The Vodafone National Provincial Championship (NPC) 2023 kicked off on Saturday 11th March at St Joseph’s College Fields, Alafua.
After two years in the COVID wilderness Samoa provincial rugby finally made a comeback yesterday with the NPC kicking off for the first time since 2016.
The Super 9 rugby championship replaced the NPC from 2017 to 2019, then COVID hit and national provincial rugby was dormant from 2020 to 2022.
With the support of Vodafone Samoa, the NPC is back. And according to Lakapi Samoa, “who knows Super Lakapi (Super 9) could be back next year!”
NPC’s return would not be possible without the work and commitment from the Provincial Unions in fulfilling their provincial requirements by hosting 15s rugby at the district level – which produces teams for the NPC.
Here’s a look at results for Round 1 Fixtures:
Senior A:
Match 1: Palauli & Itumalo defeated Aleipata 35-25 and a closely fought match.
Match 2: Taula Vaimauga defeated Alalagafa 38-20 in a match of two halves, with Alalagafa fighting back in the second half, but Taula Vaimauga cruised to victory in the end.
Match 3: Faleata defeated Anoamaa 24-20 in a very close and tough match.
Under20s:
Match 1: Palauli & Itumalo defeated Faleata 12-11.
Match 2: Aleipata defeated Atua i Saute 37-15
Match 3: Taula Vaimauga defeated Anoamaa 30-7.
Sponsors
Lakapi Samoa thanked its sponsors for making the National Provincial Championship 2023 a reality
Vodafone Samoa
Pacific AusSports
Samoa National Lotto
Federal Pacific Insurance
Broadcaster:
We thank our Broadcaster: TV3 Samoa for broadcasting the tournament live in Samoa and live streaming on their social media outlets to our supporters abroad.
TV3 Samoa social media platforms:
TV3 Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/tv3samoa
TV3 YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-vCpUtlhKRyUWyl0lBNPww
We also thank our service providers for their kind support and services:
St Joseph’s College & Marist Brothers
Samoa Fire Emergency Services Authority (SFESA)
Ministry of Police, Prisons & Corrections Services
Samoa Shipping Corporation
Samoa Judiciary Committee
Samoa Referees Association
First Aid in Rugby (FAIR)
Volunteers
Tara Ice & Hirage
Sign Studios
SSAB
KL Security
(11)
