Rugby: Southland survive Otago's Shield raid

James Wilson of Southland. Photo / Getty Images

Southland provided the precision and challengers Otago the passion as the former retained rugby's Ranfurly Shield 16-12 in Invercargill today.

Southland's brief shield tenure lifted a notch after easy defences over Heartland sides North Otago and Wanganui as Otago played themselves to a standstill only to come up short yet again.

Otago last held the shield in 1957, and a half-century of angst and frustration was extended by another unsuccessful tilt today as they came out on the wrong side of a heavy penalty count.

Referee Jonathon White seemingly had eyes only for Otago as the challengers were pulled up constantly for infringements at the breakdown and they had to make do with 14 men for 20 minutes after having two players sent to the sinbin.

Southland, though, were highly organised and composed in the face of fierce pressure from the Otago forwards, with loosies Eben Joubert, Alando Soakai and Adam Thomson crashing and bashing their way around the fringes without ever slicing open the home side's brick wall defence.

The result gave Southland their second national provincial championship success of the season, a deserved outcome after they stepped up a gear in the final quarter to edge ahead and then stay in front.

Captain and prop Jamie Mackintosh provided the match-deciding try in the 66th minute when Otago found themselves a man down for the second time after prop Sam Hibbard was sinbinned for being offside at a ruck on his own line.

Southland took the chance to make their numerical superiority count, driving to the line on three occasions before Mackintosh burrowed his way over.

Young first five-eighth James Wilson calmly slotted the wide angled conversion and Southland were then left to defend a four-point lead, which they did with some aplomb.

Otago had nothing more to give at that point, having exhausted themselves with a high octane, take no prisoners approach throughout the match.

But they could not unlock Southland's defence and linebreaks were few and far between as Otago had to make do with three penalties and a dropped goal to first five-eighth Glenn Dickson for their points.

Outside their own support base Otago would have had few backers entering the match after a lifeless loss to lowly Counties-Manukau a week ago.

But they rose to the occasion despite constant infringements at the breakdown which gave Southland a lifeline in the first spell as Otago enjoyed much the better of possession and territory.

White penalised Otago four times in the opening 12 minutes alone then sinbinned Dickson for a lifting tackle on a Southland rival.

But Otago conceded no points in his absence, although two kickable penalties were squandered when Dickson's backup Ben Smith failed to find his target.

Southland led 6-3 at this stage on the back of two penalties from fullback Robbie Robinson, but Otago nudged ahead 9-6 by the interval when Dickson returned to add two more of his own.

Southland 16 (Jamie Mackintosh try; Robbie Robinson 2 pen, James Wilson pen, con) Otago 12 (Glenn Dickson 3 pen, dropped goal). Halftime: 6-9.

- NZ HERALD STAFF