Auckland took the direct approach to break down Northland's resistance and win their national provincial championship rugby match 26-13 in Auckland yesterday.
Auckland's third victory in four outings owed much to their stinging physicality, which saw them dominate the breakdown as well as repeatedly disrupt Northland's scrum ball at Eden Park.
Northland's
attacking sharpness, evident in last weekend's 77-8 dismantling of Manawatu, was effectively blunted because Auckland simply denied them quality possession, with flanker Daniel Braid and 125kg prop Charlie Faumuina both prominent.
Auckland showed patience as well, taking a modest 9-3 lead into the halftime break on the back of three Mathew Berquist penalties.
They were finally rewarded almost immediately after the restart when prop Pauliasi Manu burrowed over from a ruck on the line and Berquist's wide-angled conversion gave Auckland a lead which reflected their dominance.
Northland hit back via a second penalty for fullback Lachie Munro, before Auckland extended their advantage again when replacement halfback Toby Morland showed strength to bounce up after being tackled, to fling himself over the line.
Morland was the beneficiary of a neat stab kick from Jamie Helleur which saw Ben Atiga latch on to a favourable bounce before finding the halfback on his inside.
But Northland have character and are not easily silenced, as they showed by scoring a try of their own minutes later to stay in the contest. It went to hooker Mikaele Tuu'u, who accepted a wide pass near the right-hand touchline and had enough pace to reach the line.
Berquist's fourth penalty in the 62nd minute lifted his personal haul to 16 points and gave Auckland a 13-point buffer, which Northland could not narrow. They kept trying until the end, pulling off more than than 100 tackles.
Southland had multiple reasons to enjoy a celebratory drink last night.
Their hard fought 23-20 win over Hawke's Bay in Napier ensured they remained unbeaten and atop the standings after four rounds. As well, the match marked the 100th appearance of hooker Jason Rutledge, while first five-eighth Robbie Robinson celebrated his 21st birthday. NZPA
