Wgtn look to upset top seeds
The draw’s been kind to Wellington.
Every team that makes the Mitre 10 Cup premiership semifinals obviously has something going for it. But as fourth-against-first assignments go, Wellington’s isn’t the toughest of all time.
Fair play to Auckland for finishing the round-robin portion of the campaign atop the standings, but the Lions shouldn’t be too frightened of them.
They had Auckland beat just a fortnight ago, only to see a 24-10 lead at Westpac Stadium eventuate in 29-24 defeat.
Wellington should have been good enough to close the game out, but coughed up a couple of late tries once openside flanker Mateaki Kafatolu was sinbinned in the 69th minute.
It was a marginal decision, but typical of a match in which the 50-50s tended to go Auckland’s way. Even so, Wellington ought to have done better from the position they were in.
"Are you fishing for that yellow card?," Kafatolu said this week, when asked how that game got away from the Lions.
"Nah, we just switched off defensively from a couple of turnovers and they went through gaps."
The 29-year-old Petone stalwart took that result quite badly. In just his second season of Mitre 10 Cup footy, Mateaki continues to be one of Wellington’s shining lights and shouldn’t blame himself for that loss. It’s just that, without him, the Lions suddenly rolled over and played dead.
"We started well and kind of buttoned off defensively and they got up on us. We respect them, obviously, because they’re Auckland but we’re out there to get a win [this week]," he said.
Last week’s 34-10 victory over Taranaki was encouraging in that respect. The Lions were ruthless in the second spell, rarely letting Taranaki out of their half en route to winning those 40 minutes 22-0.
It’s been easy to look at Lions ball-runners this season such as Vaea Fifita, Teariki BenNicholas, James Blackwell, Isaia Walker-Leawere, Matt and Billy Proctor, Malo Tuitama, Wes Goosen and Ben Lam and assume that’s where their strength lies.
Fifita won’t be on deck at Eden Park on Saturday, having headed to Japan for next week’s Bledisloe Cup test.
But reserve hooker Dane Coles, who’s expected to play significant minutes off the bench, and fellow All Blacks tourists Asafo Aumua and Matt Proctor are all available for the Lions.
Coles flies out to join the main All Blacks’ party on Sunday, with Aumua and Proctor part of the 19-strong contingent going over for the Japan test the following week.
● Meanwhile Scottish rugby fans are crying foul after Blade Thomson’s Welsh club have refused to release him for a potential test debut against Wales.
The former New Zealand Ma¯ ori, Hurricanes and Taranaki forward has been named in Scotland’s squad for the November internationals but Wayne Pivac, his Kiwi coach at Scarlets, will not release him for the November 3 Cardiff clash with Warren Gatland’s Wales.
"The Wales game is outside the World Rugby window," Scotland coach Gregor Townsend said. "Scarlets are playing Edinburgh that weekend so it would be nice of Wayne Pivac to say to Blade ’you are available’ but we know that is not going to happen.’’ What: Wellington team for Saturday’s premiership semifinal against Auckland Wellington: Wes Goosen, Ben Lam, Matt Proctor, Billy Proctor, Malo Tuitama, Jackson GardenBachop, Kemara Hauiti-Parapara, Teariki Ben-Nicholas, Mateaki Kafatolu, James Blackwell, Isaia Walker-Leawere, Sam Lousi, Jeff To’omaga-Allen, Asafo Aumua, Sitiveni Paongo. Reserves: Dane Coles, Tolu Fahamokioa, Joel Hintz, Galu Taufale, Du’Plessis Kirifi, Carlos Price, Losi Filipo, Trent Renata.