All eyes may be on the Rugby World Cup in a little over a month’s time, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty going on in the rest of the rugby world as well. Down in New Zealand, the Bunnings NPC 2023 kicks off this weekend, in what is an important year for domestic rugby given the usual post-World Cup exodus of players that will be occurring shortly.
With some great depth in New Zealand rugby right now, there will be some excellent players on show in the NPC despite the nation’s best being on duty in France for the duration of the competition. Names like Hoskin Sotutu, Stephen Perofeta, Folau Fakatava and Julian Savea will all be on show this weekend as the tournament kicks off and Wellington looks to defend the title they won last year. Can Canterbury return to their winning ways? Or will the strong Chiefs season spill over into an improved Waikato side?
We answer all these questions and more with odds from bookmaker William Hill ahead of round one this weekend.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: August 4th, 12:30 A.M. (GMT)
On the one hand, it’s no surprise to see Canterbury leading the odds at 3.75. They have won the competition more than any other team combined since the renewed format began in 2006. However, it’s now been six years since the Cantabs lifted the trophy, making their favourite odds somewhat surprisingly also.
What isn’t surprising is that Wellington are strong favourites too, paying 4.50 to win. The defending champions are ahead of Auckland who is on 7.00, narrowly in front of Waikato at 7.50 and Bay of Plenty on 9.00.
In terms of betting on an outright winner, it’s hard to go against Canterbury here. As much as the majority of New Zealand rugby fans tire of seeing all the silverware head to that part of the country, the reality is a strong Crusaders team almost always translates into a winning Canterbury season. This was the case earlier in the year, and it’s tough to imagine Canterbury will allow another year to pass without lifting the trophy. However, should the stars not align down south then we say their neighbours slightly north are a good bet too.
Tasman are paying long odds of 10.00 to win and yet are still an excellent rugby team. Sure, they had a tough season last year but in 2021 they were finalists and the two years before that won the title. With a midfield made up of Levi Aumua and David Havili, you’d have to think they’ll be making plenty of line breaks, but they also have the big men up front—Paripari Parkinson, Quentin Strange, Hugh Renton, Anton Segner—to do the heavy lifting too. It’s not a sure thing, but backing Tasman to win in 2023 could turn out to be a lucrative punt.
