Northland Mitre 10 Cup trial full of talent for 2019 Taniwha season

Phillip Manako (with ball) puts on the gas to get around north zone's Jone Macilai. Photo / Michael Cunningham

With New Zealand's domestic rugby competition (Mitre 10 Cup) fast approaching, Northland's local talent came together on Saturday at the Hora Hora Rugby Club grounds to state their claim in a north zone vs. south zone contest. This was a great chance to impress selectors midway through the club season and some players stood out above the rest.

People looking for an indication of Northland's Mitre 10 Cup prospects for this season got their money's worth at Saturday's trial game in Hora Hora.

The game, which saw about 50 players compete in either a north or south zone team, was played alongside the Johnny Isaacs memorial tournament which included several north vs. south age-group games as well as a women's north/south zone game, which was won by the north, 77-22.

This was the first year a north/south zone game had been played as a Northland Mitre 10 Cup trial. In past years, a squad would play two games over May and June against preliminary squads from North Harbour and Counties Manukau as trials.

While Saturday's game was less about the score and more about player development, the contest provided quality play and drama for the large crowd of spectators at the Hora Hora Rugby Club.

The north zone team responded well to an early south zone try to lead ay halftime, 12-7. With another try after halftime, the north zone team looked odds on for the win until south zone responded with two tries towards the end to win, 21-19.

"I think [the game] was really beneficial and the quality was good," south zone coach Brad Te Haara said.

"We are all using the same systems which is always tricky but at the end of the day, you've still got your core skills that you need to deliver."

South's Dan Hawkins looks to offload the ball after breaking through north zone tacklers, Hayden Jurlina (number 6) and Mitchell Miller (right). Photo / Michael Cunningham

Te Haara, who is also the Northland Rugby Mitre 10 Cup manager, said bringing in more local players to fill two teams was a good addition to the depth of the high-performance group which had been training since March.

"We brought in about 12 guys who weren't part of the high-performance campaign and gave them an opportunity to put their best foot forward," he said.

A Northland Mitre 10 Cup training squad of 35 players, excluding Super Rugby players, would be announced in the coming days, as well as a 35-man B squad. With a handful of contracts still up for grabs, Te Haara said these spots would be filled over the next month.

While there were good performances shown by Northland's regular standouts like Jordan Olsen, Daniel Hawkins and Tamati Tua, north zone coach George Konia said this year's option to see two local teams take the park was much more helpful for squad selection.

"If you've got two players who are going for one position, this way it's a one-on-one contest rather than those players having 40 minutes each against North Harbour," he said.

North zone coach George Konia (left) delivers an important message alongside former Taniwha player Bronson Murray. Photo / Michael Cunningham

The game was also a chance to develop local coaches with the likes of former Northland players Bronson Murray and Cam Goodhue working with Konia and Te Haara to gain more experience at the high-performance level.

Konia said Northland's traditionally physical style of play was abundant in Saturday's game and noted the players' fitness had improved.

"All the players mentioned how fast the game was which is a good thing, but now they understand the reasons why we need to be fitter.

"That was a taste of what it could be like in the Mitre 10 Cup but it's actually going to be faster than that."

The teams scored six tries between them which featured structured yet entertaining play as opposed to tries scored out of error or luck. Konia said this showed a good balance between creativity and the fundamentals within the group.

Saimoni Uluinakauvadra (with ball) puts on the afterburners to escape the clutches of north zone's Mitchell Miller. Photo / Michael Cunningham

"Within the structures that we have, we still want players to go out there and express themselves, but focusing on those core skills is really important for us as well."

Having returned to Northland rugby in 2018 after a four-year absence, Konia said the standard of Northland's club rugby had risen, which was a promising sign for the Taniwha's 2019 season.

"Club rugby has definitely improved since the last time I was here, and obviously we've got our Super Rugby boys to come back, but a big balance of our [Northland] squad is going to be from club rugby."

North zone's Emil Pitman manages to smuggle the ball away before he's tackled by south's Tommi Baker. Photo / Michael Cunningham

Game scorers:

South zone 21 (N. Graham, P. Manako, P. Leilua tries; D. Hawkins 2, N. Graham cons) beat north zone 19 (B. Hohaia, J. Macilai, T. Tua tries; T. Smith 2 cons)