Canterbury deny brave Northland

Fullback Ben Blair kicked Canterbury to a hard earned win but Northland walked away with the kudos after a rampaging performance in a riveting NPC first division rugby match here today.

Blair accounted for 20 points as Canterbury struggled to a 30-26 win.

Northland scored four tries to Canterbury's two, led 14-0 after 20 minutes, 14-13 at halftime then traded blows in the second half during which the lead changed three times.

Canterbury finally prevailed with three late Blair penalty kicks giving them the lead in the last minutes of the game.

It was a stunning effort to claim two competition points by a Northland side largely written off before the game.

But it was a performance that left coach Donny Stevenson with mixed emotions.

"You wouldn't think we had come out of this game with two points if you went in the Northland dressing room," he said.

"We thought we had five points out there, so yeah, there's a little disappointment there wasn't more."

Canterbury coach Aussie McLean paid tribute to the Northland side, saying they had always expected to get a workover in Whangarei and that Northland deserved respect this season.

"We have only won here three times since 1988 so we always expected to get a hard game and we got exactly that.

"I think people here (in Whangarei) should realise just how good their team is," McLean said.

Northland started with all guns blazing as winger Fero Lasagavibau scored early.

Thanks to some inspirational play by flanker Mose Tuiali'i and his fellow forwards, Northland stunned Canterbury in the opening 20 minutes of the match.

Lasagavibau made a 50m dash to the tryline after Tuiali'i had pierced the Canterbury defence and set Norm Berryman clear.

It sparked the Northland team into action as they dominated territory and possession while playing into a strong wind in the first spell, winning consecutive phases to produce a try for fullback Jared Going.

That early dominance saw Northland's forwards punching through tackles with pick-and-go surges close to the breakdown and they soon had Canterbury rattled.

With James Arlidge adding two conversions Northland had the upperhand with a 14-0 lead and the prospect of playing with the wind at their backs in the second spell.

But Canterbury responded and managed to get their first try from second five-eighth Doug Tausili after fullback Ben Blair had kicked two penalties.

It was gloves off from the start of the second spell with both teams desperate to get the momentum and it was Canterbury who hit the lead when flanker Scott Robertson got clear and stepped to the tryline.

Northland replied from the restart to see Going score his second try to regain the lead only for them to lose it when Blair kicked two penalties.

Northland conjured up another try to hit the lead once more, this one scored by winger Matt Faleuka after Arlidge had split the Canterbury defence.

Blair managed to get Canterbury back in the lead, this time for good, with two more penalties goals, but Northland were desperately unlucky with two tryscoring chances muffed in the dying stages.

Canterbury 30 (Doug Tausili, Scott Robertson tries; Ben Blair 6 pen, con) Northland 26 (Jared Going 2, Fero Lasagavibau, Matt Faleuka tries; James Arlidge 3 con). Halftime: 13-14.

- NZPA