Renata's scrum dominance drives Northland to first scoreless win over Division 1 side since 1980

Northland recorded a historic 42-0 whitewash of Taranaki in Whangarei on Friday night, the first time since 1980 the Taniwha have held a Division 1 NPC opponent scoreless — and tighthead prop Marcel Renata was at the heart of it.

Renata, 32, set the tone at scrum time by getting the better of experienced Maori All Black Jarrod Profft, who has played 93 games for Taranaki and 37 for the Chiefs. The first two scrums of the match yielded Northland penalties, and the hosts also secured a tighthead, signalling an early statement of intent from a side that has quietly rebuilt its forward platform.

“He’s a strong lad who’s given it to me plenty of times. I tried to stay level-headed and go back,” Renata said of the contest with Profft.

Renata brings considerable pedigree to Northland. He played 76 games for Auckland between 2015 and 2024, winning an NPC Premiership in 2018, and has made 81 appearances for the Blues in Super Rugby Pacific — including a title in 2024 — alongside 18 caps for the Maori All Blacks. Since moving to Northland in 2025, he has featured seven times across five victories, though a Ranfurly Shield challenge has so far eluded him through illness and injury.

“Set piece has been a real focus for us. We’ve got plenty of firepower out wide. The challenge is getting the ball to them,” Renata admitted.

New forwards coach Ross Wright, who brings 123 games of experience, has made an immediate impression, and Renata was quick to share the credit for Friday’s scrum performance. “Most of the credit for the scrum belongs to our second row. They’re workhorses who just keep going,” he said.

The broader team performance was equally eye-catching. Lachie Hooper crossed for three tries and produced a charge-down after just 20 seconds, while halfback Sam Nock and Rivez Reihana — who between them have 146 NPC games — directed traffic at the base. Reihana’s time with the Crusaders has also given Northland useful intelligence ahead of a forthcoming clash with Canterbury.

Northland were already showing signs of progress in 2025, winning five matches — their best return since 2022 — and holding champions Canterbury to a 19-19 draw. They led the competition in maul tries and scrum penalties won, and conceded the fewest. Three Australian-born players have also integrated smoothly into the squad, a reflection of a wider trend in the NPC, where Aussie-born players have grown in number from 15 last year to 27 in 2026.

“This year feels a lot different,” Renata said — and Friday’s result offered hard evidence to back that up.