Bay victory may force Chiefs rethink

Bay of Plenty 17 Waikato 13

Bay of Plenty were left smiling in the battle of the Chiefs franchise-mates but there wasn't much to savour in the quality stakes.

The Bay showed a staunch defensive line to hang on at Waikato Stadium. It was just their second win of the season, but gave Waikato their fifth straight defeat.

"In the past we've forgotten how to win, today we wanted it a bit more," said Bay's combative captain, Wayne Ormond, who was sinbinned just before the finish.

They got two tries in the first half, through flanker Nili Latu and winger Anthony Tahana, got their noses in front then hung on.

It seemed Waikato had to eventually find a way through. But they were not good enough to break down the Bay defence and coach Warren Gatland was bemused by what he saw.

"I can't believe we lost the game, to be honest," he said.

His captain Steven Bates was shattered by another failure to play up to their capabilities.

"To be honest, it's the worst season I've been involved in. It wasn't our night. It wasn't our season."

The game may also have muddied the thinking of Chiefs coach Ian Foster as he ponders his selections for the inaugural Super 14. Although the preference may be to pick from within the franchise boundaries, Saturday's game might force a rethink.

* Southland bagged their fourth win with a 21-15 win over Northland at Whangarei yesterday.

Northland had their chances, including a scrum 5m from the Southland line in the last minute, but could not get the job done. The statistics were similar but Southland just had enough class.

It's a small point, but at least gallant Northland picked up their first bonus point of a winless campaign.

"We had opportunities in the first half, but didn't quite come up with it. Close is not good enough," Northland captain David Holwell said.

Holwell scored one of their two tries, the other going to wing Isoa Neivua while wing Watisoni Lotawa and hooker Jason Rutledge got Southland's pair, with Richard Apanui kicking the remaining points.

"We came up with people expecting us to win. We got there, but made it hard work," Southland captain Clarke Dermody said.