KEY POINTS:
Southland 13
Bay of Plenty 0
In Olympic softball, if a team is winning by seven runs after five innings the game is called off. It's called the mercy rule.
If rugby had a mercy rule, Bay of Plenty would be told to pack up their troubles - and not show their faces again until next season.
That way the sports world would be spared the agony of this truly awful team taking to the field twice more for no good reason at all.
For the first 45 minutes, they offered absolutely nothing. For the next 35, they tried their hearts out - and came up with the same result.
Southland are a team heading in the right direction. Four straight wins since losing to Auckland have propelled the Stags into sixth place and an almost certain playoff spot. Last year a quirk of the draw kept these two apart. On this evidence, the Sunday afternoon armchair enthusiast will be praying that is a regular occurrence.
Southland first five-eighths Blair Stewart's boot was responsible for all the game's points. His fluky midfield crosskick somehow found its way straight into the arms of fullback James Wilson for the only try after just six minutes. After that, two penalties and a point-blank drop goal were all it took to subdue the Steamers, when the drop goal would have been plenty.
At least they are no longer a mathematical chance of reaching the playoffs. Thank heavens for small ...
