RUGBY - Vainikolo magic steals show but not by quite enough

Try-scoring heroics from strike winger Fetu Vainikolo were not enough for Northland to end a 29-year hoodoo against Otago at Carisbrook in Dunedin last night.
Otago won 23-18, ensuring their winning record against Northland at the famous Carisbrook venue will now bust out to the three-decade mark. But it was Vainikolo's performance that captured the imagination after the Tongan-born speedster scored two remarkable touchdowns.
Vainikolo tip-toed past defenders to bank his first five-pointer midway through the first spell, but his second try came on the end of a 60-metre counter-attacking burst that left a plethora of Otago tacklers in his wake.
It was enough to send his resident fans in Otago into raptures as it came after his remarkable season with the Highanders in Dunedin earlier this year, and has thrust him into the limelight on the transfer market ripe with lucrative offers.
Even Otago coach Steve Martin was shaking his head in awe afterwards, saying Vainikolo's talents make him an obvious target for talent scouts.
"Those sort of decisions happen well above my head round these parts, but the way he's playing who wouldn't want a player with that sort of ability on their books," Martin said.
"When he decides to go, he goes, and there was very little we could do about it."
Otago won thanks to adopting a measured approach and closing Northland down with some clever set-piece tactics.
Boosted by a lineout that walloped Northland and a scrum strong enough to launch their own attacks and disrupt the visitors', Otago were able to bust out from a dreary 10-all halftime deadlock to lead 23-10 lead midway through the second stanza.
In the first half, a try from winger Karne Hesketh was all Otago could see for a dominant effort while Northland managed to reply with Vainikolo's magical injection.
It took 20 minutes of hard graft to sniff out that first opportunity for Vainikolo, a try that combined the counter attacking instincts of Payne and Vainikolo's nose for the try scoring chalk.
At that stage the two teams were sizing each other up like heavyweight boxers, Otago's ability at lineout time being countered by Northland's shape launching from the scrum. Once it got into the area they call "second-phase play", it was anybody's, with referee Lyndon Bray a dominant character in the game.
Otago, even though they were battling a 60-40 territorial deficit for most of the first spell, were a bit unlucky not to slide into the break with a handy lead.
Northland were unable to get much traction in the second spell, instead conceding the impetus to Otago when Lucky Mulipola, their winger, wrestled his way over after a lineout win against the throw and a series of bruising launches at the Northland tryline.
Vainikolo's 60-metre sprint came next, a try that gave the visitors a glimmer of hope, but the sheer stability of the Otago forward pack remained intact and closed Northland out.
It was another frustrating day for Northland coach Mark Anscombe who said his troops lacked the energy and desire needed to break their Carisbrook duck.
"To win games like this you need some fire in the belly and all we fired was duds. It was disappointing and frustrating but something we will work on," he said. In the other Air NZ Cup played last night Wellington hammered Counties-Manukau 64-7.
Scorers: Otago 23 (Karne Hesketh, Lucky Mulipola tries; Dan Bowden pen, con, Chris Noakes pen, con). Northland 18 (Fetu Vainikolo 2 tries; David Holwell 2 pens, con). Halftime: 10-all.