Auckland go from bender to splendour
A week after revelations Auckland players had gone a bender, they took some steps towards straightening out their season with a strong Mitre 10 Cup win over Southland at Rugby Park in Invercargill yesterday.
The Herald on Sunday revealed last week a number of players were drinking into the early hours of Monday after their humiliating 57- 10 thrashing by North Harbour.
Perhaps suitably chastened, Premiership side Auckland gave themselves a reason to celebrate with a 27- 17 win against the Stags.
It is five losses from five for Southland, who remain last in the secondtier Championship and showing the sort of form to suggest they will stay there. Southland made too many mistakes but at least defended better than any of their four previous losses.
They average 44 points per game against them through the first half of the season and are yet to even secure a bonus point.
Brayden Mitchell opened the scoring for Southland in the second minute when the Stags turned down a kickable penalty and went for a lineout, which they successfully turned into a 7- 0 lead with Mitchell burrowing over and Scott Eade converting from wide out.
It took Auckland 20 minutes to respond but when the levelling try came, it was all too easy for discarded All Blacks flanker Jerome Kaino, who, playing at No 8, casually stepped through a ruck to score, Jono Hickey adding the extras.
Vince Aso completed a sweet backling movement in the right hand corner to give Auckland a 12- 7 lead.
A tight tussle looked on the cards as Southland halfback Liam Howley was the man on the spot to pick up a pass from lock Tepasu Thomas, who was chopped down with the goal- line in sight. Eade’s conversion put the home side in front with halftime in sight but Auckland hit back with a goahead penalty goal a minute before the break.
Auckland extended their lead early in the second half with hooker Greg Pleasents- Tate driving over the line with flanker Blake Gibson giving him a helping hand. Hickey converted as rain started to fall.
Poor execution by both sides kept the game tight and when Eade struck a penalty in the 65th minute to narrow the deficit to 22- 17, the game was still in the balance.
Auckland found some fuel injection off the bench in the form of Malakai Fekitoa, whose strong running helped create pressure, which was turned into points by flanker Taleni Seu, allowing Auckland to extend to their eventual winning margin with just over 10 minutes left.
Auckland managed the clock well in the closing stages to score a muchneeded win. Auckland 27 ( Jerome Kaino, Vince Aso, Greg Pleasants- Tate, Taleni Seu tries; Jono Hickey 2 con, pen). Southland 17 ( Brayden Mitchell, Liam Howley tries; Scott Eade 1 pen, 2 con). Ht: 15- 14.
All Black Charlie Ngatai's future is again in doubt after another worrying head knock in Taranaki's 29- 7 Mitre 10 Cup crossover win over Bay of Plenty in New Plymouth last night.
Midfielder Ngatai suffered a head clash with Bay prop Jeff Thwaites midway through the first half.
Taranaki now hold a 4- 1 record, and sit in third spot, four points behind Canterbury in the Premiership. Taranaki 29 ( Declan O’Donnell, Mitchell Graham, Manasa Mataele, Sione Lea tries; Marty McKenzie 3 cons, pen). Bay of Plenty 7 ( Elijah Nicholas try, Mike Delany con). Ht: 8- 0.