Canterbury claim another title

Patrick Osborne dives over to score in the tackle of Simon Hickey. Photo / Getty

Any 'Dear Santa' letters demanding a fast, free-flowing and riveting conclusion to the domestic season had their wishes granted.

Canterbury were ultimately the beneficiaries of any North Pole generosity, seizing a 25-23 victory and their seventh title in eight years. But the match came down to the last play of the game.

A Mark Coyne Queensland state-of-origin miracle was still an option after Canterbury turned down two late shots at goal and pinned Auckland inside their deadball line with time up.

Auckland replacement halfback Jono Hickey stole the ball from Mitchell Drummond at the base of the subsequent scrum. The dream of a first title in eight years flickered for a moment before the hosts doused the flame.

Sometimes the match had all the structural integrity of the Indian Jones and the Temple of Doom rope swing bridge but, regardless, delivered an intravenous drip of pure entertainment.

It reflected why New Zealand rugby, through its ITM Cup nursery, still holds a strategic advantage over the rest of the world. In essence it boiled down to pace. Yes, there were defensive errors, particularly through desperation at the breakdown from both sides, but running rugby in the Christchurch twilight was a worthy by-product.

The sequence which led to Canterbury second-five Rob Thompson knocking-on in the 50th minute after hooker Ben Funnell chipped with pinpoint accuracy was one such moment as both sides ebbed and flowed with attacking verve.

Auckland demonstrated ample flair in the first half with close to three-quarters of possession, but Canterbury seized their counter-attacking opportunities to extend to a 19-7 lead.

Auckland could have folded but, composed and intent, persevered their way back into the contest.

The visitors immediately felt pressure when Patrick Osborne bullocked across down the left-hand touch from a move which had the Canterbury backs attacking the line with confidence. Dominic Bird then charged through a flimsy Auckland lineout defensive structure to score from what looked like a training practice move in slow-mo. Ryan Crotty continued to make a case for being the unluckiest All Black as he scythed across later off an inside pass.

Simon Hickey drew Auckland back through three timely penalties after they constructed a series of surges in possession, one of which resulted in a try to prop Greg Pleasants-Tate.
Canterbury had dominance at the scrum but, with the packs only taking their first hit in the 27th minute, their impact was minimised on Auckland.

The visitors suffered the sixth-minute impact of Scott Scrafton's sin bin for a late tackle, which bordered on a tip of wing Johnny McNicholl, but made up for the indiscretion with some passionate tackling and grafting once he returned for 55 further minutes. He also punctuated the match with one of its more entertaining moments when he was 'ushered' away from a Canterbury pre-lineout team talk before promptly delivering the impending strategy - that the ball would be thrown to Bird - to his teammates.

Canterbury 25 (P. Osborne, D. Bird, R.Crotty tries, T. Taylor 2 con, 2 pen)
Auckland 23 (G. Pleasants-Tate, M. Karpik tries, S. Hickey 2 con, 3 pen)
Halftime: 19-16.