KEY POINTS:
Northland controlled play better in atrocious conditions and edged Tasman 9-3 in a tryless Air New Zealand Cup rugby match in Whangarei on Thursday.
In a match played in cold, driving rain, and on a waterlogged pitch in the second half, second five-eighth Daniel Bowden kicked his team to back-to-back wins.
He succeeded with three penalties from four to Tasman's one from four to keep the home fans keen in the competition.
After Tim Taylor had missed three penalty attempts to put Tasman on the scoreboard, James Foote finally earned a bonus point for his team with a successful shot in the 80th minute.
Though there were errors at crucial moments, both teams surprisingly kept a good control of possession.
Northland won because of their forwards led by Justin Collins and Brad Taylor surged upfield far more directly, forcing Tasman to pop up offside in their attempt to stem the attack.
Tasman enjoyed a better percentage of territory in the first half, with winger Kade Poki looking dangerous when in possession.
While Bowden missed his first shot at goal in the third minute and succeeded with his attempts in the 22nd and 30th minutes, Taylor was well off target in the 13th, 32nd and 40th minutes.
Referee Kelvin Deaker warned both teams midway through the first half to clean up their act. Both teams had tried to take advantage of splashes at tackle time by using their hands in the rucks.
Tasman had one of their best moments when they kicked ahead and won the ball back close to the line before forcing a five-metre scrum in the 60th minute.
However, Northland's solid scrum came to the fore, winning a tighthead to kill Tasman's chances.
Tasman No 8 Peter Nixon was sinbinned for collapsing a maul in the 69th minute but video replays showed he had done nothing wrong.
Bowden kicked his third successful penalty in the 79th minute and Foote earned Tasman the bonus point with the last act of the match.
Northland captain Collins said there was a strong emphasis on handling at training this week after his bad passes and catches marred part their play in the 24-17 win over Bay of Plenty last week.
"I was really proud of the guys. We've got experience spread right across the park at the moment," he said.
Northland 9 (Daniel Bowden 3 pen), Tasman 3 (James Foote pen). Halftime: 6-0.
- NZPA
