Otago staves off challenge from Stags
THE win was far from convincing.
But at the back end of storm week, you take a win however you get it.
Otago held off a final Southland attack to win 3732 in Invercargill yesterday.
Southland played its part in a thrilling game.
Every time Otago looked to gain breathing space, the Stags answered to linger close enough to keep the lead uncomfortable.
They played with width and flair, throwing the ball around and finding space in the Otago defence to score three superb tries.
But Otago did enough to stave off the challenge.
It scored three tries of its own in the first half, one from a lineout drive and two equally impressive in the backline.
While Southland never went away, Otago kept its own score ticking over.
It held a 2415 halftime lead, before the boot of Josh Ioane and a break from Ray Nu’u, finished by Josh Dickson, held the Stags at arm’s length.
The win was Otago’s third in a row, following the previous week’s victory over Tasman and a midweek win over Hawke’s Bay.
‘‘[It was] a great game,’’ Otago captain James Lentjes said on Sky Sport.
‘‘Finally Southland put some weather on for us and that meant it was a highscoring game.
‘‘I think we just battled a wee bit on defence. Being our third game in a row, we’re just a wee bit tired and struggled to keep them out at times.
‘‘But really happy to get a win
down here,’’ he said.
Otago shot out to a 100 lead, on the back of a Ioane penalty and a lineout drive try that came as a result of a dominant scrum winning a penalty for Ioane to kick into the corner.
However, Southland hit back as Otago winger Vilimoni Koroi was sucked in on defence, putting electric winger Michael Manson into space.
The former Otago Boys’ High School star scorched up the right wing, linking with Grayson Knapp to score.
Banks equalised minutes later, before Otago responded by sending the ball through the backline for Freedom Vahaakolo to tear up the right wing to score.
It was a hectic period — just five minutes separated the two tries.
Thomas UmagaJensen was a handful in the Otago midfield the whole first half, and generated the next try when he offloaded to Lentjes to run into a gap and score, making it 2410.
UmagaJensen left the field following that, shortly before halftime.
Southland pulled back as it went wide again, this time left winger Matt Whaanga going over in the corner.
Ioane made it 2715 just after the break, before a horrible kick out on the full from Vahaakolo gave Southland a lineout for flanker Matt James to cut through the defence and score under the posts.
It was potentially a key moment in the game, pulling Southland back to 2722.
But Otago responded. Ioane kicked another penalty, before Nu’u broke through the defence and Dickson finished off to make it 3722.
Southland kept coming and when Viliami Fine crossed late in the corner, it pulled to within five.
Otago did enough to hold on as Stags veteran Robbie Robinson spilled the ball with time up.
In other notable results, Stephen Perofeta returned to help Taranaki to a 1610 win over Canterbury, while Bay of Plenty upset Auckland 2117 at Eden Park.