Wests Tigers 18
Tim Sheens continues to be haunted by John Lang. The Tigers coach has won four premierships in a glittering 600 game career but remains Lang's bunny.
This result means that Sheens' teams have beaten Lang's sides only twice in 21 matches, including 16 on the trot between 1994 and 2010.
The Tigers were flat from the start and trailed 26-0 at halftime. Three second half tries, including a Benji Marshall special, threatened an unlikely comeback but Souths hung on to record a deserved victory.
The Rabbitohs scored four tries in a sizzling half hour burst in the first half, all converted by Chris Sandow.
Defence in the NRL is all about attitude and enthusiasm and last night was meant to be the litmus test of the Rabbitohs defence. Coming into this game, Souths had leaked more than 200 points to be the third worst defensive side behind the Eels and Raiders.
Their goal line defence has been particularly porous, while the Tigers had scored 23 tries from within 10 metres of the tryline (the most in the NRL).
But nobody read the script. Coming off a bye last week, the Tigers were flat from the start, unlike Souths. They completely dominated the ruck, and Sandow seemed determined to justify Parramatta's multi-million dollar valuation of him.
The home side took the lead in the seventh minute, when Sandow produced a precise kick for Nathan Merritt to score his 100th NRL try for the club. In the 16th minute, a miracle ball from Ben Ross put Issac Luke into a gap and he sent Rhys Wesser in between the posts.
A Matt Utai blunder, when he let a Rabbitohs drop out bounce under his feet, led to the third try through Feluti Talanoa, after clever sleight of hand from Shaune Corrigan. Dylan Farell scored the fourth Souths try and Sandow popped a one pointer on halftime. Robbie Farah, Utai and Marshall all scored for a much improved Tigers in the second spell to jangle some Rabbitoh nerves.
Rabbitohs 29 (N. Merritt, R. Wesser, F. Talanoa, D. Farrell tries, C. Sandow 6 goals, field goal), Tigers 18 (R. Farah, M. Utai, B. Marshall tries; B. Marshall 3 goals). Halftime: 26-0.
* In Sydney, a masterclass from the Cowboys' Johnathan Thurston saw Steven Kearney's Eels turn a 16-0 lead into a 28-26 loss.
Eels fullback Jarryd Hayne and big centres Jacob Loko and Joel Reddy ran riot in the first half before the Cowboys struck back through Antonio Winterstein and Willie Tonga.
An early second half try to hooker Casey McGuire set the Eels on their way again before the Cowboys came back again with tries to Tonga and winger Kalifa Faifai-Loa, with a brilliant Thurston instrumental in all five tries - scoring himself to grab the lead with 10 minutes to go. A fifth try to Glenn Hall then sealed matters.
Eels 26 (J. Loko, B. Smith, J. Hayne, C. McGuire, J. Reddy tries; L. Burt 3 goals), Cowboys 34 (A. Winterstein, W. Tonga 2, K. Faifai-Loa, J. Thurston, G. Hall tries; Thurston 5 goals). Halftime: 16-10.
