RUGBY - Loss may leave bitter after-taste

Taranaki plonked a mountainous obstacle in the path of Northland's desperate bid for first division survival by handing the embattled Taniwha an 18-point hiding at Yarrow Stadium in New Plymouth last night.
Taranaki won the Air NZ Cup game 39-21, a 10-minute scoring burst either side of the halftime netting the home team three tries and the impetus of a antagonistic and ferocious battle between two physical forward packs.
But the result might have a bitter after-taste for the Northland side, as the team fronted up in New Plymouth with three Auckland imports to add to a team already spiked with play-for-cash contractors.
By failing to bank a victory last night they might be greeted by barren grandstands and empty terraces when they play at Okara Park next weekend, an eventuality that will simply be disastrous for the ``Save the Taniwha' campaign that sparked a 14,000 strong home crowd just 10 days ago.
The patience of the bemused Northland rugby faithful has run out.
They can handle imports if the team win the grudge matches against their rural battling kin like Taranaki, even close losses, but not abject dysfunction that emerged last night.
Taranaki, a team it must be noted that is laden with imports of their own including two rugby nomads from the Heineken Cup and four Samoan rugby proteges, were more accurate, more committed, looked fitter and subsequently ran away with the match in the second spell.
Northland had started well enough, kicks from David Holwell and a well-worked try from halfback James Rodley giving them a 13-3 lead 20 minutes into the game.
It took a while for Taranaki to warm to the task, but when their big guns started firing _ clydesdales like lock Jason Eaton, prop Tony Penn and No8 Taiasina Tuifua _ the Northland side had very few answers.
The work in the tight laid on the chances for the Taranaki speed merchants out wide.
First winger Paul Perez outflanked bemused tacklers then centre John Spratt, an Englishman, got two touchdowns. Replacement winger Jack Cameron got one as well.
Spratt added insult to injury when he got a third try in the last seconds of the game.
Northland did manage a second-half try to Tongan speedster Fetu Vainikolo, on a 60-metre bust, but failed to make a contribution that could conjure up enough of the Kauri-emblem tradition to ignite the imagination.
The battle to save the Northland rugby legacy was already moving into forlorn territory before this game.
It has taken on a decidedly gloomy hue now, and there's another five matches to survive yet.
Scorers:
Taranaki 39 (John Spratt 3, Paul Perez, Jack Cameron tries; Willie Ripia 2 pens, 3 cons), Northland 21 (James Rodley, Fetu Vainikolo try; David Holwell 3 pens, con). Halftime: 18-16 Taranaki.