KEY POINTS:
Auckland 44
Southland 19
Auckland were content to sneak out of Invercargill with five competition points courtesy of their smash and grab raid but their performance did little to ease suspicions they have some cracks that could be exploited come finals time.
That Auckland could so imperiously sweep aside
Southland while hardly winning a lineout; while getting belted 12-3 in the penalty count and having a player sinbinned (no guesses who); and while committing no fewer than 14 handling errors only serves to underline their strengths.
Pat Lam's side are simply killing their opponents at the breakdown and are the best in the business at turning turnovers into points.
But Saturday's display will have left the coach with plenty of rough edges to polish ahead of Friday night's visit by Taranaki.
"There is a bit of frustration but, at the end of the day, we've gone down to Invercargill and picked up the five points - job done," Lam said.
Southland hadn't beaten Auckland for 36 years and their prospects of doing so lasted just 25 minutes.
Auckland first five-eighths Lachie Munro had been struggling to find his groove against the spirited southerners but it was his brilliant chip-and-chase solo try that sparked the 17-minute five-try blitzkrieg that settled the match.
Southland had been plugging away through the boot of Blair Stewart but their conservative approach was exposed when Auckland exploded into life to run in some dazzling scores.
Onosa'i Tololima-Auva'a finished a flowing move that was started by the searing pace of David Smith.
Tololima-Auva'a then burgled another with a clever steal before Kurtis Haiu barged over after Taniela Moa had sent Troy Flavell clear with a trademark backhand flick.
Brent Ward then crossed two minutes into the second half but the looming record thrashing never materialised as the Aucklanders' flame died out almost as quickly as it had appeared.
"Everyone was pretty disappointed in the changing shed that we didn't step it up," said Lam of the second half go-slow.
When Stewart stepped past Munro to score with some ease, the Southlanders would have been questioning their earlier conservative approach.
With Flavell in the sinbin for punching, Stewart sliced through again but, instead of sending the supporting Jason Kawau over for a try, he kicked and Smith was able to tidy up.
A second Southland try might have put Auckland under serious pressure. Instead they coasted, with replacement halfback Grayson Hart crossing for a debut try three minutes from time.
"We thought if we started well and put them under pressure then they might make a few mistakes," Southland skipper Clarke Dermody said.
"But once they got their game going they turned into the old Auckland machine.
"The offloads started coming and it is hard to play catch-up when they get in front like that."
Auckland captain Sam Tuitupou was a little underwhelmed by his side's display.
"We played in patches," he said. "We would go through a good phase and then sort of slacken off. Teams like Southland, you have got to put them away early and we struggled."
The biggest area of concern for Auckland was the lineout, where prop-turned-hooker Saimone Taumoepeau and replacement Tom McCartney were off the mark with the majority of their throws.
"We'll get back and do some more work on it," Lam said.
The coach was also disappointed with the penalty count against his side but felt they could have received more ruck penalties themselves.