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The 2023 New Zealand rugby league season was the 116th season of rugby league played in New Zealand. The main feature of the year was the National Competition, run by the New Zealand Rugby League.[1]
| NZRL National Competition 2023 | |
|---|---|
| League | National Competition |
| Teams | 12 |
| Premiers | Auckland Vulcans (1st title) |
| Broadcast partners | Sky Sport |
Select matches were broadcast live by Sky Sport.[2]
Teams
Six teams contested the National Premiership, all in a single division round robin followed by a final.[3]
| Team | City/Region | Home Grounds |
|---|---|---|
 Akarana Falcons |
Auckland | Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland
Sunnynook Park, Auckland |
 Auckland Vulcans |
Auckland | Cornwall Park, Auckland |
 Canterbury Bulls |
Christchurch | Ngā Puna Wai Sports Hub, Christchurch |
 Counties Manukau Stingrays |
South Auckland | Massey Park, South Auckland |
 Otago Whalers |
Dunedin | Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin |
 Waikato Mana |
Hamilton | FMG Stadium Waikato, Hamilton |
Regular Season
Round 1
| Home | Score | Away | Date and Time | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auckland Vulcans |
48 – 22 | Waikato |
2 September 2023 12:00 noon | Cornwall Park |
| Canterbury Bulls |
0 – 44 | Counties Manukau |
2 September 2023 2:00pm | Ngā Puna Wai Sports Hub |
| Otago Whalers |
22 – 42 | Akarana Falcons |
3 September 2023 12:00pm | Forsyth Barr Stadium |
Round 2
| Home | Score | Away | Date and Time | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Akarana Falcons |
30 – 20 | Waikato |
9 September 2023 2:00pm | Sunnynook Park |
| Counties Manukau |
36 – 20 | Otago Whalers |
10 September 2023 12:00pm | Massey Park |
| Canterbury Bulls |
8 – 56 | Auckland Vulcans |
10 September 2023 2:00pm | Ngā Puna Wai Sports Hub |
Round 3
| Home | Score | Away | Date and Time | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auckland Vulcans |
22 – 20 | Akarana Falcons |
16 September 2023 2:00pm | Cornwall Park |
| Waikato |
10 – 62 | Counties Manukau |
16 September 2023 2:00pm | Resthills Park |
| Otago Whalers |
32 – 14 | Canterbury Bulls |
17 September 2023 12:00pm | Forsyth Barr Stadium |
Ladder
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pool A | ||||||||
| 1 | Auckland Vulcans |
3 | 3 | 0 | 126 | 50 | 76 | 6 |
| 2 | Akarana Falcons |
3 | 2 | 1 | 92 | 64 | 28 | 4 |
| 3 | Waikato |
3 | 0 | 3 | 52 | 140 | -88 | 0 |
| Pool B | ||||||||
| 1 | Counties Manukau |
3 | 3 | 0 | 142 | 30 | 112 | 6 |
| 2 | Otago Whalers |
3 | 1 | 2 | 74 | 92 | -18 | 2 |
| 3 | Canterbury Bulls |
3 | 0 | 3 | 22 | 132 | -110 | 0 |
Finals
| Home | Score | Away | Date and Time | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Semi Finals | ||||
| Akarana Falcons |
8 – 26 | Counties Manukau |
23 September 2023
12:00pm |
The Trusts Arena |
| Auckland Vulcans |
50 – 6 | Otago Whalers |
23 September 2023
3:00pm |
The Trusts Arena |
| Relegation Match | ||||
| Canterbury Bulls |
vs | Waikato |
1 October 2023
12:00pm |
Navigation Homes Stadium |
| Grand Final | ||||
| Counties Manukau |
4-70[4] | Auckland Vulcans |
1 October 2023
2:00pm |
Navigation Homes Stadium |
Chart
| Semi-finals | Final | |||||
| 23 September - Trusts Arena | ||||||
| Akarana | 8 | |||||
| 1 October - Navigation Homes Stadium | ||||||
| Counties Manukau | 26 | |||||
| Counties Manukau | 4 | |||||
| 23 September - Trusts Arena | ||||||
| Auckland | 70 | |||||
| Auckland | 50 | |||||
| Otago | 6 | |||||
North Island Championship
| Home | Score | Away | Date and Time | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Coastline Mariners |
28 – 42 |  Northern Swords |
10 September 2023
12:00pm |
Mitchell Park |
| Northern Swords |
24 – 40 | Bay of Plenty Lakers |
17 September 2023
1:00pm |
Unknown |
| Bay of Plenty Lakers |
22 – 0 | Coastline Mariners |
23 September 2023
12:00pm |
Puketawhero Park |
South Island Championship Pool 1
| Home | Score | Away | Date and Time | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Hawke's Bay Unicorns |
36 – 6 |  Manawatu Mustangs |
10 September 2023
11:00am |
Coronation Park |
| Hawke's Bay Unicorns |
18 – 42 |  Wellington Orcas |
10 September 2023
1:00pm |
Coronation Park |
| Manawatu Mustangs |
16 – 32 | Wellington Orcas |
10 September 2023
3:00pm |
Coronation Park |
South Island Championship Pool 2
| Home | Score | Away | Date and Time | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aoraki Eels |
46 – 16 |  West Coast Chargers |
16 September 2023
1:30pm |
Ashbury Park |
| West Coast Chargers |
24 – 20 | Aoraki Eels |
23 September 2023
1:00pm |
Wingham Park |
Ladder
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pool A | ||||||||
| 1 | Bay of Plenty Lakers |
2 | 2 | 0 | 62 | 24 | 38 | 4 |
| 2 | Northern Swords |
2 | 1 | 1 | 66 | 68 | -2 | 2 |
| 3 | Coastline Mariners |
2 | 0 | 2 | 28 | 64 | -36 | 0 |
| National Men's Championship (South Island) | ||||||||
| 1 | Wellington Orcas |
2 | 2 | 0 | 74 | 34 | 40 | 4 |
| 2 | Hawke's Bay Unicorns |
2 | 1 | 1 | 54 | 48 | 6 | 2 |
| 3 | Manawatu Mustangs |
2 | 0 | 2 | 22 | 68 | -46 | 0 |
| National Men's Championship (South Island) | ||||||||
| 1 | Aoraki Eels |
2 | 1 | 1 | 66 | 40 | 26 | 2 |
| 2 | West Coast Chargers |
2 | 1 | 1 | 40 | 66 | -26 | 2 |
| 3 |  Southland Rams (withdrew) |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Finals
| Home | Score | Away | Date and Time | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Semi Finals | ||||
| Bay of Plenty Lakers |
Wellington Orcas |
|||
| Aoraki Eels |
Bye | |||
| Grand Final | ||||
| Bay of Plenty Lakers |
62-16[5] | Aoraki Eels |
7 October 2023 | Trusts Arena |
Chart
| Semi-finals | Final | |||||
| Bay of Plenty | ||||||
| Wellington | ||||||
| Bay of Plenty | 62 | |||||
| Aoraki | 16 | |||||
| Aoraki | ||||||
| Bye | ||||||
Auckland
The 2023 season was the 115th season of the Auckland Rugby League Premiership.
Other Competitions
The New Zealand Warriors played in their 29th professional first grade season in the Australian National Rugby League competition.
The Warriors finished 4th after the regular season with a 16–8 record for the season. In the Qualifying Final, the Warriors lost 32–6 to the Penrith Panthers. As a result, they faced the Newcastle Knights in the second week of the finals at home at Go Media Stadium and won 40–10. The side then travelled to play the Brisbane Broncos in the Preliminary Final, where they lost 42-12 and were eliminated from the competition a game short of the Grand Final.
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