The Southland Stags have ended their 2026 NPC campaign with two wins from 10 matches, finishing 13th of the 14 provinces after a 28-14 loss to Northland at Rugby Park on 2 October.

Only Wellington, who lost all 10 of their games, finished below Southland on the table. The Stags collected 13 competition points, scoring 36 tries and conceding 60 across the round robin.

The season opened on 1 August with the Stag Day fixture against Otago at Rugby Park, the 250th meeting between the two southern rivals. Otago won 41-14. A week later Southland went down 36-35 to Manawatu in Palmerston North.

The first win came on 16 August, when the Stags edged Waikato 32-31 at Rugby Park. Teenage first five-eighth Jimmy Taylor landed the match-winning conversion from the sideline.

Heavy defeats followed against Tasman (46-17), Hawke's Bay (36-21) and Counties Manukau (47-24) before the team produced its best performance of the year, a 43-12 win over Bay of Plenty in Invercargill on 13 September. Southland scored six tries to two and led 17-12 at the break before pulling clear in the second half.

Losses to Taranaki (55-19) in New Plymouth and Canterbury (34-21) in Christchurch preceded the final-round defeat to Northland, who went on to finish second in the standings behind Canterbury.

Season honours

Lock Mitch Dunshea, 31, was the pick of the Stags' forwards through the season. His physicality on defence, reliability at lineout time and work in attack drew praise from captain Sean Withy, who also singled out his leadership.

Withy himself played every minute of all 10 games and topped the NPC round-robin tackle count.

Glen Vaihu, 24, who joined the province after a Super Rugby season with Moana Pasifika, was the standout back. He played on the wing and at fullback and scored twice in the win over Bay of Plenty.

Hooker Jayden Henderson, recalled by coach Scott Eade only weeks before the campaign to add depth after stints in Ireland and Australia, had an impressive first NPC season. Henderson helped Star win the Galbraith Shield in 2024 before heading overseas.

Taylor, 19, who also covers fullback, was among a group of emerging players that included Mika Muliaina and Gregor Rutledge. Rutledge, 20, came off the bench against Hawke's Bay to become the third generation of his family to wear the Southland jersey, following grandfather Leicester and father Jason, who each played more than 100 games for the province.

Withy's description of Stag Day as "St Paddy's Day for Southland", offered after the Otago loss, was one of the lines of the season.

The NPC playoffs continue without Southland, with the final scheduled for 26 October.