Auckland full of talent but losers just the same

Exciting winger David Smith was the find of the season. Picture / Brett Phibbs

Should Auckland have been in tonight's national championship final?

They had the players, but weren't able to deliver when it was needed.

So how should their Air New Zealand Cup campaign rate? Reaching the semifinals would have been the absolute minimum requirement, considering all factors.

In terms of entertainment value, maybe 8/10; for ultimate achievement 6/10.

Some bright talent was introduced by coach Pat Lam. Next year, with the World Cup absentees, that should flourish.

* Find of the season: A tough one. Nah, just kidding. Young winger David Smith, hands down. He got a chance early when All Blacks Joe Rokocoko and Doug Howlett were on international duty. To say he grabbed it with both hands is like saying Dan Carter is a handy goalkicker.

Fast, elusive, with a terrific swerve, Samoan-born Smith has that rubber ball quality of being able to bounce away from trouble. Scored some memorable tries. Lam is right to offer a cautionary note. He has plenty of development to do, but the signs are rousingly positive.

* Best try: A few candidates. If team efforts are your preference, a couple in each game against Bay of Plenty, and the romp in the rain against Tasman were gems.

Individually speaking, Smith's beauty against Bay of Plenty in the pool game was spectacular use of the after-burners, and his 60m solo against Waikato took some beating. Fledgling first five-eighths Lachie Munro showed cheek and class with his chip and regather effort against Manawatu. But top spot would go to Isaia Toeava's magnificent effort against Wellington in the semifinal a week ago. You could just see the All Black selectors sitting back, purring and telling the nation: "See, we told you ... "

* Best player: For consistency through the season, Ben Atiga and Brad Mika were good value. Daniel Braid, Steve Devine, Jerome Kaino, Saimone Taumoepeau and Andrew Blowers all had top days.

* Best team display: Otago 48-7, Tasman 45-6 in the rain (even allowing for Tasman's weak display, Auckland kept their shape concentration impressively) and, odd as it sounds, the second half of the 27-22 loss to Canterbury.

Then again, they did spot the Cantabs a 24-6 halftime start.

* Worst display: The pool round defeat at Wellington was grim, the first half of the early game against Bay of Plenty was distinctly ordinary. And as good as Wellington were in the semifinal, Auckland didn't help themselves that night either.

* What went wrong: They got to the semifinals playing some exhilarating, if sometimes haphazard rugby. Scrums and lineouts were usually good and some of the broken field running outstanding. But when they needed to tighten up, to play percentages, there was a reluctance to depart from the season's script. They scored more tries than any other team (39), conceded the fewest (13), scored most points (287) during the pool stages and when they got some momentum going (as against Canterbury in their second half roll) they were impressive. Running the ball from deep in their 22 against formidable defenders like Wellington on as important a night as the semifinals, was a disaster waiting to happen.

* Tough luck story: Brent Ward, who took hefty thumps to the head in consecutive games against Canterbury and Wellington, which didn't help on semifinal night.