Rugby: Season slipping away from Auckland

Tom McCartney won't have to worry about feeding the lineout tonight. He will captain the Blues from prop. Photo / Dean Purcell

Auckland v Southland
Eden Park, 7:35 tonight

Otago v Counties-Manukau
Dunedin, 5.35 today

In Mark Anscombe's book, there's only one way out of Auckland's national championship troubles.

They are planted at the bottom of the ITM Cup premiership with one win from four going into tonight's clash with buoyant Southland at Eden Park.

The dark shadow of relegation, while not exactly positioned directly above the country's biggest union, is peeking over the new South Stand.

Yet, take out runaway leaders Bay of Plenty and second-placed Taranaki, and six points cover the other five teams.

That's the plus side of such a compressed competition. Still, last is last and Anscombe's attitude was straightforward yesterday.

"We've dug ourselves into this hole and we're the ones who have got to get ourselves out of it," he said.

"With these competitions, one performance and you're back in the middle of the table and sometimes it can look worse than it is - but it doesn't look any worse than being at the bottom."

In this knockabout format, in which 28 games have been played by the 14 provinces in just 17 days, the attrition rate will be high.

A hefty injury toll among the loose forwards has hurt Auckland's prospects tonight.

Regular captain Daniel Braid, who suffered a facial injury against Otago on July 20, is still out, troubled by a neck injury - but a different one from that which ruined his Super 15 season with the Blues.

No 8 Peter Saili had a rib cartilage injury, Onosai Auva'a has a knee injury and Sean Polwart a partial quadricep tear.

So in comes 20-year-old Sam Henwood, a former Blues under 18 captain, for his debut on the flank, while Ben Masoe, winner of last season's best-and-fairest title in Auckland premier club rugby, is on the bench.

Stand-in captain Tom McCartney starts at loosehead prop, and although better known as a hooker, it's a position to which he is no stranger.

Anscombe doesn't want to moan about the vicissitudes of Auckland's campaign, but made the point their pre-season was not helped by the close proximity of the end of the Super 15.

"The likes of Bay of Plenty and Hawkes Bay had three or four games before we got our squad together.

"The fact is the few Super players we do have got here on the Monday before we played Canterbury [in their first game on July 17].

"They weren't involved in our two pre-season games so ... you're preparing for a competition with one group then half of them get changed. It does make it difficult to prepare for a competition when you don't have your players here."

Southland, spirits soaring after reclaiming the Ranfurly Shield a week and a half ago, and with one successful defence against Counties Manukau behind them, have left captain Jamie Mackintosh on the bench along with other classy operators like Robbie Robinson.

That suggests they are optimistic of keeping themselves ahead of Auckland on the table at the final whistle tonight.

In tonight's early game, Otago host Counties Manukau at Carisbrook.

* * *

Southland were the only provincial union to exceed the salary cap at the end of last year, according to New Zealand Rugby Union figures released yesterday.

Southland breached the cap by $2399, but NZRU general manager professional rugby Neil Sorensen said the union knew last year would be a transitional period for some unions and had cut some slack.

"In Southland's case we were satisfied that it had previous commitments to players that made compliance an issue in 2010 but that its contracting behaviour following the introduction of the new salary cap [$1.35 million, but with a level determined according to each union's commercial revenue] had not exacerbated the situation."

Otago ($494,050), Canterbury ($393,036) and Tasman ($221,540) were under the cap by the largest amounts. Auckland were $120,393 under the cap, and North Harbour were below it by $164,308.

* * *

Northland winger Rene Ranger is out for at least six weeks after receiving a lacerated kidney in a Tony Brown tackle during Northland's 20-17 win on Saturday. Ranger, who was expected to be released from hospital today, has been advised that the injury will heal with rest.

AUCKLAND v SOUTHLAND

Auckland

Brent Ward
Joe Rokocoko
Hadleigh Parkes
Teddy Stanaway
Francis Saili
Gareth Anscombe
Alby Mathewson
Chris Lowrey
Sam Henwood
Nathan Hughes
Josh Townsend
Steven Luatua
Charlie Faumuina
Ash Dixon
Tom McCartney (c)

Reserves: Pauliasi Manu, Tevita Mailau, Richard Haddon, Ben Masoe, Toby Morland, Piers Francis, George Moala, Angus Ta'avao.

Southland

Glen Horton
Kade Poki
James Lew
James Wilson
Tony Koonwaiyou
Scott Eade
S Rangitoheriri
Kaleni Taetuli
Tim Boys
Tom Chamberlain
Ben Nally
Joe Tuineau
Chris King
Jason Rutledge
Michael Peterson

Reserves:David Hall, Jamie Mackintosh, Michael Fatialofa, Elliot Dixon, Scott Cowan/Nick Annear, Robbie Robinson, Matt Saunders, Nic Barrett.

OTAGO v COUNTIES-MANUKAU

Otago

Ben Smith
Joe Hill
Jayden Spence
Glenn Dickson
Buxton Popoali'i
Tony Brown
Johnny Legg
Andrew Stead
Adam Hill
Paul Grant
Tom Donnelly (c)
Rob Verbakel
James McGougan
Liam Coltman
Scott Manson

Reserves: Jason MacDonald, Kees Meeuws, Tom Franklin, Gareth Evans, Sean Romans, Hayden Parker, Ben Atiga, Halani Aulika.

Counties-Manukau

James Semple
Typroine Lefau
Siale Piutau
Niva Ta'auso
Bundee Aki
Bayden Kerr
Augustine Pulu
Viliami Fihaki
Mark Selwyn
Adam Cathcart
J Chipman (c)
Chris McLaren
Matt Talaese
Grant Henson
Ihipa Thompson

Reserves: Mark Price, Jeremiah Fatialofa, Taiasina Tuifua, DJ Forbes, Samisoni Fisilau, Tasesa Lavea, Sherwin Stowers, Simon Lemalu.