But the road to NPC glory might have to run through Christchurch. Taranaki did not deliver the little bit of help Otago required yesterday.
Their 34-14 loss in Christchurch in the final game of the regular season meant Canterbury regained top spot on the table and No1 seeding for the playoffs.
Canterbury needed to win with a bonus point - and they had four tries before halftime. It left the Cantabs top of the table on 42 points, one clear of Otago, who had gone top on Saturday.
That means Otago will host a quarterfinal - against seventh-placed Waikato - and, if they win that, a semifinal a week later.
An advantage, however, remains in the hands of those darned Cantabrians. If they win their quarterfinal and semifinal, they will host the final.
It will be a case of first things first for Otago as they seek to win their first NPC title in 27 years and add that trophy to the Ranfurly Shield.
They have not played Waikato since being thumped 47-7 over two years ago.
This is a different Otago team, though, and they are riding a wave of confidence after five straight wins, the latest a 51-17 shellacking of Auckland on the road.
Forsyth Barr Stadium has not hosted a lot of men’s playoff rugby since it opened in 2011 but there should be a reasonable expectation of a decent crowd turning up to support arguably the best Otago team since 1998.
The two significant movers at the weekend were Hawke’s Bay and Counties-Manukau. Hawke’s Bay moved into fourth and earned a home quarterfinal with a 38-10 win over Manawatu, while Counties leapfrogged Northland to claim the eighth and final spot with a 49-41 tryfest win over Tasman.
Waikato secured seventh place by beating Northland 25-19, and Bay of Plenty sealed third with a 33-26 win over Wellington, whose rather dreadful defence of their title ended in 10th with a record of three wins and seven losses.
NPC
The quarterfinals
• Canterbury v Counties-Manukau
• Otago v Waikato
• Bay of Plenty v Tasman
• Hawke’s Bay v Taranaki
