RUGBY - Northland score first win in 10 years over Mooloo men

From a marketing point of view scheduling a match between Northland and Waikato on a damp Thursday evening to launch a flagship provincial championship was about as sexy as a mince pie in suspenders.
What do marketers know.
The Northland rugby team has given the beleaguered Air New Zealand Cup an injection of the unexpected by turning over Waikato 18-10 at Okara Park last night, a victory that might reignite the flame with some beleaguered Northland rugby fans and the first win Northland has tasted over Waikato since 1999.
It mustn't go without mention either that Northland's winning edge came from new fullback Jared Payne, a fleet footed flyer recruited from Waikato in the off season.
Payne launched from halfway on a solo run, dispensed of his opposite with an in-out face-fend evasive action and set Northland on the path to the surprise win over one of the fancied few with his try.
Payne's try was preceded by a counter attacking five pointer from Leo Taliu, the centre, and was carved out of pure dedication by the forward pack.
But it took quite an effort as, even with a 13-3 halftime lead, Northland never really had Waikato's number. Even after Payne's solo effort.
At that stage the Waikato machine was trying to splutter into action.
For the first 40 minutes repeated pick and go tactics were met with stoic Northland tacklers, Collins at the bottom of most pile ups and a fired up Blair Urlich launching into tackles with an enviable disregard for his shoulder sockets.
Taliu split the Waikato backline asunder with a carving run and link with Aiden Dewes, the rest of the points before halftime had come via David Holwell. Waikato's goal kicker, Dwayne Sweeney, had got one kick and missed two more from handy spots.
The mood might have been uplifting in the Northland changing rooms at halftime, but the danger of the Waikato side loomed like a big black cloud of doom emerging with the wind at their backs in the second spell.
Well, the cloud was actually the significant shadow of a bloke called Sione Lauaki, angry All Blacks reject steaming away on the reserves bench.
It didn't take much of the second half for the big guy to catapult into action.
Lauaki rumbled onto the pitch at the 42 minute mark, and proceeded to try and bulldoze Northland off it.
When the Northland lead extended to 18-3 - thanks to Payne - suddenly the Northland Taniwha, the marketers nightmare, were looking like movie stars.
Waikato launched Lauaki. He was held up in goal in a television match official decision, and the TMO was called in once more from the reset scrum when Lauaki picked charged over from the base. He made it this time and the conversion made it 18-10 with five minutes of a rugged season opener to play.
It was five minutes of grunt and agony that included another two TMO calls that denied Waikato points. But it fell in Northland's favour.