Canterbury revert to usual selves
All is well in Canterbury as the red and blacks reverted back to their usual selves and got their Mitre 10 Cup title defence back on track in the competition’s latest round.
The red hot favourites to win an eighth title in nine years handed championship leaders Otago their first loss of the season in Christchurch on Saturday, winning 45-34 and ensuring Otago still hasn’t tasted success against their neighbour since 2005.
After scoring just one try in a 19-13 loss to Manawatu in Palmerston North the previous week, Canterbury were back to their free-running best on home turf.
They chalked up seven tries, including one to Australian lock Dave McDuling, and only an Otago try after the fulltime hooter saw the visitors pull to within 11 and snare a bonus point try.
But a potentially season-ending leg injury to midfielder Rob Thompson took some gloss off the win, which ensured Canterbury remained a point clear of Taranaki at the top of the premiership section with a game in hand.
A tough stretch looms for Canterbury, who must now back up their 91st scalp against Otago with a Ranfurly Shield challenge against Waikato in Hamilton on Wednesday, before visiting 2014 champions Taranaki in New Plymouth on Sunday.
Only four points separate leaders Canterbury and fourth-placed Auckland in the premiership with three rounds to play, and third-placed Counties Manukau is looking particularly threatening ahead of the semifinals.
Powered by a quick-fire hat-trick by prop Kalolo Tuiloma, and a standout performance by halfback Augustine Pulu, Counties fired a warning shot when they outclassed Waikato 35-26 in Pukekohe.
Taranaki bounced back from the disappointment of narrowly missing out on winning the Shield against Waikato last week to beat Manawatu 30-19 in dreadful conditions in New Plymouth.
The Turbos were riding high after handing Canterbury their first loss of the season a week ago, but the cham- pionship side was jolted back down to earth by Taranaki, who have a week to recover ahead of their match against Canterbury next Sunday.
They will no doubt gleefully watch on as the defending champions and Waikato bash each other up in a tussle over the Log o’ Wood midweek, with the top spot in the premiership potentially riding on their showdown in New Plymouth.
Tasman continued Hawke’s Bay’s miserable season, picking up a bonus point in their 36-29 win in Napier to keep their premiership playoff hopes alive.
The Makos led by as much as 23 points in the match, before a late surge from the Magpies narrowed the margin.
Hawke’s Bay has just 10 competition points and are eight points adrift of sixth placed Tasman in the premiership, meaning they need to find a way to scrap a few wins together to avoid relegation to the championship next season.
Premiership team Auckland remained in touch with the rest of the top four after beating Bay of Plenty 44-38 in Rotorua in the final match of the round.
While they ran in six tries, they also leaked six and will need to step up defensively ahead of their home match against Otago, the second most potent attacking team in the competition, on Saturday.
Despite their first loss of the season, Otago still leads the championship section of the NPC, although Wellington only trails by six points and has a game in hand. Wellington edged Northland 29-21 in Whangarei to avoid being the first team to lose to the Taniwha in almost two years.
It was a mixed week for Southland, who finally won a game - 20-16 against Bay of Plenty in Invercargill - but then lost 35-14 against fellow championship side North Harbour in Albany.
North Harbour’s third win of the season propelled them into semifinal contention in the second tier of the NPC. Otago and Wellington appear set to finish first and second, leaving Harbour, Manawatu and North Harbour as the most likely teams to fight it out for the other two spots.