Win puts Northland on track

Northland coach Mark Anscombe reckons killing off their 30-game losing run is a small step in a grander plan.

When Northland beat Counties Manukau 21-17 at Mt Smart Stadium last weekend, it was their first victory in the national championship since October 13, 2002, when they beat Southland 27-20 in Invercargill.

It was a three-year-old monkey off their backs, so there must have been a temptation to break out the bunting and parade through Whangarei.

But at training this week, the players had been noticeably low-key.

"It was long overdue. But the players have been good all year," Anscombe said. "Even though we've had a couple of disappointing results they've fronted up each week and we've tried to keep things positive.

"Now we've put that game behind us and looked at the things we need to improve on."

Anscombe said the players appreciated the season was about more than breaking the losing drought.

"We have bigger aspirations than just winning one game of rugby. If that was all we set out to do this year we shouldn't really be here," he said.

Northland, perhaps seeking to keep the positive momentum bubbling along, named their team yesterday to host Hawkes Bay on Sunday, even though they were not obliged to do so until Friday.

It contains one change from the winning combination, Kira Taihere replacing Brad Taylor at lock.

Northland know a win against a Bay team whose points differential was 0-82 after two rounds before banging 51 points on Counties in their third game, will further boost a self-belief that gaining a cup quarter-final spot through the repechage route is not too far-fetched.

"Our target is to get this team running the best we can for the repechage round," Anscombe added.

* The South Canterbury union has been fined $25,000 for a deliberate breach of player eligibility regulations. They played flanker Tony Ward in their Ranfurly Shield challenge against Canterbury in Timaru on July 4. The New Zealand Rugby Union had not received a clearance for Ward from the French Rugby Federation upon his return from playing there last year.

Bruce Squire, QC, acting as an NZRFU subcommittee, found South Canterbury had been told by the national body that Ward was ineligible. South Canterbury are appealing the decision to the appeal council.