Taranaki win tussle

Northland 20
Taranaki 31

Whether blowing away the opposition, edging nail-biters or grinding out patchy victories - Taranaki just keep on winning.

Tonight's triumph over Northland belonged squarely in the last category, a 31-20 slog that burst to life only as the players tired in the final quarter.

A fifth straight win moved Taranaki above Canterbury - for one night, at least - to first place in the ITM Cup Premiership, while Northland remain locked with Manawatu atop the Championship.

Despite those high-flying spots on the ladder, the only true quality on display at Toll Stadium was found in a couple of determined defences and a dominant Taranaki scrum.

The visitors took that advantage in the set piece and combined it with a patient attack to finish with a flourish after Northland pegged the opposition back late. While the score remained close for much of the match, Northland rarely looked like snatching an upset win, nor did Taranaki appear in danger of squandering the result.

Winning has become a habit for Taranaki as the season has progressed. After taking just a draw from their opening two fixtures, three big wins were followed by last week's one-point victory over Tasman, keeping pace with Canterbury at the business end of the table.

Another four points to their name sees Taranaki firmly in contention for a home semifinal with three rounds remaining in the regular season, though this success will hardly be included in any end-of-season highlight reel.

But that was never relevant as far as Taranaki were concerned. With Seta Tamanivalu, Marty McKenzie, Blade Thompson and Waisake Naholo each taking turns to cross in the corner, Taranaki found the reward their probing attack deserved and can now focus firmly on the playoff push.

Northland 20 (Gilmore, Macilai tries; Hawkins 2 cons, 2 pens)
Taranaki 31 (Tamanivalu, McKenzie, Thompson, Naholo tries; McKenzie 2 pens, con, Rei pen)
HT: 7-1