Rugby: Southland on a roll

Pehi Te Whare of Southland lines up Bryn Evans and Clint Newland of Hawkes Bay. Photo / Getty Images

In a match that had a little bit of everything - a torrential downpour, dodgy tries, yellow cards and a dramatic finale - Southland clung to their lead at the top of the national provincial championship.

In contrast, Hawkes Bay's nightmare ITM Cup continues, with just three points to show for their opening month.

While Southland have the Ranfurly Shield and will be eyeing a place in the semifinals, realistically Hawkes Bay's only target now must be to fight their way into the top seven.

The early promise gained from a Sinoti Sinoti try evaporated to leave the hosts with just a fortuitous bonus point.

They now sit 12th with only Manawatu (2 points) and Otago (1) propping them up.

Pehi Te Whare answered Sinoti immediately, before one of the more bizarre moments of the season.

After a charging Hika Elliot busted down the right flank, the ball was shifted quickly to the opposite wing where Zac Guildford put Ross Kennedy in the corner. However the big lock dropped the ball and gave himself up with a frustrated slap of the head.

Referee Matthew Stanish was quite happy, though, awarding the try without going to the TMO.

Flanker Tim Boys was soon sinbinned for a marginal high tackle and it looked like all the cards were falling in the Bay's favour.

However, a beautifully constructed try to Matt Saunders that had its genesis from deep in their own 22 pushed Southland ahead 14-12 at the break.

The second half was a cagey affair, with Southland looking the more likely without ever being able to pull away. Robbie Robinson, nursing a sore leg, kept nudging them eight points clear but Hawkes Bay set up a frantic final minute with another try that owed more to a shepherd than Zac Guildford's individual brilliance.

"I thought there was a couple of obstructions in their tries," Southland skipper Jamie Mackintosh said, while praising his side's composure.

"The last two weeks have been really good for learning how to deal with pressure."

The match capped off another intriguing week that saw the Counties Manukau revival continue apace in Pukekohe and Tasman record their first win over franchise big brothers Canterbury.

The 27-25 upset took place in Nelson, not Blenheim, with a merged union, not Marlborough, but still it had shades of 1973 about it.

Certainly the folk who packed Trafalgar Park seemed pretty happy with their lot.

That has been the beauty of this year's ITM Cup.

Three of the four teams destined for the ultimately unsuccessful cull - Northland, Counties Manukau and Tasman - have given their supporters reason to think a place in next year's top seven is not out of the question.

Counties, in particular, look well placed after their 35-14 win over strugglers Manawatu.

FINAL SCORE
Southland 23
Hawkes Bay 20