Rugby: Northland Taniwha lose four on the trot with tight defeat in Auckland

Northland halfback Sam Nock scored a brilliant try against Auckland but couldn't help his side win in the Mitre 10 Cup match. Photo / John Stone

That loss felt like a dagger through the heart. Northland hadn't tasted success at the Garden of Eden in 19 years and that hiatus continues further with the Taniwha's 24-20 loss to Auckland in their Mitre 10 Cup match on Saturday.

Auckland were down to 14 players for most of the game at Eden Park after losing two hookers to injury, which forced both sides to revert to golden oldies or uncontested scrums.

They struggled to win their own lineout, made too many uncharacteristic errors, failed to nail their opportunities close to the visitor's tryline, and had to rely on the power and guile of halfback Jonathan Ruru, who played like a loose, and freak winger Salesi Rayasi to get the side home.

Without their contribution, Auckland didn't have much else to offer and, if Northland could have retained their composure for one more pass, or one more phase, or tightened up their defence after Jordan Olsen's try, they could have been looking at a different outcome.

Replacement halfback Will Grant opting to kick the ball away when Northland were hot on attack on fulltime reeks of stupidity.

Beating the Taniwha was perhaps harder work than it needed to be but the only thing that mattered for Auckland was that they did it. But still, despite the final score, Auckland didn't quite look like a side sitting in pole position on the Premiership table.

Not the best version of themselves, anyway.

No one surely expected the margin of victory would be this small. No one surely imagined Auckland, at home, would look so inept.

They were a bit clunky and awkward in the first half, not sure of one another and not able to get their ball carriers hammering over the gain line.

You have to feel for Northland. They gifted Rayasi a try. He intercepted a Kane Jacobson pass and scooted 50 metres to score.

But the botched lineout 5m from the Auckland tryline three minutes into extra time was the killer blow. They couldn't find the killer punch. They didn't have that last score in them.

The Taniwha otherwise produced enough razzle-dazzle on attack, coupled with a stout defensive effort that forced their big brothers into unforced errors throughout the match.

Halfback Sam Nock was outstanding, leading his side around the field and the try he scored in the corner was preceded by a brilliant passage of play involving Rene Ranger gathering a Matt Wright kick, before offloading to Nock.

It was one of the greatest attacking performances of the season and showed the Taniwha's ability to attack from anywhere on the field.

Ranger was also instrumental in Northland's first try, to wing Jone Macilai just before halftime.

Josh Goodhue and Sam Caird, as usual, clattered into bodies and created huge holes while every time Macilai had possession deep in the host's territory, Northland had Auckland scrambling.

But getting close is not enough to ease Northland's pain nor push them up the table.

Northland have now lost four on the trot after two opening wins and sit on 19 points in the Championship division, behind Otago and Hawke's Bay.

The Taniwha play their last game against Waikato in Kaikohe this Saturday.