The opening game of the round saw a Southland duo control the tempo from the outset, pacing the Sharks to a commanding 19-point win (41–22). The energetic Rapid crowd was treated to steady ball‑movement and defensive grit—with the scoring and playmaking of Tukaha Cooper and Braydon Inger helping the home team build a 5 point quarter time lead as the duo combined for 10 points in the quarter.
Taranaki struggled to build any consistent rhythm as Jack Exeter's effort to spark the offense came up short, Jaylen Gerrand couldn’t shift the momentum as he pushed the pace in the 3rd quarter, as the Sharks locked down defensively to dictate the pace, holding the Airs to just 4 points over the 4-minutes. The Airs attack got even more anemic in the final term, as they could only manage 3 points to tally 22 for the game. The Sharks led from the tip to the final whistle as they played their best game of the year to grab just their 2nd Rapid League Victory of the '25 season.
Southland Sharks 41 – Tukaha Cooper (15pts, 2rbs, 2ast, 1stl), Brayden Inger (14pts 1rb, 1stl, 1blk), Quake Webster 8pts,
Taranaki Steeelformers Airs 22 - Jack Exeter (11pts, 2rbs), Jaylen Gerrand (7pts, 1ast, 1rb)
The top two teams in the comp matched up with the knowledge that a Whai home court victory would make the teams equal in the wins & losses columns with just points percentage separating them. It started as a showcase of defensive intensity as both teams failed to find the net for most of the 1st before Denhym Brooke opened scoring with a triple as Nelson turnovers hampered their efforts. The Giants would rally in the second, as their defense lifted to force a few turnovers of its own, with James Matthews and Hayden Jones injecting life into the offense to grab a 6 point lead with a 16 point effort over the 4-minutes. The squads only managed 4 points a piece to keep the margin where it was, but the Whai found form early in the 4th as Sean Murphy made his presence felt scoring 8 straight for the home team to knot scores at 28. The Whai would take the lead on a Xanda Marsters jumper before Lachy Crate found space on the baseline for a dunk tied things again with just over a minute remaining. A Whai turnover with 10 seconds left left the door ajar for the Giants, and Crate would deliver with a difficult runner off the glass that sealed the victory, and possibly, a second consecutive Rapid League championship.
Amohia Te Waiora Tauranga Whai 30– Sean Murphy (12pts, 7rbs), Xanda Marsters (11pts, 2rbs, 1ast)
NBS Nelson Giants 32 - Sam Dempster (8pts, 2rbs, 2stls), Hayden Jones (8pts, 2rbs, 2ast, 1stl), Lachlan Crate (7pts, 2rbs)
The Canterbury Rams maintained tight control from the tip, constructing a dominant 48–32 win over the Hawks. Tama Isaac was the spark plug, as his sharp shooting and court vision kept the Rams in rhythm, while Mana Martin’s scoring underlined the Rams' offensive depth as they jumped to an early lead that they would never relinquish.
Hawke’s Bay struggled to find consistent scoring against the Rams stout defense. Though Dante Matakatea and Kahu Treacher showed flashes with hustle and versatility, the Hawks fell short of penetration and were forced into rushed possessions. Canterbury’s balanced performance across the board was the deciding factor, bouncing them back into the winners circle, staying within sight of the ladder leaders 2 games back in the loss column.
Total Energies Hawks 32 - Kahu Treacher (7pts, 5rbs, 1blk), Dante Matakatea (7pts, 4rbs, 3ast), Kobe Kara (6pts, 5rbs, 3ast)
BBQ’s Direct Canterbury Rams 48 - Tama Isaac (15pts, 2rbs, 4ast, 1stl) Mana Martin (14pts, 2rbs), Ihaka Cate (9pts, 3rbs, 1ast, 1stl, 1blk)
In a tight and tenacious contest, the Otago Nuggets edged out the Taranaki Airs 35-31 in the Rapid League version of the matchup. Caleb Smiler was the spark, his defensive hustle and playmaking swinging the momentum in Dunedin. Taranaki came ready, with Jaylen Gerrand’s steals igniting runs while Dom Kelman‑Poto contributing on the glass, but the execution of the Nuggets, with Christian Martin providing the finishing pops would seal the win. The Airs took a slender first quarter lead as Jack Exeter found his way to the bucket, but the Nugs would respond in the second as the offense lifted as a collective. The lead would build to 9 as Smiler found the bucket late in the 3rd and they would have felt pretty comfortable. But the Airs fought back, taking the lead on a Scott Telfer triple with 1:43 remaining. But the response from Patrick Freeman also came from behind the arc, help the Nuggets seal the late win that keeps the squad in the hunt for a top four finish.
Night ‘n Day Otago Nuggets 35 - Christian Martin (15pts, 3rbs, 2ast), Patrick Freeman (10pts, 2rbs, 2ast, 1stl), Caleb Smiler (6pts, 3rbs, 3ast, 4stls, 1blk)
Taranaki Steeelformers Airs 31 - Jack Exeter (9pts, 1rbs, 3stls, 1blk), Scott Telfer (7pts, 1rb, 1ast, 1stl), Jaylen Gerrand (5 pts, 2 rbs, 1 ast, and 3 stls)
Nelson’s young core lit up Trafalgar Centre, dropping 50 points to overpower the visiting Jets. Hayden Jones was electric, scoring with precision and tempo control as he went 7-7 from the field, while Sam Dempster’s mid‑range game and poise under pressure helped the Giants pull ahead. Their relentless ball movement and unselfish play silenced any comeback, with defence forcing the Jets into consecutive mistakes on multiple occasions.
The Jets were led by Tautoko Wynyard and Tinashe Matambanadzo, who refused to go quietly with his 16-point showing, partially making up for an off night by the leagues leading score Tyson Thata-Paese who was held to 1 point of 0-6 shooting. Despite their best efforts the Jets couldn't impact wasn’t enough to match Nelson’s offensive depth and defensive discipline.
NBS Nelson Giants 32 - Hayden Jones (22pts, 7rbs, 4ast), Sam Dempster (10pts, 3 rbs)
Property Brokers Manawatu Jets - 30 - Tinashe Matambanadzo (16pts, 1rb, 2stls), Tautoko Wynyard (11pts, 3rbs, 1ast, 1stl, 1blk).
In a low-scoring but high-stakes encounter, the Tuatara pulled away down the stretch to secure a 39–32 victory. Josh Leger’s play was crucial, as strong rebounds and composure in crunch time kept momentum in Auckland’s favour while Zach Riley’s defensive intensity disrupted the Whai’s offense and helped seal the result.
Tauranga’s Bezzant provided the early spark as he weaved his way through the defense to the tune of 11 first half points as the visitors built a 5 point lead, but the Whai struggled to break through as the Tuatara tightened up defensively in the second half. The Tuatara scored 5 straight to tie things up before back to back Nick Barrow buckets gave the home team their first lead since early in the first, Xanda Marsters would respond but a Josh Leger triple stretched the lead to 5 to close the 3rd. Marsters struck early in the 4th to give the Whai hope, but clinical play from the tuatara down the stretch held the road team at arms length to clinch the 7-point win.
Jadcup Auckland Tuatara 39 - Zach Riley (14pts, 3rbs, 1ast, 1stl), Josh Leger (12pts, 8rbs, 2ast, 1stl)
Amohia Te Waiora Tauranga Whai 32 - Jayden Bezzant (11pts, 1rb, 1ast), Xanda Marsters (9pts, 5rbs)
Simply Rapid
2025 Rapid League Leading Scorers
2025 Rapid League Leading Rebounders
2025 Rapid League Ladder
| Team | GP | W | L | %won | points % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  |
Nelson Giants | 16 | 13 | 3 | 81 | 121 |
| 2 |  |
Tauranga Whai | 15 | 10 | 5 | 66 | 108 |
| 3 |  |
Canterbury Rams | 14 | 9 | 5 | 64 | 106 |
| 4 |  |
Wellington Saints | 15 | 9 | 6 | 60 | 104 |
| 5 |  |
Otago Nuggets | 15 | 9 | 6 | 60 | 103 |
| 6 |  |
Auckland Tuatara | 14 | 7 | 7 | 50 | 99 |
| 7 |  |
Hawkes Bay Hawks | 16 | 8 | 8 | 50 | 90 |
| 8 |  |
Taranaki Airs | 15 | 6 | 9 | 40 | 93 |
| 9 |  |
Manawatū Jets | 14 | 5 | 9 | 35 | 102 |
| 10 |  |
Franklin Bulls | 15 | 4 | 11 | 26 | 88 |
| 11 |  |
Southland Sharks | 15 | 2 | 13 | 13 | 86 |
