KEY POINTS:
Auckland 26
Canterbury 15
Auckland's players and coaches had every right to feel chuffed when they flew back into town yesterday clutching the Ranfurly Shield.
Having headed south with a supremely detailed gameplan, and having clinically executed it on Saturday night, the satisfaction was virtually oozing out the
Aucklanders' pores when they touched down at Auckland airport to be greeted by a crowd of several hundred well-wishers.
No stone had been left unturned in preparation for the bid to humble an undefeated Canterbury team on their own patch.
Even the relentless bone-jarring hits, epitomised by Benson Stanley's devastating spot tackle on Rico Gear, had been prescribed by the coaching staff.
"Before the game we put together a highlights video with a State of Origin theme because I know the boys like the big hits," coach Pat Lam said.
"We didn't have to do any talking, we just showed them what they have been doing all year."
Auckland's controlled, composed performance, particularly in the tight, went a long way to dispelling their reputation as a side who have perhaps placed too great a value on self-expression.
Saturday's night's effort was all about sacrificing for the collective good.
"We put a lot of work into the game plan and they stuck to it to a tee," Lam said.
"When you look closely, we have actually been doing it at different times this season. We've been building towards this."
There was nothing revolutionary about the tactics: kick deep, suffocate the life out the opposition's key playmaker, and then grind away with pick and goes and rolling mauls. The surprise was that it was Auckland, not Canterbury, executing those tactics.
"People don't understand that we train to play like that every week," captain Sam Tuitupou said.
"[On Saturday night] everything just fell into place.
"We knew we had to go down there and play but I told the boys that defence was going to win it.
"The boys are stoked. It is awesome to bring the Shield back home."
Fullback Brent Ward, who continued his happy knack of being in the right place at the right time to score both Auckland tries, admitted to feeling a touch "worse for wear" after celebrations that stretched well into yesterday morning.
"You've got to cherish these moments because they are few and far between," Ward said.
"It is very special.
"There is a big group of guys leaving at the end of the year and we targeted this game so we could leave something in the cabinet for the boys to start off next year with."
Auckland benefited from their relentless approach with the ball in hand as much as their suffocating defence, he said.
"Everyone says you have to attack to win the Shield and Canterbury is such a fantastic outfit that you can't close them out all day.
"So we just wanted to make sure we put them on the back foot and we did that for most of the game."
The victory brought to a close a 10-match round robin in which Auckland were utterly dominant, notching 48 of the maximum 50 competition points available to them.
Having topped the table they will now play all of their playoff matches at Eden Park, starting with a quarter-final against Taranaki on Saturday.
"That was our last plane ride for the year," said Ward, who is among a host of experienced players departing at the end of the season.
"It's great knowing that we've got hopefully three more games together at Eden Park."
