Otago find their garden of Eden
With two rounds to play before the semifinals, every team has now tasted defeat in the 2018 Mitre 10 Cup.
That was thanks to Otago bringing high-flying Auckland back down to earth on Friday.
After all those previous years of under-delivery, Auckland were six from six and leading the premiership division, but that didn’t deter the championship division visitors one iota, as a Matt Faddes hat-trick inspired Otago to a 31-26 win – just their second victory at Eden Park in the past 42 years.
It was gutsy stuff from the southerners, overcoming the loss of captain Michael Collins – firstly to a yellow card and then to an ankle injury – having a shaky second-half scrum, then playing down the clock in style.
Otago were deserved winners, keeping themselves in the mix for a semifinal spot in the championship.
Auckland have been overtaken at the head of the premiership by Tasman, after the Mako held on for a 28-22 win over Wellington at Westpac Stadium.
Tasman have played one more match than Auckland but hold a two-point lead, thanks to their four-tries-to-three bonus point triumph.
It’s shaping as a five-way battle for the four semifinal berths, with fifth-placed North Harbour keeping themselves in the mix (four points off Wellington and nine off Tasman after as many games as both) following their 55-26 belting of Taranaki in New Plymouth.
Harbour winger Tevita Li ran rampant in collecting four of the visitors’ nine tries, six of which came in the first half.
It was yet more misery for the amber-and-blacks, with a fifthstraight loss seeing them parked in the relegation spot.
Canterbury ran in seven tries to thump Hawke’s Bay 49-24 in Christchurch yesterday with centre Braydon Ennor bagging a double.
Canterbury’s sixth win of the season moves them to just one point behind Tasman on the Premiership table.
Waikato continue to lead the charge for promotion, after they notched their second defence of the Ranfurly Shield with a 42-11 win against Southland in Hamilton on Saturday afternoon.
Counties Manukau could still be relegated from the Premiership after losing 24-20 to Championship side Northland in Pukekohe yesterday.
The Steelers hold a two-point lead over Taranaki at the foot of the Premiership with both sides having two games left.
Earlier in the week Hawke’s Bay came from 38-24 down at halftime against Northland to win a 14-try spectacle 55-41 in Napier on Wednesday night, before Manawatu¯ held on for a grim 17-15 victory over Bay of Plenty in Rotorua on Thursday.