Mako show they are on right track

With back to back Mitre 10 Cup titles secured, it could be said that a dynasty is taking shape for the Tasman Mako.

Their 13-12 victory over Auckland on Saturday night was a tense encounter, where Tasman prop Quentin MacDonald scored the only try, late in the first half, then Tasman showed steely resolve on defence in the second half to shut out a usually potent Auckland attack.

There’s a way to go yet before Tasman’s provincial dominance can be compared to Auckland’s in the the mid-1980s to early-1990s, or Canterbury’s between 2008 and 2017, but Tasman are on the right track.

Tasman Mako came into existence in 2006, but it wasn’t until 2013 when they started to show their potential, winning promotion from the championship.

In the top flight premiership they made the final in 2014, 2016 and 2017, but in the last two years they’ve ended up victorious.

Success like this doesn’t happen by accident and Tasman lock Quinten Strange said it came down to the team’s culture.

‘‘It’s quite funny, it’s two in a row now, but we lost three before this,’’ Strange told Stuff.

‘‘It’s a very similar core group, so we definitely know what it’s like to be on the other side of it.

‘‘But we’ve worked really hard to be where we are now and it’s a credit to the coaches and David [Havili] as the captain.

‘‘Guys could easily head away offshore, but they stick around and we’ve built a good culture.

‘‘We just demand so much of each other that we’re now seeing the results.’’

The 24-year-old Strange made his debut for the Mako in 2016 and he said there was the rightmix of enjoyment and willingness to work

hard that had been a key factor in recent years.

‘‘We pride ourselves on having fun, but also there is a balance,’’ he said. ‘‘It’s having fun but also nailing your own stuff and having a high standard when you step on the field, whether that’s training or in games.

‘‘With the group this year, there are a lot of young guys who’ve come into the fold and they’ve realised what it actually takes. It’s awesome because they’re guys for the future.’’

For the people in the Marlborough and Nelson regions, they are rightly proud of what their team has achieved in recent years and Strange said it felt great to give back to the communities that had been so loyal in their support.

‘‘It’s hard to put into words, rugby in Nelson and Marlborough is so big,’’ Strange said.

‘‘We’re a small union and to come up and win at the home of rugby, at Eden Park, and against such a big union, it was talked about, not only for the guys up here, but also the guys back home.

‘‘We love our community, we love our fans, they give us so much support, no matter what. We’re just thankful we could give them a result.’’

The Tasman players were singing their team song at the same time as Auckland coach Alama Ieremia was holding his post-match press conference on Saturday night, nearly drowning out the former All Black. But Ieremia didn’t begrudge their celebrations.

‘‘This group worked hard for something,’’ Strange said.

‘‘There are a lot of guys who aren’t superstars, aren’t Super Rugby players and play club [rugby]. A lot of our tight five are like that and I’m just stoked for those boys because they’ve worked so hard this year.’’