Wellington head NPC rankings, but quarterfinal match-ups undecided

Wellington sit atop the National Proviincial Championship table — for now — with the top eight teams locked into playoff spots, entering the final day of the regular season.

Only the finishing order is yet to be determined.

The Lions brought up their eighth win of the season, dismissing Hawke's Bay 46-28 at Sky Stadium, to leapfrog Tasman and Taranaki into the top position, and secure home advantage for the quarterfinals and semis.

Ahead just 22-21 at halftime, the home side scored consecutive converted tries to second-five Riley Higgins and prop Siale Lauaki to take control of the contest, before rattling off the final 10 points to seal the deal.

"We like making it hard for ourselves,' said captain Peter Lakai. "We just had to connect and come up with solutions.

"Once we started holding onto possession and building pressure, that's when we started getting into our game and everything took care of itself.

"It gives us good confidence, especially off the last two weeks, just getting us back into the flow of our game, and we'll take that confidence into next week's battle."

The other big winners in the post-season race were Canterbury, who improved from ninth to sixth, with their 36-19 win over Waikato. With All Blacks Cam Roigard and Dalton Papali'i providing spark off the bench, Counties Manukau overran Manawatu in the second half to edge Otago out of the top eight.

Wellington, Tasman, Taranaki and Bay of Plenty will host quarterfinals next week, although the latter three still have regular season fixtures to play, with the final rankings still undecided.

Ranfurly Shield holders Tasman defend the 'Log O' Wood' against NPC champions Taranaki at Nelson and either can still finish top of the table. Victory would be enough to propel the Mako past Wellington, while Taranaki need a bonus-point win to draw level, with a healthy points differential in their favour.

The final regular season game sees Auckland host Bay of Plenty at Auckland Grammar. The home team are out of contention, but the Steelers, currently fourth, can still elevate themselves to third over the losers of Tasman-Taranaki.

Quarterfinals as they stand:

Wellington v Counties Manukau

Tasman v Waikato

Taranaki v Canterbury

Bay of Plenty v Hawke's Bay