Canterbury 31
Hawke's Bay 21
KEY POINTS:
A predictable result emerged from Christchurch but it was a game loaded with drama and suspense.
The scoreline says Canterbury were all over it. They really weren't. Well, not until the final 10 minutes when they got a safe distance in front.
Until then, Hawke's Bay were more
than a nuisance. They were an equal, maybe even more than that.
It's just that when you get to the stage of this competition, experience counts. And that is where Canterbury had the edge.
Having reached the break at 14-all, there was a 15-minute stalemate to open the second half. It was one of those periods where the longer it went on, the more important it became - because the team that scored next, was going to strike a massive psychological blow.
Such is the way of knock-out football, Hawke's Bay had their chances. Good ones, too, but they couldn't nail them. Canterbury being Canterbury, had no such problems and, from looking vulnerable, they blew things open as the game reached the final quarter with two quick tries.
Maybe they had always been coming as Hawke's Bay had invested a huge amount of energy and emotion into the first 60 minutes.
No one put in more than Danny Lee, whose last act was truly heroic - the little halfback launched himself at Corey Flynn so hard he knocked himself out. Crucially, he also managed to nudge Flynn by just enough so as the Canterbury hooker ended up placing the ball on the touchline as he tried to plant it with the break in sight.
The sight of Lee as he was helped to his feet, groggy and streaming blood, was the perfect demonstration of the courage with which Hawke's Bay were playing.
Here they were at AMI Stadium, a genuine rugby fortress and a ground on which few from outside Canterbury can say they have won, and they were not the slightest bit overawed.
There was no sense of fear from the visitors. They had obviously decided there was no reason to do anything other than play their natural game, to get stuck into the Canterbury forwards, push the ball wide or kick it long and chase, chase, chase.
The longer the game went on, the more composed Hawke's Bay became. They realised there was no reason to do anything different, to be intimidated or for them to lack belief.
They were matching Canterbury across the park. Even the presence of Richie McCaw couldn't give Canterbury the edge at the breakdown although the All Black skipper made the most telling contribution after 52 minutes when the home side were fighting a rearguard battle.
Hawke's Bay had had taken the ball to the right touchline and were spreading it left through Hika Elliott. The big hooker can usually blast his way through a few tackles but he set his sights on McCaw and was on the ground in a flash. He proved why he is the best openside in the world two seconds later when he forced Elliott to concede the free kick.
McCaw had snuffed out a golden opportunity for the Magpies and won the ball. If that was painful, it was nothing compared with the agony of the visitors botching an even better opportunity four minutes later. George Naoupu charged down Colin Slade's clearance, gathered and was caught two metres short. He popped to Michael Johnson but the flanker couldn't hold the difficult pass.
Before the visitors had a chance to think regret their inaccuracy, Michael Paterson was coasting in under the posts after the red and blacks had pilfered a turnover and attacked with lightning precision.
It was a heartbreaker for the Magpies but they didn't have time to consolidate as Kieran Read was dotting down barely a minute later.
It was a classic one-two and it sucked most of the spirit out of Hawke's Bay. Their lineout started to melt down and they couldn't keep the errors at bay.
Bryn Evans will wonder how on earth he didn't manage to score after charging down a clearance kick and getting over the line, only to let Slade, brilliantly, get underneath him and put his head between turf and ball.
