Harbour has 40 winks to start, a decent 40 to finish

Jonah Lomu looks the part but play didn't really run his way at Albany last night. Picture / Greg Bowker

North Harbour 28 Manawatu 6

This was North Harbour's chance to reassert themselves after taking a beating a week ago from Auckland.

It didn't exactly work out that way. Still they cemented second spot in pool A of the Air New Zealand Cup ahead of the top six playoffs.

Manawatu started the championship as the anticipated whipping boys for the group. To their immense credit, they've learnt as they've gone along.

They led 6-0 until six minutes before halftime, when right wing Rudi Wulf did well to squeeze across at the corner. How North Harbour got into that predicament is anyone's guess. But here's a clue: 10 handling errors, 19 turnovers won by Manawatu.

Harbour looked like they had dipped their hands in oil before running out such was the profligacy of their handiwork and there was a lackadaisical feel to their play despite having the lion's share of territory.

For much of the first half they seemed clueless on how to recycle possession.

Manawatu battled to create tries, and much of the match was spent in defensive duties which ranged from the diligent (first half) to the dodgy (second).

But they're no slouches in the forward elements. In lock Hayden Triggs, who made the best single break of the first half, they have a real find.

Flanker Nick Crosswell was good value and behind the scrum, captain Joggie Viljoen and Graham Smith were generally smart in their work.

After the break, Harbour woke up. Manawatu fell off tackles and Nick Williams, on the back of a good forward drive, Anthony Tuitavake, first with a left wing sprint albeit off a clear forward pass from Williams, then on the end of a classy Rua Tipoki grubber, got the tries to ease the hosts clear.

Anthony Boric and Doug Fletcher were good value at the lineouts, and Tipoki was the most influential back. Replacement George Pisi's try, a delightful slicing run, was the best individual moment of the game.

Manawatu found they could prosper by harassing Harbour in the first half and at the interval were right in the hunt.

By the end they had missed 30-plus tackles and you don't pull off upsets on the back of that.

Jonah Lomu was involved early on, had a couple of runs, but was well stopped by schoolboy Andre Taylor the first time he touched the ball.

In his best moment, it took three tacklers to bundle him out at the corner midway through the second half.

North Harbour 28: A. Tuitavake 2, R. Wulf, N. Williams, G. Pisi tries; T. Pisi pen
Manawatu 6: G. Smith 2 pen.
HT: 5-6