Rugby: Flying Steelers blade the Taniwha

Ahsee Tuala of Counties Manukau dives in to score a try. Photo / Getty Images

Counties Manukau 40

Northland 24

Counties Manukau put Northland to the sword yesterday, even if Fritz Lee took that imagery to literal levels when he nearly decapitated Luke Hamilton in the game's dying minutes.

Lee's straight red earns him a trip to Wellington where he hopes his good record and a healthy dollop of contrition will spare him a long spell on the sidelines.

Coach Milton Haig will hope so, too. With DJ Forbes and Sherwin Stowers Delhi-bound, losing Lee for a lengthy period would hurt.

Lee's was not the only early departure to raise eyebrows. All Black Rene Ranger left with an apparent hamstring injury, though he didn't look in too much discomfort.

Those dramas aside, Counties punched their way back into playoff contention on the back of a "perfect" 20-minute spell.

"That was near-perfect rugby, exactly how we want to play," Haig said of his side's blistering end to the first half, where they scored four tries and toyed with the visitors.

"The first 20 minutes of the second half was pretty much a perfect example of how we don't want to play."

Played in perfect conditions before a good crowd, this match was expected to be free flowing, but the Advertising Standards Authority may have considered a case after the first quarter. Those lured to Bayer Growers Stadium hoping to see two of the most exciting backlines in the country were instead treated to a smorgasbord of kicking.

Line drives, box kicks, grubbers, chips and garryowens: you name it, they tried it.

It wasn't until Northland halfback Rhyan Caine took the ball off the back of the scrum and waltzed through a tackle by wing David Raikuna that both sides seemed to realise more could be gained through the hand than the foot.

Ranger is one of the best at creating space, but when he left the field, Tana Umaga made the most of the confusion in Northland's reconfigured midfield defensive screen to pop a ball for Lee to score.

For the remainder of a breathless first half, Counties ran riot.

Forwards who push the scales towards 115kg, like Lee, Taiasina Tuifua and Viliami Fihaki, were running and handling like three-quarters.

Simon Lemalu scored, closely followed by Tuifua. When Sherwin Stowers put on a piece of magic after the halftime siren, Northland looked beaten and bedraggled.

Surprising then to see them return re-energised while the home team clocked off.

Two quick tries induced a collective intake of breath around the stadium. It was not until replacement wing Ahsee Tuala scored off an intercept with 10 minutes remaining that the home crowd could exhale.

Now they wait on news of Lee.