Peter Nock
An inspirational demolition of Auckland was the highlight of the National Sevens for Northland in Rotorua.
Northland coach Peter Nock said there was plenty for the inexperienced team to be proud of at the two-day tournament but the 27-7 win in the plate semifinal turned out to be the most memorable moment.
"It's pretty rare that you beat Auckland like we did, so that was a real highlight, and to get into the final against Taranaki was also a great experience for the guys," he said.
After dismantling the highly regarded Aucklanders, Northland were out for revenge in the final but Taranaki proved to be the side's bogey team. After an unlucky 5-12 loss in pool play, Northland fell to a 7-22 loss in the final. Nock said the game might have gone either way but they didn't get the rub of the green early on.
"I think Taranaki really had the experience and the conditioning and, in the end, it was just too taxing for our boys to come back, and that Auckland semi may have taken more out of us than I thought," he said.
There were only two players in the squad returning from last season, so Nock was pleased with the side's overall development and thought they had punched well above their weight at the tournament.
"I was really proud of how our boys conducted themselves at the tournament, on and off the field. Our quality and experience of our players was less than last year, but the spirit in the team and the culture was sensational," he said.
The Northlanders played for their jersey, as demonstrated in the win over Auckland - an attitude Nock put down to a team trip north to visit Tane Mahuta, where they discussed the kauri and what it meant to those who represent Northland.
"When it came down to it, they had nothing to play for and we just played for the jersey," he said. Jack Goodhue was the standout. The Northlander was on loan from Canterbury for the tournament but was inspirational throughout and has a big future in the game.
Kurt Davies was another player who added to his reputation throughout the tournament, while winger Waisea Lawebuka was fantastic, at times creating opportunities out of nothing.
But the whole team had their moments of showing real class and 19-year-old Noah Cooper was a good example. He nailed down selection into the final squad only as a late replacement for Warren Dunn, but played with real commitment and took his chances. The team started with a 27-7 win over Tasman before their second round loss to Taranaki. They mauled Horowhenua-Kapiti 31-5 before a narrow 17-12 loss to Bay of Plenty in the cup quarter-final. Northland were unlucky to lose that match with a couple of refereeing calls going in the host union's favour, but it was the win over Auckland that Nock and the squad will remember.
Auckland beat defending champions Manawatu 29-14 in the women's cup final, while Waikato dumped defending Wellington 38-19 in the men's final.