4. Otago (7x Runners-Up / 1 Finals Victories)
Otago have not had the most fortuitous time in the New Zealand National Provincial Championship. The Dunedin side have reached the NPC Final on seven separate occasions, yet have only once come away with winners medals. Otago’s victorious trip to the NPC Final came in 1998, when the South Islanders recorded a 49-20 victory over Hamilton based Waikato.
Otago do in fact boast a history of two NPC titles, however their first triumph came in 1991, which was the last year that the NPC was formatted with top spot automatically awarded the trophy, without a need for a play-off final. The following year, Otago reached history’s first NPC Final, yet they were defeated by Waikato, who ran in one-way traffic for a 40-5 victory.
The Dunedin club returned for the 1993 and 1995 finals, with both matches ending in defeats to North Island side Auckland. Otago hit a slump during the late 90s, and were unable to return to the play-off final until their comeback year in 2001. However, this underdog story did not end in success, as Canterbury ran out a decisive 30-19 score-line, to extend Otago’s wait for the title.
Otago’s last visit to the traditional NPC Final came in 2005, with Auckland completing their trifecta of triumphs over the South Island side. This 39-11 victory at Eden Park saw Auckland run in six tries, with the likes of former All Blacks hooker and two-time Rugby World Cup Winner Kevin Mealamu involved on Auckland’s score-sheet.
Following the NPC’s format re-vamp, Otago battled to the final once more. Reaching the culmination of the 2021 Bunnings NPC Championship Division, Otago took on Taranaki, with the New Plymouth side securing the 32-19 win.