Rugby: Southland emerge victorious

Southland revealed their liking for a scrap to go atop the Air NZ Cup rugby standings tonight.

They beat previous leaders Bay of Plenty 19-12 on the back of a tenacious but far from flawless performance in a top-of-the-table clash in Invercargill.

Both teams committed numerous mistakes in damp conditions but Southland emerged victorious from a messy encounter as they registered their fifth win in seven outings.

The first half was a particularly untidy affair punctuated by regular handling errors as both teams failed to control a ball made greasy by light rain.

Bay of Plenty were the worst offenders in this regard and they never strung together successive phases in possession until after 30 minutes by which stage they were 3-16 behind.

The Southland front row of captain Jamie Mackintosh, Jason Rutledge and Chris King gave their side the upperhand at scrum time, but their lineout did not function as smoothly as Bay of Plenty held sway in this area.

The only try of the match came in the 28th minute when Southland lock Joe Tuineau tore through some tiring defence after first five-eighth Robbie Robinson launched a counter attack from his 22m before finding support from flanker John Hardie.

Robinson was a calming figure for Southland and his three penalties and conversion helped give the home side a handy lead which Mike Delany trimmed with a 49m penalty in the 40th minute.

It came when Mackintosh was penalised and sinbinned for a high tackle on wing Jason Hona.

First five-eighth Delany made further inroads early in the second half as another two penalties reduced the difference to four points before the intensity level rose appreciably entering the final quarter.

Both sides had brief periods when they threatened but turnovers, dropped passes and spilled ball invariably relieved the pressure.

The scoreline did not change until three minute from fulltime when Southland's relentless approach was rewarded with a penalty, which Robinson landed from a wide angle to lift his contribution to 14 points.

- NZPA