Auckland clinch top NPC spot for first time in 11 seasons
Auckland 45 North Harbour 29
The Mitre 10 Cup Premiership final will be a battle of North versus South.
The seedings for the playoffs were set yesterday afternoon at Eden Park, with Auckland finishing the season top of the ladder after a dominant 45-29 win against North Harbour.
In doing so, Auckland booked a semifinal clash against fourth-placed Wellington, while second-placed Tasman will meet southern rivals Canterbury.
It’s the first time since 2007 that Auckland has finished the regular season atop the NPC table, which was well before the implementation of a two-tiered competition in 2011.
A win by any margin was all Auckland needed to cement their position but they left nothing to chance in a dominant display.
Harbour struck early through prop Lua Li to take the initial ascendancy but it wasn’t long before Auckland found their groove. Scoring three tries to two in the opening 40, despite limited time with the football, it was a job half-done for the Aucklanders.
In the second half, they put the foot down. A strong final 40 was highlighted by a Salesi Rayasi double which sealed the bonus-point win.
It was a strong effort from the Auckland side at both ends of the pitch. They completed 135 of their 158 attempted tackles — 44 more than Harbour made — and were able to fend off pressure they brought on themselves with a high penalty count.
They will now turn their attention to Wellington, a side they beat by five points earlier this season. Harbour finished the season fifth, four points off the Premiership playoffs.
“We nailed our homework this week, and every opportunity we got, we made it worth our while,” Auckland loose forward Dalton Papali’I told Sky TV after the win.
“This whole week, we’ve been talking about earning respect back. Last year, there was no one here and we’re bringing everyone back to this great province. We’re just trying to give it back to the people.”
In the afternoon’s second game, Manawatu condemned Southland to a second straight winless season with a 38-26 victory in the battle between the two bottom Championship teams in Palmerston North.
All Blacks midfielder Ngani Laumape and Antonio Kirikiri both scored doubles for the Turbos as they claimed just their third win of the season.
Auckland 45 (Salesi Rayasi 2, Tinoai Fiaane 2, Robbie Abel, Jonathan Ruru, Jordan Trainor tries; Plummer 5 cons)
North Harbour 29 (Tony Tuungafasi, Lua Li, Harrison Groundwater, Shaun Stevenson tries; Bryn Gatland 3 cons, pen).
Manawatu 38 (Antonio Kirikiri 2, Ngani Laumape 2, Jackson Hemopo tries; Otere Black 5 cons, Jade Te Rure pen)
Southland 26 (Morgan Mitchell, James Wilson, Lewis Ormond 2 tries; Wilson 3 cons).