Taniwha step up intensity against Taranaki in ITM Cup home game

Northland Taniwha will pick up the pieces in their ITM Cup clash with Taranaki tomorrow after a disappointing 30-22 loss to Manawatu.
The Turbos "out-passioned" the Taniwha on their home ground in Palmerston North on Saturday, and after a short turnaround, Northland will kit up again to play their first crossover match against premiership team Taranaki with much to prove after Saturday's performance.
Northland skipper Jared Payne said their clash with Manawatu was disappointing, leaving the side plenty to sort out ahead of tomorrow night's clash.
"We had plenty of chances which we didn't take ... it's a really tight competition this year and we knew that would be the case which is why it's so disappointing to come away with a loss, but we just have to right that wrong," Payne said.
In this year's truncated competition, silly errors can be lethal and the team have analysed their game closely, looking at where individuals can reform.
"We've had a look at the game and areas we can improve is our accuracy after the linebreak and our decision making could be better, hopefully if we get that right we will score a few more tries," he said.
The Taniwha are expecting a tough and physical encounter with the visiting Taranaki side, who lost narrowly, 19-26, to Northland in New Plymouth last year.
"That was a close game but you can't go on last year's results. We know they have some big guys in the forwards there and Tyson Keats at halfback is dangerous and they have a good backline, so it's a pretty complete team," he said.
Both teams have won one from two matches since starting their ITM Cup campaigns. Northland beat Tasman in round one, while Taranaki head into tomorrow night's game on the back of a comeback 23-30 win over Waikato at Waikato Stadium last Thursday. However, they were outplayed 5-23 in their opener against Wellington.
It is the first of four crossover matches in the new-look ITM Cup, and to get a win over a premiership side would boost the Northland team ahead of their round-five match against fellow championship team Otago, also at Toll Stadium on Saturday.
The national provincial championship has come after a long and intense Super 15 rugby season with the semifinalist Blues side. However, Payne said his body was holding up fine - just a little fatigued. "I'm looking forward to getting into it," he said.
This is Payne's last season at the helm of Northland - at least for a while - as he has signed a three-year contract to play for Ulster Rugby, in the Northern Ireland capital of Belfast, but he is only thinking about the task at hand.
The ITM Cup clash between Northland and Taranaki kicks off at 8.05, tomorrow night at Whangarei's Toll Stadium.
Teams were not named at the time of publication.