Teams will be seeded 1-16 after this round. The Fred Allen Trophy is also played for during the round-robin phase. It is similar to the Ranfurly Shield, where it is only up for grabs at home games of the trophy holder.
After this round, teams will be ranked from 1 to 16. The Fred Allen Trophy is also played for in the round-robin stage. This competition mirrors the Ranfurly Shield, which is exclusively contested during home games of the trophy's owner.