Auckland clambered off the bottom rung of rugby's Air NZ Cup with 32-13 defeat of Northland today which had a distinct All Blacks flavour.
It was ironic that several of Auckland's All Blacks found form at Kerikeri Domain, a ground used almost exclusively for club rugby.
Hosting its first nationalprovincial match, the small Bay of Islands venue crammed in a crowd of 6000 to watch their side succumb to an Auckland team who were more efficient up front, opening up a 15-6 lead by halftime and turning with a breeze at their back.
The arrival of rain ensured the most successful side in provincial history would notch their first win this season, following losses to Hawke's Bay and Canterbury.
Up front, prop John Afoa anchored a dominant scrum while his All Blacks flanker teammate Jerome Kaino ensured Auckland won more of the collisions.
Further out, winger Joe Rokocoko produced his best game in what has been a disappointing year so far, bagging a tryscoring double and constantly looking for work.
He scored the first of Auckland's four tries, popping up on the left flank to cross in the corner.
He set up the second to fellow-winger Dave Thomas with a sweet angled run and pass while nice inside passes from Rokocoko and Afoa sent replacement halfback Auvasa Faleali'i over to quell a lively Northland period midway through the second spell.
The veteran winger sealed a bonus point for his team by driving over as the final hooter sounded.
Young first five-eighth Ash Moeke landed five from six shots at goal for 12-point haul, enjoying the ride behind a dominant pack.
The Northlanders struggled to reach the standard set in last week's defeat of Taranaki. Their kicking was directionless in the first half and they were forced to live off scraps for long periods.
A fightback threatened when fullback and captain Jared Payne scored their only try with 20min remaining, reducing the score to 18-13 but they failed to kick on.
