Tasman vs Auckland Tips - Auckland to keep it tight against Tasman in NPC

Tasman have won three of their last five matches against Auckland. Last season, Tasman won 24-12 at home.

Tasman go into this fixture third on the table but still have two games remaining. Should they win this fixture, they will go into the final round at the weekend top of the table.

Up until this past weekend, Tasman were the only unbeaten side left in the NPC having won seven from seven. However, they rested players at Otago on Saturday due to this midweek fixture, a match they lost 47-31.

The result will be disappointing for Tasman, but the performance wasn’t bad, considering the changes made. They are still the form side of the competition and will certainly have their eyes on the top.

Auckland have had a very poor season by their standards. Going into the competition, they were among the favourites for the title, but they find themselves down in 11th with three wins from eight.

It was their poor start that cost them dearly, losing their first four games. With three wins from four since, their form has somewhat improved.

Three successive wins over North Harbour, Northland and Southland got Auckland back on track, but this past weekend they went down 36-35 at Hawkes Bay.

They are still in the running for a top eight finish but with four points separating them and eighth, they will need to win both of their remaining games.