getty Images)

Taranaki vs Wellington Predictions

Taranaki are strong favourites to defeat Wellington in their final round-robin match of the NPC. Taranaki enters this playoff-deciding fixture in excellent shape, while Wellington has endured a dismal, winless campaign, plagued by severe defensive weaknesses. My best bet is Taranaki to cover the -30.5 handicap at home.

Taranaki vs Wellington Predictions
Head-to-Head
Taranaki Form
Taranaki Injuries & Team News
Wellington Form
Wellington Injuries & Team News

Taranaki has won 2 of the last 5 matches against Wellington.
Taranaki has won 4 of their last 5 matches.
Taranaki beat Hawke's Bay 50-14 in their previous match.
Wellington have lost their last 4 away matches.
Wellington lost 34-10 to Waikato at home in their previous match.

Head-to-Head

Taranaki has won two of the last five meetings against Wellington.

Taranaki Form

Taranaki defeated Hawke's Bay 50–14 in their Round 9 NPC match at McLean Park, after leading 21-0 at the break.

Taranaki dominated the opening 40 minutes, scoring three tries through sharp phase play and scores from Josh Lord and Arisi Poliko contributing to a commanding 21–0 lead. Hawke's Bay's struggles were compounded just before half-time when Cooper Flanders received a yellow card for a head-high tackle.

Taranaki continued their onslaught after the break, adding further tries including a 61st-minute score by Lukas Ripley converted by Harry Godfrey.

Taranaki have had an impressive run of form at home in their 2026 campaign, winning four of their last five home matches. Taranaki beat Wellington (39-20), lost to Waikato (38-32), before beating Canterbury (40-26), Auckland (28-12), and Southland Stags (55-19).

Taranaki are eighth in the NPC table with 29 points after nine matches.

Taranaki Injuries & Team News

Beauden Barrett and Scott Barrett are expected to pull on the Taranaki jersey together for the first time.

Taranaki needs a convincing, maximum-points victory to secure a higher seeding and lock in a home quarterfinal. Expect their star power and superior momentum to easily overpower Wellington's vulnerable backline.

Starting XV: 1 Jared Proffit, 2 Bradley Slater, 3 Reuben O'Neill, 4 Jesse Parete, 5 Scott Barrett, 6 Josefa Namosimalua, 7 Michael Loft, 8 Arese Poliko, 9 Adam Lennox, 10 Josh Jacomb, 11 Kini Naholo, 12 Daniel Rona, 13 Meihana Grindlay, 14 Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens, 15 Beauden Barrett.

Replacements: 16 JJ Pokai, 17 Perry Lawrence, 18 Keightley Watson, 19 Jayden Sa, 20 Fiti Sa, 21 Logan Crowley, 22 Sam Clarke, 23 Seta Tamanivalu.

Wellington Form

Wellington lost 34-10 to Waikato at home in Round 9 of the NPC at Hnry Stadium in Wellington after trailing 21-5 at half-time.

Waikato took a commanding 21-5 lead by halftime and kept the pressure on in the second half, exposing Wellington’s defensive weaknesses to secure a comfortable 24-point victory. Wellington's discipline faltered during the match, with a yellow card given to captain Du'Plessis Kirifi.

Wellington has struggled on the road in their 2026 season, losing their last four away matches. They lost to Auckland (34-31), Otago (61-22), Tasman (42-28), and Canterbury (66-19).

Wellington are bottom of the NPC table with six points after nine matches.

Wellington Injuries & Team News

Starting XV: 1 Sekope Lopeti-Moli, 2 James O'Reilly, 3 Siale Lauaki, 4 Matolu Petaia, 5 Dominic Ropeti, 6 Kenkichi Yanagawa, 7 Du'Plessis Kirifi, 8 Murphy Taramai, 9 Riley Williams, 10 Stanley Solomon, 11 William Davis, 12 Callum Harkin, 13 Matt Proctor, 14 Losilosivale Filipo, 15 Cameron Burgess.

Replacements: 16 Penieli Poasa, 17 Geordie Bean, 18 Alex Hewitt, 19 Sam Thomson, 20 Rupeni Raviyawa, 21 Logan Henry, 22 Divad Palu, 23 Jackson Ropata.

Verdict

Taranaki v Wellington

Taranaki are strong favourites to defeat Wellington in their final round-robin match of the NPC.

Taranaki -30.5

Handicap

@1,91 - 1 Unit

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Nigel combines a love of business and sport as one of the leading experts on South African sport.

Since a young age, he played football, cricket, golf, tennis and squash, and is an avid Arsenal supporter.

His initial foray into the business world was in the financial industry, completing various diploma’s including financial and investment management and credit management, and held various positions in banking.

He subsequently worked on the Leadership media publication and the Global Africa Network Media Trade and Investment platforms, before switching to sport.