Playoffs race goes to the wire
Red cards, penalty tries, intercept scores, a 71-point haul – there was a bit of everything in an eventful penultimate round of the Mitre 10 Cup.
Best of all, the makeup of the premiership division’s semifinals will come down to the last day of the season – next Sunday – when Auckland host North Harbour in a tell-all Battle of the Bridge.
Canterbury, Auckland and Tasman are confirmed for the playoffs, but North Harbour and Wellington are equal on points and battling for the final spot, with Wellington seemingly having the easier final round, away to Taranaki on Friday.
That will be a match the amber and blacks have to win if they are to avoid relegation, but on the evidence of their season they don’t stand much of a shot.
Their wretched run continued in Christchurch on Saturday night, where, exactly one year on from their thrilling Ranfurly Shield-claiming comeback win over Canterbury, they were mauled 41-7 by the home side.
Canterbury’s six-tries-to-one victory was assisted no end by the sixth-minute red-carding of Jarrad Hoeata for punching Tom Christie.
It wasn’t the fiercest act you’ll ever see, but, following a wellinvolved melee, it was a costly action by the veteran lock.
But just as Hoeata became the first player sent off this season, come the 56th minute he was joined by Canterbury prop Daniel Lienert-brown, whose headbutt on Taranaki hooker Ricky Riccitelli in retaliation to a push was certainly the uglier of the carded offences.
In any case, by that stage the hosts had built a 24-0 lead and were never going to be troubled.
While James Doleman was playing cards, his fellow referees were also busy around the traps, with a stunning four penalty tries being dished out across the six games on Saturday.
There was one for each team in Harbour’s 36-26 win over Counties Manukau at QBE Stadium.
That keeps Harbour in with a shot of backing up last year’s semifinals showing, while the Steelers aren’t out of relegation trouble, three points ahead of Taranaki and hosting Canterbury in the last round.
Auckland bounced back from their first defeat of the season to remain on track to take top seeding, after they got past Wellington 29-24 in the capital on Thursday night, handing the Lions their second loss on the bounce.
In the championship division, Waikato have secured top billing after their 71-28 demolition of Northland in Whangarei.
The 11-try romp continued the Mooloos’ stunning turnaround, going from a province-worst 10 straight losses to now six bonuspoint victories in succession.
Ironically, Northland’s bonuspoint
At a glance
sealing try late in the piece means they secured an away semifinal berth and ended any hope that Bay of Plenty had of catching them.
The Steamers had earlier been left to rue a 45-34 defeat to Otago in Dunedin on Wednesday night, with the visitors leading 20-14 at halftime before coughing up three intercept tries.
Otago and Hawke’s Bay will jostle for the other semifinal hosting rights, after the Magpies on Friday night came from 17-0 down against Manawatu in Napier to win 45-17.
Southland came close to ending their run of losses yesterday, only for Bay of Plenty’s Kane Leaupepe to scored under the sticks with seven minutes to go.
Southland have now lost 19 on the trot.
In the final match of the round, Otago handed hosting rights to the Magpies, when they failed to fire against Tasman in Dunedin, eventually losing the match 47-21. Week 7 results:
Otago 45 (Josh Ioane 2, Vilimoni Koroi 2, Matt Faddes 2 tries; Ioane 6 con, pen) Bay of Plenty 34 (Bailey Simonsson, Kaleb Trask, Tom Crozier, Aaron Carroll tries, penalty try; Trask con, pen, Reece Macdonald con). HT: 14-20.
Auckland 29 (Tumua Manu, TJ Faiane, Salesi Rayasi, Jordan Trainor tries; Harry Plummer 3 con, pen) Wellington 24 (Galu Taufale, Thomas Umagajensen, Ben Lam tries; Jackson Garden-bachop 3 con, pen). HT: 7-10.
Hawke’s Bay 45 (Pasqualle Dunn, Kianu Kereru-symes, Tom Parsons, Mark Braidwood, JJ Taulagi, Jonah Lowe, Michael Buckley tries; Taulagi 5 con) Manawatu 17 (Brad Tucker, Michael Alaalatoa tries; Otere Black 2 con, pen). HT: 17-17.
Waikato 71 (Bailyn Sullivan 2, Sevu Reece 2, Quinn Tupaea 2, Fletcher Smith, James Tucker, Raniera Takarangi, Pepesana Patafilo tries, penalty try; Smith 7 con) Northland 28 (Rene Ranger, Renata Roberts-te Nana, Sam Nock, Aorangi Stokes tries; Jack Debreczeni 4 con). HT: 38-7.
North Harbour 36 (Harrison Groundwater, Daniel Hilton Jones, Shaun Stevenson, Dillon Hunt tries, penalty try; Bryn Gatland 3 con, pen) Counties Manukau 26 (Cardiff Vaega, Tevita Nabura, Fotu Lokotui tries, penalty try; Latiume Fosita 2 con). HT: 15-12.
Canterbury 41 (Mitchell Drummond, Connor Garden-bachop, Billy Harmon, Sam Beard, Ngane Punivai, Braydon Ennor tries; Brett Cameron 4 con, pen) Taranaki 7 (Jayson Potroz try; Ciarhan Matoe con). HT: 24-0.
Bay of Plenty 26 (Bailey Simonsson, Fa’asiu Fuatia, Tom Crozier, Kane Leaupepe tries; Kaleb Trask 3 con) Southland 22 (Lewis Ormond, Morgan Mitchell tries, Isaac te Tamaki; James Wilson 2 con, pen). HT: 19-12.
Tasman 47 (Mitch Hunt, Will Jordan 3, Andrew Makalio, David Havili, Tima Faingaanuku tries; Mitch Hunt 6 con) Otago 21 (Matt Faddes, Sio Tompkinson, Slade Mcdowall; tries, Sio Tompkinson 3 con). HT: 28-0.