KEY POINTS:
There was no shortage of dubious theories floating around North Harbour Stadium to explain the somewhat schizophrenic performance of both sides in a Ranfurly Shield mismatch.
Thames Valley captain Steven Hill offered his thoughts as to why his side had initially gone about their work with all the
pluck and vigour of a Shane Cameron opponent, shipping eight tries in a 50-0 first-half drubbing, before turning things around to dominate large periods of the second half.
The 5.35pm Saturday kick-off, Hill suggested, hadn't really suited his side.
"We're normally pissed by then," he admitted.
Certainly the pride of Paeroa started as if they might well have had a few shots of Dutch courage in the sheds, botching a succession of scrums on their own line to hand Harbour halfback Luke Hamilton the opening try after just six minutes.
Perhaps a fry-up, some flasks of black coffee and cold showers at the break had been the catalyst for the second half revival?
Swamp Foxes coach Ross Cooper had his own theory as to why seven more Harbour tries had followed with such ease during the first-half. His players, joked Cooper, weren't used to playing on a field that was floodlit at both ends.
But that theory was unlikely to stand up as the Foxes never got far enough into Harbour territory to test the quality of lighting at that end of the field. "Nah, that's bullshit," admitted Cooper.
"We struggled with the pace of the game because most of our guys are sitting on tractors or milking cows and things all day. It is difficult to play at that pace. But we showed a bit of ticker and guts."
Harbour coach Wayne Pivac was pleased with the fluid spectacle initially served up by a side containing seven debutantes. "Everything we wanted to try in the first half, we achieved," Pivac said.
As for the final 30 minutes, which his team largely spent defending doggedly after ditching their game plan in favour of a festival rugby approach, Pivac wasn't so thrilled.
One reason for the dramatic tailoff, he suggested, was that his players' physical conditioning programme was still tuned to strength and size building rather than endurance.
That may well be true. But, given that the part-time Valley players' conditioning efforts probably consist of the odd run after work, it's hard to imagine Harbour's stars - whom Hill admiringly described as "a bunch of really fast bastards" - finding themselves physically overmatched. And Harbour did, after all, still win the second half 19-0.
"We're reasonably comfortable with where we are at," Pivac said.
Second five-eighth Michael Harris enjoyed an encouraging debut, notching 24 points from two tries and seven conversions.
Captain Nick Williams looked in good nick with two first-half tries, while wing Zar Lawrence also grabbed a double. Prop James Afoa, lock Doug Fletcher and the Pisi brothers, George and Tusi, also crossed for the holders.
It was the Foxes' 13th Shield defeat.
Hill wasn't overly bothered.
"I'm stoked with that second half from the boys. That was awesome the way we hung in there," he said.
North Harbour 69
Thames Valley 0
