Northland overcome slow start to beat Tasman in quarterfinal

ARP: Has Beauden Barrett just secured his World Cup place?

During the regular season, they averaged a competition-high 143 carries and 108 rucks per game.

Their results have been imposing, including 66 points against Wellington, 62 against Waikato and 38 against Taranaki last week.

In that semifinal, they forced the visitors to make an extraordinary 237 tackles. The NPC’s regular-season average is 159 per team.

Northland cannot afford to spend the final defending endless phases while Canterbury’s forwards dictate the tempo.

Canterbury also boast the competition’s most accurate lineout, winning 88% of their throws during the regular season. Northland are at 82%.

Giving away a penalty in their own half could come at great risk for the Taniwha. Sam Darry and Jamie Hannah can secure lineout possession, providing the platform for Brodie McAlister and George Bell to drive for tries.

But Northland’s own season-long statistics suggest they possess some of the tools required to stop Canterbury taking control.