Rugby: Taniwha needs time

Northland finished out of the money in this year's rugby championship but the Taniwha have still come a long way, their coach Adriaan Ferris believes.

Ferris maintains they have had some exciting moments in an ultimately disappointing season and will be stronger for it next season.

"We've got by far the lowest budget in the ITM Cup and we didn't come last so that is something ... but it's a new team and still developing and Northland definitely has the potential to do well in the years to come," he said.

The Taniwha were knocked out of playoff contention by a more clinical Counties-Manukau 44-31 on Saturday at Toll Stadium. Although Northland scored five great tries, they lacked composure at important moments in the match something that has been a feature of their three win-seven loss record.

"It was disappointing for me, the first 40 minutes we held them out with some good defence against the wind and we were only down by 10 at halftime but we couldn't maintain that intensity in the second half and it got away from us," Ferris said.

The Northland coach wants to take a page out of the Counties book and patiently build a side on a low budget. For Counties it wasn't a quick process and it was started a few years ago by Milton Haig.

"They've been together for four or five years now and I was talking to Tana Umaga yesterday and he said he's getting a lot of praise for a team that he's basically inherited," he said.

With the budget Northland has to spend on players, the Taniwha are never going to seriously threaten the Super-15 franchises in the premiership but Ferris believes they can improve with time.

"It's not a level playing field so we have to focus on players within our means but I thought there were a number of successes during the season - introducing players like Tane Takalua, Matt Wright and Cole Campbell into the ITM Cup shows our development programme is working and we need to find more of those players in the future."

"Beating Waikato in Hamilton for the first time in 30 years was a highlight but it was disappointing letting the games that we could have won slip away from us because of our own inaccuracies," he said.

Ferris said they were looking to contract 21 players out of the current squad of 28 for next season.

"We're developing and with the exception of a handful of players, we're a young side and if the majority of the team get the chance to stick together like Counties, like Manawatu last year, that's when the success will be come apparent."

"It's critical we retain players like Matt Wallis, Dan Pryor, Cam Goodhue and Ash Moeke who have now got the experience we need to find success in the future," he said.

Both Ferris and forwards coach Derren Whitcombe are contracted until the end of next season and have something to prove in their remaining time in charge.

With John Kirwan in the stands on Saturday, Ferris is hopeful of some of his players joining Rene Ranger in the Blue's squad.

He said Samisoni Fisilau has had a great season and is on the cusp of gaining Blues selection, while Moeke may have to go offshore to get a Super-15 contract. He also thought that Wallis and Dan Pryor were deserving of Super Rugby opportunities but with Wallis injured for much of the season acknowledged it may be difficult to impress selectors.

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