By CHRIS RATTUE
North Harbour scraped their way past lowly Southland at Albany last night but again their victory had too many hows and not enough wow.
The win over Auckland last week was a dead set miracle, given their set-piece disasters.
Last night they had to defy their own ineptitude again, although
they were a cut above the southern battlers.
Even much of Harbour's first-half sparkle disappeared in the second spell, with the only try going to Hosea Gear in the 73rd minute to secure the bonus point.
There is a touch of the genius to Harbour's game, and too much of it is of the wayward variety.
The verdict was simple last night.
They have the talent to push for a top four spot.
But unless they can fix their defensive woes, especially in inside backs where the pattern falls away and the players lack desperation, they could just as easily finish at the other end of the table. Some of their attack, which can be superlative, is too risky as is the ball security.
So when Harbour are good, they are very, very good.
When they are bad, they can be horrid.
Which summed up the first half, in which their good outdid the bad by a reasonable measure.
Harbour gave up a 26th-minute try to second five-eights Bryan Milne, when Jimmy Cowan took advantage of awful short-side defence and cover following a Rico Gear turnover.
The inside backs sprang another defensive leaks late in the half, as Richard Apanui sliced through. And who would know what scrum defence system was at work when Alando Soakai fed fellow loosie Hale T-Pole for a try late in the half, which reduced Harbour's lead to just 22-13 at the break.
Countering that, they treated a sparse crowd to their special brand of flamboyant rugby, with the backs and rumbling No.8 Nick Williams to the fore in the spell.
At Harbour's best, there isn't a much better sight in the game.
Exquisite lead up work brought flanker Brent Wilson's a try after half an hour, although Nick Evans appeared to get the benefit of a protection runner.
And then the jewel in the crown - the interchange work involving Williams for a McAlister try, although the tackles Apanui and Milne attempted on the jinking second five-eighths were more waves than brave.
