Red card no hinderance to taking top spot

Waikato's Richard Kahui scores his third try of the game. Phil Walter / Getty Images

Waikato 42 Northland 21

It's a crazy business this modern rugby. So crazy that a first-five got sent off yesterday for tackling. Poor old Stephen Donald won't know this morning whether to be mortified or secretly chuffed that he was shown a red card after 44 minutes for his second high tackle.

There are scores of weedy blokes across the globe who have at some time worn the No 10 shirt in earnest who will be astonished that Donald plucked up the courage to even attempt something so rash as a tackle.

The first time he tried it, he nearly beheaded David Holwell and then when Jake Paringatai suffered a similar fate, referee Keith Brown had no choice but to despatch Donald to the showers. "It was a fair call," reckoned Waikato coach Warren Gatland. "I just hope there are no other sanctions."

In grown-up rugby, losing a first-five should be fairly major. But in the cuddly world of the Air New Zealand Cup, such losses don't really matter.

Waikato, in fact, looked better without Donald and played their best rugby with only 14 men.

That might have been because by the time Donald disappeared, Northland were teetering on heavy pegs. Or it might have been because Waikato secured the bonus point they needed to top the group shortly after Donald's walk of shame.

Northland staged a mini-revival in the last 10 minutes to perhaps earn an unscheduled beer stop on the bus trip home but it was just window dressing.

The Taniwha were pretty much holding on from the first seconds, when Richard Kahui stormed up the touchline for an obscenely early try.

All Waikato had to do was move the ball and that seemed to be more than enough to send the Northland defence into scrambling mode. Big centre Josh Levi was struggling to cope with the width and that allowed young Kahui to enjoy a glorious afternoon in the Waikato No 13 jersey.

The 21-year-old looks the goods, with an elegant stride and a frame that looks capable of holding another 10kg to add a more bustling dimension.

He helped himself to a hat-trick and also offered some craft and guile. The World Cup will come too soon for him but he's definitely a player with the potential to shine in black.

Another not lacking confidence is Waikato halfback Brendon Leonard, who, like Kahui, looks a decent player. All Black halfback Byron Kelleher is not back for a couple of weeks but that won't upset Gatland too much.

He'll be happy to keep Leonard out there where his energy is infectious and his contribution significant. Another man, at the other end of the experience scale who will be just as happy to be out there, is Jono Gibbes.

The former All Black utility is at the centre of a storm he would rather have stayed in the teacup. Having signed to stay in New Zealand for the next three years, Welsh club Neath Ospreys are making accusations Gibbes has reneged on a contract he signed with them.

A legal saga looms but Gibbes says he will rise above it. "It's a done deal," he said of his decision to stay in New Zealand. "I'm really comfortable with my position. If they [Ospreys] feel it's necessary to say stuff about how they feel, that's up to them. I am not going to worry about that. I just want to stay on the field and play to my potential. I have managed nine weeks in a row and I feel like I'm getting fitter."

Waikato 42 (R. Kahui (3), R. Kinikinilau, L. Messam, D. Sweeney tries; D. Hill 6 cons)
Northland 21 (D. Bowden, D. Gibson tries; D. Holwell 3 pens, con)