The need for everyone to complete their ten-match regular season in a nine week window means that in each round from here on two teams will have to back up from Wednesday night on Saturday night or Sunday afternoon.
Here’s how week three played out.
Otago 33-28 Northland
A depleted Otago (five forwards out with concussions of varying degree) were made to work far harder for their third maximum-points victory than for the previous two. Northland fought right to wing Jone Macilai’s 79th-minute try, but remain winless in 14 matches since the penultimate Round in 2014.
Counties Manukau 48-20 Hawkes Bay
Counties carried on from where they left off last week, running in five tries with halfback Augustine Pulu instrumental in several. 5/8 Piers Francis added 23 from the tee and a drop-goal. Hawkes Bay already look in grave danger of being the latest victim of “one season up, next season down” syndrome, even before copping Canterbury and Auckland in their “double-up” round next week.
Auckland 51-16 Southland
At 23-16 with 15 minutes remaining this was anyone’s game. Then Auckland ran in five tries, centre Reiko Ioane bagging a double. Southland’s cause wasn’t helped by playing with 13 men for a time, their 10 and 12 earning bin time for similar breakdown offences just minutes apart. Other than that ten-minute blitz, Auckland were no better than adequate.
Tasman 25-20 Taranaki
Tasman trailed for 65 minutes before centre Kieron Fonotia’s try and two Marty Banks penalties (he kicked six in all) got them home. Taranaki dominated the first half, and should probably have lead by more than 13-6 at the break, but fell away just as Tasman were improving their accuracy.
Wellington 21-17 North Harbour
North Harbour scored the only two tries of the match but a Wellington record seven Jackson Garden-Bachop penalties were enough to get Wellington home. The first half was willing but scrappy, Harbour taking a 10-9 lead into the break. The second 40 featured some promising moments that again mostly came to nought.
Canterbury 52-34 Northland
A massacre looked on the cards when Canterbury scored three tries in the opening eight minutes. The Taniwha rallied and closed the gap to 12 points on three occasions, but Canterbury quickly re-asserted their dominance on each of them to bank another five competition points and consign Northland to a 15th straight loss.
Otago 33-32 Bay of Plenty
Otago backed up Wednesday’s tight win in a four-tries-apiece thriller against a committed and somewhat unlucky Bay side. Otago opened and closed the scoring but Bay held the lead for much of the match before relinquishing it in the 70th minute. Centre Lalakai Foketi scored three of the Bay’s tries. Otago’s feat of picking up maximum points in both their “double-up” matches is a rarity and puts the pressure on the other Championship contenders to do likewise.
Highlights:
Waikato 19-10 Manawatu (RANFURLY SHIELD)
Leading 10-9 shortly after half time, it appeared Manawatu had scored off a charge-down but the TMO ruled their halfback offside. Minutes later Waikato scored after a front-runner took out a defender metres from the line, and that was Manawatu’s Challenge gone. To be fair, though, they wouldn’t have got as close had Damian McKenzie not missed a sitter and two others he’d normally get. Ambrose Curtis’ try for Manawatu will feature in “Best Shield Try” compilations for many years to come.
Highlights:
Round 4 fixtures:
Wed 07 Hawkes Bay v Auckland, Napier
Thu 08 Taranaki v Southland, New Plymouth
Fri 09 Bay of Plenty v Northland, Rotorua
Fri 09 Counties Manukau v Wellington (JONAH LOMU MEMORIAL TROPHY), Pukekohe
Sat 10 North Harbour v Manawatu, Albany
Sat 10 Otago v Tasman, Dunedin
Sun 11 Canterbury v Hawkes Bay, Christchurch
Sun 11 Auckland v Waikato, Auckland
