Magpies score Saturday afternoon playoff

Magpies first five-eighths Lincoln McClutchie in Friday's night's rain-drenched but crucial win over Tasman at McLean Park. His five points took him to 88 for the NPC season. Photo / Paul Taylor

The Hawke's Bay Magpies will have an afternoon playoff as they kick their 2022 Bunnings NPC rugby dream back into life with what is being called a revenge match against Wellington in the capital on Saturday.

The match will start at 2.05pm at Sky Stadium (aka the Cake Tin), with still-raw memories of the Lions' 19-12 win in a successful Ranfurly Shield challenge raid at McLean Park, Napier, two weeks ago, but also with good memories of a 31-28 Magpies win over Wellington on the last trip to the capital in September last year.

Remarkably, only eight of the side in the Ranfurly Shield defence were in the Magpies 23 at the Cake Tin last year.

Last year, the Magpies went on to be a beaten semifinalist, and if they win in Saturday's Odds conference playoff, they will have a semifinal against the winner of Friday night's Battle of the Bridge quarterfinal between North Harbour and Auckland at North Harbour Stadium.

The other quarterfinals are between Canterbury and Northland in Christchurch on Saturday, starting at 4.35pm, and Waikato and Bay of Plenty in Hamilton on Sunday, starting at 2.05pm.

Magpies first five-eighths Lincoln McClutchie goes into the weekend as fifth in the race for the most points in this year's NPC, with 88 from eight games. North Harbour's Bryn Gatland leads with 129 points.

The Magpies scraped into the quarterfinals with a fifth win completing the 10-rounds minor premiership with a win over Tasman on Napier on Friday night, then saw a 24-hour wait before the place was confirmed by Otago's elimination in a loss to Canterbury.