Southland 13
Counties Manukau 9
Tana Umaga is a good fit for Counties Manukau in so many ways but the former All Blacks captain shares an unwanted record with his new province - he has never won the Ranfurly Shield.
Yesterday both Umaga and Counties came close, very close. They took the game to Southland right to the last minute but, ultimately, fell agonisingly short.
There was no disgrace in defeat. They defended brilliantly, put Southland under pressure and contributed to a rousing Shield match. The only shame is they won't have any extra baggage to take back home to South Auckland today other than a growing reputation.
Counties are no longer the easybeats of the NPC and a lot of that has to do with one man. Umaga, even at 37, is a commanding presence on a rugby field. Yesterday he was arguably the man of the match, being in the thick of the action both in the backline and the breakdown and he almost scored the match-winning try.
He has done amazing things as a player throughout his career but surely one of the greatest would be guiding this team to a top-seven finish. Yesterday his goals were more immediate - getting his claws on the Ranfurly Shield.
"I thought this was my last chance," he said afterwards as he peered out through a cut around his eye and a bloodied nose. "It probably is. I just wanted to give everything I could but it just wasn't to be.
"Southland didn't want to give it up. They were brilliant. They were everywhere. It wasn't that we didn't break them. When we did, they scrambled so hard, it felt like there were 20 of them out there. They just wanted to get in there and fight for what they have and that's what we wanted to take home with us. It's what the Shield brings."
Counties will hope they can continue to play with that sort of passion for the rest of the season. It might be a challenge for Umaga and head coach Milton Haig to keep their players at the level they have played at so far in the competition.
They don't have as much experience as some provinces, one man excepted, and the ITM Cup is played over 13 weeks, not three.
Southland dominated large parts of the game yesterday without being able to take control. They twice led by seven points (7-0 and 13-6) but on each occasion Counties quickly hit back through penalties to Baden Kerr. The visitors came close to snatching the game in the final 10 minutes, firstly when Umaga was held close to the line and then when Fritz Lee went it alone when he had a three-on-one situation.
But like they did all day, Southland scrambled and regrouped and saw off another stiff challenge. They have yet to concede a try at Rugby Park this year.
But as they are finding out, the Log o' Wood is both a blessing and a curse. It does wonders for a union like Southland, and 10,000 turned out yesterday, but they find they come up against highly determined opposition every week.
"There's no doubting that every team that comes here gives it 120 per cent," Southland coach David Henderson said. "After two weeks like that, our boys will be pretty exhausted.
"Counties are a bloody good team, and I take my hat off to them. They are here to play rugby this year. They have an all-round team and we threw everything at them on attack. We changed tactics. We tried to go close, we tried to go wide but they just tackled their hearts out. Again, we were in the game right to the end and, Jeez, it was a cliff-hanger."
Counties have become renowned for their counter-attacking ability but yesterday they confirmed their ability to do the hard stuff. Their scrum was impressive - they won two tight-heads - they defended brilliantly and were excellent at the breakdown. One area that let them down, however, was their lineout.
"We were OK but my expectation is we win these sorts of games," Haig said. "If we keep lifting each week then maybe we can be a top-seven side."
If Umaga continues to play like he did yesterday and also inspires those around him, they have every chance.
Given Southland still have defences against North Harbour, Auckland and Canterbury, Counties and Umaga might get another shot at the Shield. History has to change one day.
Southland 13 (J. Rutledge try, R. Robinson con, dg, pen) Counties Manukau 9 (B. Kerr 3 pens). HT: 7-3.
