Canterbury v Northland: Live updates from the NPC final in Christchurch
Canterbury successfully defended their National Provincial Championship title by defeating Northland 43-24 in the final. Despite a strong first-half performance from Northland, Canterbury dominated the second half to secure back-to-back championships.
Why it matters
The NPC final is a major event in New Zealand rugby, reflecting the competitive landscape of the sport at the provincial level.
The National Provincial Championship will again reside in Canterbury for the summer.
After ending a seven-year title drought last year, the Red and Blacks have gone back to back, beating Northland 43-24 in Christchurch on Monday afternoon.
After Northland went to Christchurch and dominated Canterbury to relieve them of the Ranfurly Shield earlier in the year, there was plenty of intrigue in a final that pitted perennial title contenders Canterbury against the first-time-finalist Northlanders.
And, for more than a moment, it seemed like Northland might repeat their heroics from late August.
Canterbury had to overcome an 11-point deficit at halftime, after Northland made a strong start to the contest in the opening 40 minutes.
But a strong second half saw Canterbury finish the better of the two sides, scoring five tries in the second half and holding Northland to just a penalty to close out the win.
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