After Canterbury’s 84-14 win against the Tui in Hastings last month, it continued the trend of improvement in every game for the team, coached by Sione Cherrington-Kite.
He was undaunted by statistics such as those evident at the end of the game, by which time five Black Ferns national women’s representatives featured among the seven players on the Canterbury scoresheet, with two others, who between them scored five of the nine tries, only the stroke of a selector’s pen from joining them.
Without some moments of magic from first five-eighths Lincoln McClutchie, the Magpies could have been much worse in Whangārei, for the 24-year-old, the only player to start all six Magpies games in 2023 to date, took a match haul of 16 points, including two converted tries.
The first put his team ahead 7-0 after nine minutes, but when Northland prop Rob Cobb scored to make it 8-7 to Northland in the 25th minute, the Magpies had seen the lead for the last time.
With McClutchie scoring and converting again on the halftime hooter, it was 24-14 to the home side, and amid a brief resurgence the Magpies were still in with a sniff when the No 10 converted a try to hooker Tyrone Thompson. The gap was just six points at 27-21 with 25 minutes to go, but it was to be that 25-minute period in which Northland, with their fourth and fifth tries, scored 17 unanswered points and cruised to victory.
Where character had seen the Magpies scrape through in four successive wins to start the competition this year, with no margin greater than three points, it seemed a degree of character was missing.
In Saturday games, Bay of Plenty warmed up for Saturday’s Battle of the Bays in Napier by beating Otago 38-14 in Rotorua, Canterbury beat Taranaki 29-28 in Rangiora, North Harbour had a home 39-17 win over North Harbour and reigning champions Wellington successfully defended the Ranfurly Shield and their unbeaten record this season with a 56-25 win over Counties Manukau in Wellington.
The Whangārei match was the first NPC refereeing appointment for Auckland-based, Canada-born New Zealand Rugby women’s referee development manager Maggie Cogger-Orr. In 2019, Wairarapa farmer and former Black Fern Rebecca Mahoney became the first woman to referee in the NPC when she controlled a match between Hawke’s Bay and Southland in Napier.
The Tui, promoted to the top grade of Farah Palmer Cup rugby after winning the Championship final against Otago in Balclutha last year, earned more credits by making it to the playoffs, especially in July with a first-up 32-31 win over Auckland Storm, who will meet Canterbury in the Premiership final after beating Waikato 29-22 in the first semifinal in Hamilton on Saturday.
The Tui last month also beat the Wellington Pride, who failed to win a game in the six-week round robin and were relegated to the Championship.
There were hints of nerves in the starts of each half on Sunday, with the Tui knocking on from the Canterbury kickoff, and captain Krysten Cottrell’s restart after halftime failing to reach the 10-metre line.
Early in the first half, the Tui had little possession, and looked headed for a miserable afternoon as the score ballooned, especially with three tries to Canterbury flanker Holly Wratt-Groeneweg in 12 minutes.
But with prop Ona Palu back in the side and getting momentum in the forwards with fellow front rower Denise Aiolupotea and No 8 Kathleen Brown, and the effective inside combination of teenaged halfback Kahlia Awa and Cottrell, a platform and confidence developed, enhanced by the arrival of Jaimee Robin and Nicolette Adamson from the subs bench, the latter scoring two late tries.
Results:
Bunnings NPC, Semenoff Stadium, Whangārei: Northland 44 (Sam Nock 2, Tama Anderson 2, Rob Cobb tries; Rivez Reihana 3 penalties, 4 conversions) Hawke’s Bay 21 (Lincoln McClutchie 2, Tyrone Thompson tries; McClutchie 3 conversions). HT: 24-12.
Farah Palmer Cup semifinal, at Rugby Park, Christchurch: Canterbury 59 (Holly Wratt-Groeneweg 3, Martha Mataele 2, Phillipa Love, Grace Steinmetz, Amy Du Plessis, Amy Rule tries; Rosie Kelly 6, Hannah King conversions) Hawke’s Bay Tui (Nicolette Adamson 2, Tietie Aiolupotea, Denise Aiolupotea, Jade Tangaere-Tuhua tries; Kristen Cottrell 2 conversions). HT: 40-5
In other matches, Hawke’s Bay were beaten 55-19 by Wellington Centurions in a men’s Development teams match. Wellington also beat Hawke’s Bay 27-26 in an Under 19 match, but Hawke’s Bay beat Wellington Centurions 35-7 in an Under 18 match.
In Wairoa on Sunday, Wairoa beat Waikohu 45-5 in a successful defence of sub-unions prize, the Barry Cup. It was Waikohu who Wairoa beat 20-15 to claim the cup in August last year.
