Auckland 33 Northland 25
KEY POINTS:
Auckland scored 20 points in the second half to maintain their neck and neck race with Canterbury at the top of the Air NZ Cup rugby competition.
Like Canterbury on Friday night, Auckland finished with a bonus point from their 33-25 victory over Northland in Whangarei today.
However, Auckland worked harder than Canterbury did to maintain their unbeaten run. Both teams have 34 points each and should maintain their momentum next weekend as well, as Auckland meet Hawke's Bay and Canterbury play Manawatu on Saturday.
While Auckland scored the first try of the match today, they trailed 5-17 at the end of the first quarter, closed the gap to 13-20 at halftime and scored 20 points in the second half with their nice combination of attacks.
Northland often showed courage in leaving huge territory defenceless when they put everything into chasing points.
They scored three tries, their last seconds from fulltime by prop Tony Coughlan, to Auckland's four - two in each half.
Northland first five-eighth David Holwell scored a try and kicked two penalties and two conversions for 15 points.
Auckland's relentless pressure from kick-off paid off when lock Kurtis Haiu finished off a series of attacks that got them close to the line before the ball was moved quickly to the right flank in the seventh minute. That caught out the Northland defence.
Fullback Brent Ward, who had missed a penalty goal in the second minute, was off-target with the conversion attempt as well.
Northland brought on their strong pick-and-drive game. Both the forwards and the backs employed the tactic to put Auckland on the backfoot while gaining vital ground. Each time they established a rhythm, the ball was moved swiftly to both sides of the field. A try each by first five-eighth David Holwell and winger Glen Martin resulted before the first quarter was up.
In Holwell's try, winger Fetu'u Vainikolo split the defence with a nice angled run and Holwell forced his way through from second-phase ball.
In Martin's try, Holwell had lifted over a well-calculated punt, which Martin secured, kicked ahead and picked off a favourable bounce to score.
Holwell, who had kicked a penalty goal between the two tries, converted both tries and Northland led 17-5.
Winger Isa Nacewa, who took over the kicking from Ward, was successful with one of his first two shots at goal.
Auckland, full of talent in their ranks, benefited from one of them - first five-eighth Lachie Munro, who sliced through the defence after a scrum and loose forwards Brad Mika and Daniel Braid linked up to put winger David Smith through.
Holwell kicked a penalty in the last piece of play before halftime to give his team a handy 20-13 lead.
Auckland started the second half like they did in the first half. They varied their attacks and maintained the pressure, with Nacewa kicking a penalty and then replacement lock Chris Heard scoring a try on the right flank which, with Nacewa's conversion, gave them a 23-20 lead in the 54th minute.
Auckland looked in more control in the last quarter, with Munro's deceptive running opening the way for their third try, by Ward.
Nacewa converted and then kicked a penalty for a 13-point lead until Coughlan cut the margin with his last-minute try.
Auckland 33 (Kurtis Haiu, David Smith, Chris Heard, Brent Ward tries; Isa Nacewa 3 pen, 2 con), Northland 25 (David Holwell, Glen Martin, Tony Coughlan tries; Holwell 2 pen, 2 con). Haftime: 13-20.
- NZPA
