ANZ Premiership Grand Final hosting rights still to be determined

Hosting rights for the ANZ Premiership Grand Final will be determined in the last round of the regular season with the Trident Homes Tactix and Te Wānanga o Raukawa Pulse fighting for the honour.

Despite both teams suffering losses in the penultimate round of the ANZ Premiership, the Tactix climbed back to the top of the ladder – now joint points with the Pulse but superior on goal differential.

They meet in the last match of the regular season with the winner to host the Grand Final on Sunday 4 August.

The ledger sits at one apiece with the Pulse beating the Tactix by six in Round 5 while the red-and-blacks turned the tables in extra time to win by five in Round 10.

Whoever finishes second on the ladder will host the Elimination Final on either 27 or 28 July with the Grand Final to be played at either TSB Arena in Wellington or at Wolfbrook Arena in Christchurch on 4 August.

The final round of the regular season will also determine which team joins the Tactix and Pulse in the Finals Series with the Mystics and Magic still vying for the last spot.

A big win over the Pulse in Round 14 has put the Mystics in the box seat to reach the final three while the Magic, following their win over the Tactix, will be relying on their ability to beat the Steel and for the Stars to upset the form book by beating their Auckland sisters in the last round.

That scenario would leave the Magic and Mystics equal on 27 points each with goal differential to determine the third-placed position – either team needing to travel for the Elimination Final.

The Magic head to the ILT Stadium Southland in Invercargill to play the bottom-placed Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel while the Mystics head across town to Pulman Arena to take on the Stars.

The Pulse host the Tactix at TSB Arena in Wellington on 22 July in what will be the last act of the regular season of the ANZ Premiership.