Rugby: Northland have to pick themselves up and fight back

By CHRIS RATTUE

Waikato 52 Northland 14

Northland will jump out of the Ranfurly Shield frying pan and into some All Black fire as they try to get their NPC campaign back on track this Sunday.

Waikato's outside backs cut Northland apart as the shield-holders triumphed in front of a crowd of 10,000 at Rugby Park in Hamilton on Saturday.

When Northland play Wellington in the capital they are likely to face a side bolstered by the return of the powerful test back four - although fullback Christian Cullen was forced off in yesterday's test in Johannesburg with a hamstring problem.

At the weekend, Waikato centre Keith Lowen was the architect of much of his side's attack - as he was in the first round against Otago - and the pace of wings Roger Randle and Bruce Reihana was just too much for Northland to handle.

Northland coach Bryce Woodward said: "To be honest, we found Lowen hard to contain. He runs very good angles and also has very good ball skills.

"He is playing like Eroni Clarke was a couple of years ago. He is just so powerful he goes through the half gaps and then can get the ball away.

"And if he doesn't get through the gap his power still gives them a lot of go-forward. I also thought their locks, Chresten Davis and Royce Willis, had very good games. They really crashed in behind their backs."

While Woodward said the game showed the gap between sides made up of mainly club players against those fresh from Super 12 experience, he also claimed that Northland had been hampered by rulings from referee Steve Walsh jun, including his rulings on the tackled-ball area.

"Waikato seemed to be allowed to get their hands on the ball ... We felt the rulings were inconsistent," said Woodward.

"[Captain] Glenn Taylor felt he had lost the plot by halftime because he spent more time arguing with the referee than playing.

"But Waikato were a class above us out wide. Unless we could really dominate up front we were struggling.

"Most of our players have come from club rugby and we struggled to match the intensity at this level.

"In terms of it being a Ranfurly Shield challenge, I just wish we could have got our arse kicked somewhere else first."

Waikato, though, conceded the first six penalties in the game and accepted that their openside flanker, Marty Holah, had transgressed the tackled-ball rules. Coach Kiwi Searancke could hardly have been happier with the performance of his side, and praised the work of his medical staff, who all have their own private work to do as well, for the long hours they spent getting a battered side ready for what was expected to be a big shield challenge.

"I was really chuffed, especially for the team and the way they played so well," he said. "To be honest, I think Northland may have given themselves a bit too much credit before the game.

"My phone was running hot from people all over the place before the game, saying they thought this would be a big challenge."

Waikato travel to take on Taranaki on Friday night. They have an improving injury situation, although inside back Mark Ranby is unlikely to make what was expected to be his comeback from an ankle problem.

Flanker Scott Couch and utility back Damian Karauna should be fit for selection on Friday night, but Ranby is rated 50-50 at best and loose forwards Nick Holten and Clark McLeod are still three or four weeks away from returning.