Domestic rugby will hit the ground running in August with the 2025 Bunnings Warehouse NPC draw announced today and featuring some scintillating first round fixtures.

Reigning champions Wellington host traditional heavyweights Canterbury, battle lines will be drawn in the deep south with Southland hosting Otago for Stag Day while the Ranfurly Shield will be up for grabs when Taranaki host Northland.

Stag Day will aim to get more than 10,000 passionate fans through the gate on August 2, cementing it as the single biggest sporting event in Southland.

The Bay of Plenty Steamers are set to play their first game in Round 1 on Sunday, August 3, against Tasman, at the Tauranga Domain.

Bay of Plenty Steamers won against Hawke's Bay in the Bunnings NPC quarter-final at Tauranga Domain. Photo/ BOP Rugby.

Following this the Steamers will play Counties Manukau on August 10 at Navigation Homes Stadium, and Canterbury on August 16 at Tauranga Domain.

Bay of Plenty’s Round 4 game will be in Rotorua on Thursday, August 21 against Southland, followed by North Harbour on Friday, August 29.

Round 6 has the Steamers playing Taranaki at Yarrow Stadium on Sunday, September 7, then Hawke’s Bay at the Tauranga Domain on September 13, and Manawatū at the Central Energy Trust Arena on Sunday, September 21.

Round 9 brings the Steamers home again to the Tauranga Domain where the team will play Waikato on Sunday, September 28, followed by the Round 10 game against Wellington on October 4.

An elated Bay of Plenty Steamers captain Kurt Eklund after the win against Auckland in 2024. Photo: Supplied.

Fans showed their love to the NPC in 2024 with a 11% increase in social media followers - on official channels - and the 2024 final attracting an audience of 290k on Sky Sport and Sky Open, plus 99k viewers on Sky Sport Now and 62k viewers on Sky Go.

New Zealand Rugby General Manager of Community Rugby Steve Lancaster said on the back of an exciting and engaging 2024 competition, fans can expect more of the same when the competition kicks off on July 31.

“Last year’s Bunnings NPC was enthralling. The quality of play we saw on the field really amplified the traditional rivalries on which this competition was built.“

The dramatic Final in Wellington going to extra time, in the rain, was a perfect example of the passion and excitement this competition continues to deliver,” said Lancaster.

Bay of Plenty Steamers lost the Bunnings NPC final to Wellington 23-20 on October 26, 2024, after a remarkable run during the season, securing a clean sweep of provincial trophies.

Bay of Plenty Steamers lost the 2024 Bunnings NPC final to Wellington 23-20 on October 26, 2024. Photo/NZ Rugby.

The 2025 competition will run across ten weekends of round robin, all 14-teams represented in a single points table, with the top eight teams progressing to the play-offs.

The quarterfinals see the top ranked team hosting (1 v 8, 2 v 7, 3 v 6, 4 v 5), the following weekend semi-finals will see team’s play-off for a spot in the finals (1 v 4, 2 v 3).

The final will be hosted by the highest-ranking qualifier on Saturday October 25.

All matches will be live and exclusive on Sky Sport, with one match per week also available free-to-air on Sky Open.

The Farah Palmer Cup presented by Bunnings Warehouse draw will be announced tomorrow, Tuesday March 18, followed by the Bunnings Warehouse Heartland Championship draw released on Wednesday, March 19.

For fixtures and future results click here