Rugby: Another Taniwha loss as confidence hammered

Northland first five-eighth Dan Hawkins distributed better than in past weeks against Manawatu. Photo/ John Stone

Manawatu 42
Northland 17

This year certainly has not been one for the Taniwha.

Five losses from five matches are beginning to take their toll on the downhearted Northern outfit, and as the ITM Cup Championship enters its sixth week many will start to question whether a win is on the cards.

Lighting the big boom box in the opening minutes of play, Northland unleashed some heavy duty fire crackers in attack.

Splitting Manawatu's defensive line with ease, several strong bursts put the Taniwha into space and with opportunities to get points.

However, as Manawatu got on the front foot after a slow start, Northland's fire was extinguished, and so too was any notion of a Taniwha victory.

Piling on the points and breaking open Northland's defensive structures, Manawatu put on a supercharged display of footy to lead 21-7 going into the half-time break.

A clinical try did eventuate in the closing stages of the first half as hometown hero Dan Pryor touched down off the back of some decent expansive play through the hands.

If the end of the first half was anything to go by, scoring a try still looked within reach.

Despite this, a rampaging Turbos backline seized vital ball in critical moments of play and continued to put Northland on the back foot.

Scrambling in defence, and with the missed tackle count going sky-high, to say the Taniwha looked flustered would be an understatement.

Manawatu continued to build their lead and improve their execution with accuracy, flair and a more apparent display of determination as they strode toward their first win of 2015.

Huddled with dipped heads, blank expressions and the weight of a region bearing down on their shoulders after their fifth loss of the year, the faces of the Northland players said it all.

Speaking after the match, Northland captain Matt Moulds hinted at concern over his team's inability to step up and connect when it mattered most.

"I just think that we just need to be better individually, mainly our skills like running out a few offloads [which were] not on [and] missed tackles so we just need to clean up individually.

"We showed a couple of moments probably but those moments are too few and far between."

Well entrenched on the bottom, things do not get much easier in the coming weeks.

Northland host Counties Manukau at Toll Stadium this weekend and Bay of Plenty the following week, before heading to Eden Park to play Auckland in round 8.

Manawatu 42 (Masirewa, Tudreu 2, Bedwell-Curtis, Alaalatoa, Mapapalangi tries; Black 5 cons, Malcolm con)
Northland 17 (Pryor, Thomas tries; Hawkins 2 cons, pen)
HT: 21-7