Wanganui get chance to defend crown
as his boss, and rammed home the importance of winning the Mitre 10 Cup for the ninth time in 10 years.
"After that game [55-43 Ranfurly Shield loss] it was just a massive focus for us to just win that championship to sort of make up for that loss," he said.
"It would be good to get them, but either way we’re just going to look to get stuck in."
So Tasman it is. A rematch of last year’s final, won 43-27 by the red and blacks.
The Makos, hammered 39-0 by "big brother" in Nelson in round one this year, will attempt to halt the Canterbury dynasty and become the 10th province to win the national championship.
Canterbury, who had to make do without Richie Mo’unga against Harbour, could again be without their gun pivot for the match.
Mo’unga, who was in Brisbane to provide injury cover for the third Bledisloe Cup test at the weekend, is a good chance to be named in the All Blacks for the looming northern tour.
New Zealand Rugby will name
the squad on Monday morning, before the team is scheduled to depart on Friday.
Should Mo’unga be included, All Blacks coach Steve Hansen could allow him to play for Canterbury and join the national team a couple of days later.
However, Hansen won’t have forgotten he let prop Joe Moody
play for Canterbury in the 2013 final, only for him to break his leg against Wellington and miss the tour.
Mo’unga’s availability isn’t the only concern for the reigning champions, who are almost certain to be without lock Mitchell Dunshea (leg), while there are concussion questionmarks over
midfielder Rob Thompson and wing Braydon Ennor.
Delaney is expected to update media on Monday, but watching a grimacing Dunshea, who was unable to put any weight on his right-leg, being helped off early in the second half against Harbour said it all.
They’ve already had to contend
with season-ending injuries to prop Daniel Lienert-Brown, halfback Ere Enari and flanker Jed Brown. For a chunk of the second half against Harbour on Saturday, halfback Mitchell Drummond was playing on the wing and fullback George Bridge was in the midfield because Tim Bateman was off getting a concussion test. Wanganui will get a shot at their sixth Meads Cup crown after they proved too tough for South Canterbury.
The defending Heartland Rugby champions toppled the top seeds 29-24 and will face Horowhenua Kapiti, who beat Buller 18-17, courtesy of a last gasp penalty to first five James So’oialo.
In fact So’oialo’s six penalties proved too much for Buller, who managed to score two late tries.
South Canterbury coach Barry Matthews did not hold back in his disappointment about the top qualifiers defeat in Timaru.
‘‘It’s absolutely gut wrenching. It was a very poor first half, we just shoved the ball about. Too much individual play cost us.
Matthews said Wanganui deserved their win. ‘‘In semis it is about pressure, they handled very well and we did not respond.’’
Wanganui coach Jason Caskey said defence won the day for them.
‘‘The first five minutes South Canterbury were relentless and we held on and that set the tone. I knew how hard it would be to defend against them.
‘‘Once South Canterbury started with the midfield bombs I thought we were getting to them.’’
Underdogs Wanganui came out with plenty of bite. After 30 minutes they led 13-3 and could have been 17 points ahead but poor pass cost them with a two-on-one overlap.
Instead South Canterbury scored from their own goal line with a brilliant attack that saw halfback Willie Wright go in under the posts and then convert to make it 13-10.
Just before the break a turnover on halfway however cost South Canterbury and Wanganui’s powerful No.8 Bryn Hudson burst free inside the 22 to score and make the margin 10 points at the break.
South Canterbury however struck straight back in somewhat bizarre circumstances after the break. Wright’s attempted penalty bent away from the left hand upright and ball banana bounced for the chasing second five Kevin Moore to score, and the margin was down to 20-17.
Two penalties to Nick Harding put Wanganui further out before Wright broke the defence and an inside pass found hooker Marac Beckham and South Canterbury had a sniff at 26-24.
Wanganui were then a bit stiff to have two tries disallowed, the
second seemed a certainty, but the referee and his assistant were unsighted.
The defending champions then added a further penalty meaning South Canterbury needed a try in the final four minutes but despite giving the ball plenty of air Wanganui held on for a deserved win.
In Levin, surprise package Horowhenua Kapiti made it through to the final after finishing ninth in 2016. Horowhenua Kapiti led 15-3 going into the final 15 minutes before Buller’s big comeback.
Buller thought they had the game in the bag when they scored a converted try to lead 17-15 with
42 minutes of the second half showing on the clock.
It was however play-on for a further five minutes and then Buller charged down a late attempted drop goal and again thought they were home.
However on the assistant’s call the referee awarded a penalty for off side and So’oialo slotted the easiest of his six goals to steal the win.
For Horowhenua Kapiti, So’oialo was outstanding, while
No.8 Tyson Maki had a big game, along with fellow forwards William Lander and Robin Praaat.
Buller’s best were No.8 Dave Egelstaff and try scoring fullback Anthony Tailua.
The Lochore Cup has Mid Canterbury hosting West Coast. Mid Canterbury thrashed Poverty Bay
56-22 in Ashburton, with Willie McGoon scoring a hat trick, while Coasters got past North Otago
24-14 in Greymouth.