Southland Fans Get Vote on Greatest Stags in 50-year NPC History

Southland rugby fans can now vote for the greatest players and moments in 50 years of National Provincial Championship history, as New Zealand's 14 unions launch NPC50 today.

The nationwide campaign lets supporters pick their provincial heroes before a national vote later this year crowns the ultimate top 50 players and moments since the competition began in 1976.

Voting opens at npc50.nz and runs until June 4, with fans selecting from pools of more than 2,000 players and hundreds of defining moments across all unions.

"The NPC belongs to the communities and the fans who built it," say the union CEOs. "Generations of New Zealanders grew up watching their province take the field, talking about the great players, the great games and the great rivalries. NPC50 is a chance for those fans to put their stamp on the history of this competition and tell us who and what really mattered."

The first phase focuses purely on provincial loyalty. Southland fans vote for their greatest Stags, while Auckland supporters pick their legends, and so on across all 14 current unions.

Every union's player pool draws from half a century of match data, featuring centurions, championship winners, captains and those who defined what wearing the jersey meant. Moments range from finals victories and Ranfurly Shield challenges to rivalry-defining games and iconic individual performances.

Voting resets weekly, so fans can return and refine their picks as debate builds. Each vote enters a draw for union prizes including season memberships and signed jerseys.

Phase two opens in late July. The leading players and moments from each province roll into a national vote to decide the ultimate 50 of each category. Results get revealed in blocks of 10 across the 2026 NPC season, building to the final 10 during finals week in late October.

The final result combines fan votes (50%), player votes (25%) and media votes (25%). Smart weighting that ensures those closest to the competition all shape its history.

Fans can also suggest missing players or moments directly through the website. The campaign promises to run through the entire 2026 season.

"Phase 1 is about your union. Phase 2 is about the country," the CEOs say. "By the time we reach finals week we'll have crowned the greatest players and moments across 50 years of NPC rugby, voted for by the people who lived it."

The timing works perfectly. The NPC has been New Zealand rugby's heartbeat since 1976, producing All Blacks, fierce rivalries and the moments that built provincial pride into national tradition. Now those who lived it get to judge it.