Southland sets record (oh no!)
THERE it is: Southland has an unwanted record.
The Southland Stags lost their 20thstraight toptier provincial match at Rugby Park in Invercargill last night, passing the previous mark of 19 set by Northland.
Southland was hammered 568 by Auckland in front of what could have also been the poorest crowd for a toptier fixture in Invercargill. To add to the bleak night, the Stags gave up a whopping 42 secondhalf points.
It was a sad sight for those at Rugby Park who hold the sport and the Stags close to their heart.
The Southland effort cannot be questioned. But Auckland had far too much firepower, and it showed.
A new look Southland side took to the field last night.
Just one player from the Stags starting lineup in the loss to Bay of Plenty at Rugby Park on Sunday also started against Auckland.
Loose forward Phil Halder was meant to, but was a late withdrawal.
Southland opened the scoring with a Tayler Adams penalty at the sixminute mark after a series of Auckland infringements.
The home team had a wealth of possession early in the contest, but the attack was limited.
In a cruel blow the Stags turned over the ball and left wing Salesi Rayasi took off from inside his own half and headed in to score at the 10minute mark.
Just to make the assignment more challenging for Southland, it was reduced to 14 players midway through the first half.
Halfback Nico Costa chucked his hand out for an attempted intercept, and referee James Doleman deemed it a deliberate knockdown.
Auckland was able to score one try during that period to lock Faatiga Lemalu to extend the lead to 143 at the 20th minute.
While there was little flair in Southland’s attack, it retained the ball for long periods, keeping the halftime score to 143.
In the second half Auckland started to put the squeeze on Southland, and it all fell apart for the home team.
Auckland scored six secondhalf tries, highlighting the gulf between teams at the top and bottom of the competition.
Two of them came to hooker Mike SoseneFeagai from lineout drives — the first five minutes into the second half — and the others from open play.
The small crowd did spark into life when promising young No 8 Lio Tosi came on with 20 minutes to play in his Mitre 10 Cup debut.
His presence was notable and he could be what the Stags need to get on the front foot in coming seasons.
Southland now turns to its final game of the 2018 season against Manawatu in Palmerston North on Sunday, its third game in just eight days.