Canterbury smashed Tasman 62-14 in Blenheim yesterday to secure an NPC semifinal berth.
Waikato upset defending champions Taranaki 15-14 in New Plymouth on Saturday to join them in the final four.
Most seasoned observers had Tasman and Taranaki making it through.
But Canterbury thrashed the Mako in a stunning performance, running in nine tries.
They led 33-7 at the break and had a firm grasp on the game.
Canterbury were bolstered by All Blacks George Bell, Sam Darry and Fletcher Newell, and halfback Mitchell Drummond made a triumph return from injury.
Captain Billy Harmon had a strong game from the side of the scrum.
That was some performance, and they remain in the hunt for their first title since 2017.
Waikato and Taranaki had never played each other in the NPC playoffs before Saturday’s fixture.
The visitors struck first in New Plymouth. Prop Ollie Norris crashed through the middle of two tacklers to score.
Moments earlier, centre Bailyn Sullivan had almost skipped across from a set-piece move.
Waikato went further ahead when makeshift winger Oli Mathis finished off out wide.
Taranaki went into halftime having not made much of the play and trailing 12-0.
Waikato lost the services of loosie Samipeni Finau for 10 minutes early in the second half for a dangerous tackle.
But Waikato rallied during his absence and Tepaea Cook-Savage struck a drop goal from 45m out, which extended the lead to 15-0 and ultimately proved the difference.
The other two quarterfinals followed the script.
Wellington eased to a 29-14 win over Counties-Manukau in the capital on Friday night.
Bay of Plenty edged Hawke’s Bay 19-17 in a thriller in Tauranga on Saturday and have secured a home venue for their semifinal against Canterbury.
In the battle of the Bay, Steamers second five Willis Halaholo peeled off 50m to help set up the opportunity for Bay of Plenty to open the scoring.
Hawke’s Bay fullback Harry Godfrey jigged his way to the line from 40m out in a display of individual brilliance. And hooker Tyrone Thompson crashed over from a lineout drive to give his side a 12-7 lead at halftime.
The Steamers were awarded a penalty try from a lineout drive early in the second half to regain the lead.
Hawke’s Bay prop Joel Hintz picked up a yellow card for getting offside at that play.
They survived being down a man and drove over from a lineout to reclaim the lead with 10 minutes to play.
But Bay of Plenty have figured out the driving maul works as well, and they scored from a 5m lineout with a minute remaining to clinch the win.
Wellington scored three first-half tries to set up the win over Counties-Manukau.
The Steelers replied with a tremendous try late in the half and they made Wellington work harder in the second spell.
NPC
The semifinals
• Wellington v Waikato
• Bay of Plenty v Canterbury
