Tasman outclass champion Cantabs
It’s not often you find yourself saying how poorly Canterbury played in a Mitre 10 Cup fixture but they were far from impressive in their 25-17 loss to Tasman in Blenheim last night.
Falling off tackles, squandering possession and turning over the ball, it was a far cry from Canterbury kicking off their 2017 season with a 39-0 win against the same opponents.
The champions never looked in the contest. Tasman controlled most of the first 20 minutes, building a 10-0 lead despite bombing a number of promising attacks.
Tasman had the vast majority of possession and territory — 81 per cent in the first half — and took their opportunities, sending a warning to the rest of the competition.
After Mitchell Hunt opened the scoring from the tee, Levi Aumua notched the first try of the Mako season, capitalising on sustained pressure to slip through some poor defence close to the line.
Canterbury hit back with a penalty from the boot of Brett Cameron, closing the gap to seven at the break.
It took just one minute after the interval for Tasman to strike again, with loose forward Quinten Strange crossing following a bounce pass from hooker Andrew Makalio. Six minutes later, the Mako were over again, this time through winger Solomon Alaimalo, fresh off a breakout Super Rugby campaign with the Chiefs.
However, when Tasman’s Blair Prinsep was yellow carded in the 69th minute, Canterbury capitalised. After struggling all game to string an attack together, substitute hooker Greg Pleasants-Tate crashed over from close range and made it a double seven minutes later when he was the benefactor of a strong lineout drive.
Those two late tries made the scoreline much more respectable for the red and blacks, flattering them in what was a dominant display from the 2016 and 2017 runners-up. Tasman 25 (Levi Aumua, Quinten Strange, Solomon Alaimalo tries; Mitchell Hunt 2 cons, 2 pens) Canterbury 17 (Greg Pleasants-Tate 2 tries; Brett Cameron 2 cons, pen). Halftime: 10-3.