Ioane immense in Auckland’s march to final
Auckland’s golden season continues — they will host Canterbury in next Saturday’s Mitre 10 Cup final thanks to a controlled but at times inspired victory over Wellington.
For the inspiration part at a hot and still Eden Park yesterday, look no further than No 8 Akira Ioane. Unwanted by the All Blacks selectors for the 51-player squad for Japan and Europe, Ioane has been selected by the New Zealand Maori but it is clear he wanted to make a point or two and did it by scoring two tries and being a menace every time he got the ball.
His power close to the line and off the back of the scrum was such that he was virtually unstoppable. He was disciplined too — there was none of the silly stuff from him that sometimes takes the shine off his performances. Instead, he was fully committed — in the right way — and a key man as Auckland seek their first national provincial title since 2007.
They will host a Canterbury team who will arrive full of confidence due in part to their incredible run of recent success in this competition but also the way they finished over the top of Tasman in Nelson in Friday night.
And in a special move, Auckland Rugby and Eden Park have decided to make entry free for the final which will be played at 4.05pm to avoid a clash with the All Blacks Bledisloe Cup match against Australia in Japan at 7pm.
Canterbury have won the title 10 times in the last 11 years but should be thoroughly tested at Eden Park by an Auckland team playing with tempo and composure. In Melani Nanai, TJ Faiane and Salesi Rayasi they have firepower to burn in the backline.
New coaches Alama Ieremia and Graham Henry have done a remarkable job to get the team this far in their first season together.
Key decision-makers, halfback Jonathan Ruru and first-five Harry Plummer, were a step ahead of their opposites and the Auckland pack had an edge in the set piece. The blue and whites did at the breakdown too but more often than not it was Nanai or Plummer putting their heads in dangerous places to achieve the turnover.
About the best things for Wellington to celebrate were the way Wes Goosen streaked away to score a converted try after four minutes to give the visitors the lead, and the fact All Blacks hooker Dane Coles came through, hopefully unscathed, after entering the game off the reserves bench straight after halftime.
Coles couldn’t spark a comeback, though. Wellington were too wasteful with the ball and nowhere near as composed as Auckland, the competition pace-setters who on this evidence will start the final as favourites against the old enemy from the south.
Skipper Faiane said: “We had to front up in the forwards and finish our chances in the backs; I’m proud of how we played today but we’ve got one more job.
“We all know what Canterbury bring; they’re a smart team and a clinical team.”
Waikato are looking strong to get straight back into the Premiership after beating Northland in Hamilton 48-26 in their Championship semifinal.
They will play Otago in Friday’s final. The southerners advanced to the final with a 20-19 win against Hawke’s Bay yesterday after converting a last-minute penalty.
Waikato bounced back well after losing the Ranfurly Shield last weekend to Otago. They will host the decider in which Jono Gibbes aims to finish his one season as coach on a high by sending the Mooloos back to the top division before he departs for La Rochelle in France.
Auckland 38 (Akira Ioane 2, Melani Nanai, Fa’atiga Lemalu, Marco Fepulea’I tries; Harry Plummer 5 cons, pen) Wellington 17 (Wes Goosen, Teariki Ben-Nicholas try; Jackson GardenBachop 2 cons, pen)
Halftime: 24-10