RUGBY - Northland demonstrate mettle against hot favourites

A blistering first-half performance against Auckland has left the Northland rugby team hyping themselves up for yet another all-or-nothing dash to Napier to try and save their season.
Northland lost to Auckland 33-25 in an epic Air NZ Cup provincial clash at Homeworld Stadium in Whangarei on Saturday, producing one of their best representative performances in several years.
But by finishing eight points adrift of Auckland, the home side were unable to bank any championship points and have now tumbled from eighth place to 10th and are in danger of slipping further down the rankings.
They now need to beat Hawke's Bay in Napier to have any hope of qualifying for a quarterfinal.
The last time Northland travelled to Napier for a representative rugby fixture they were facing demotion from the first division.
They won that game by more than 40-points.
This time Northland will head to Napier in much better form and buoyed by the performance on Saturday that almost produced a historic result against an Auckland team that are raging hot favourites to win the title this year.
At one stage Northland led 17-5. The team were ahead 20-13 at halftime and were still in the hunt late in the game when Auckland had managed to bust out to a 30-20 lead.
Northland coach Mark Anscombe said the result was disappointing but the performance was a big boost for his team as they try to rekindle their quarterfinals aspirations.
The main hurdle this week was to try and get his players back to full fitness in time for the clash against Hawke's Bay on Friday night.
"The six day turn-around means we will be spending very little time on the training field but a lot of time in recovery mode to make sure we have our boys in condition for a big game on Friday night," Anscombe said.
On Saturday Northland were stunned by a ferocious start by Auckland that produced a try to lock Kurtis Haiu after just four minutes.
But the riposte from the home team was even more savage, Northland playmaker David Holwell masterminding two breathtaking touchdowns riding behind a forward pack that featured new lock Steve Baker and another defiant effort from veteran prop Tony Coughlan.
The exploits of Northland captain Justin Collins were also critical, his defence against his old team one of the notable features of the game.
Northland needs to beat Hawke's Bay on Friday and win again against Counties-Manukau in Whangarei the following weekend to have any chance of making the quarterfinals.