Rugby: Taranaki topple the Taniwha

Charlie Ngatai scored a double as Taranaki thrashed Northland. Photo / Getty

Northland 7
Taranaki 50

Taranaki are slowly but surely regaining the type of form that last season brought a maiden ITM Cup title to the province.

The defending champions dispatched Northland with ease in Whangarei today, winning their second game this week as they bid to rebound from a horror start to the campaign.

Taranaki opened the year by losing their first three matches - including two against Championship teams - as they slumped down the Premiership standings. But after grinding out an unconvincing victory over Counties on Wednesday night, Taranaki gradually warmed to their work against a winless Northland side.

The quality of opposition certainly played its part, with the Taniwha failing to create anything from the rare instances when they enjoyed a sustained spell of possession, but it was the type of win sorely needed for the champs.

An up-turn in confidence was particularly noticeable in the final quarter, as Seta Tamanivalu and a double from Latu Va'eno added gloss to the scoreline, rendering their side's early struggles nothing but a distant memory.

Both sides were as bad as each other in a dour opening but Taranaki perhaps deserved a larger portion of the blame, doing nothing with a lion's share of possession and field position.

To their credit, though, Taranaki refused to release the pressure valve and, if it wasn't working out wide, opted to keep it tight to break down Northland through increments. And the strategy soon paid dividends as a dominant scrum forced repeated infringements and, eventually, a penalty try.

A second then arrived courtesy of another commanding set piece but the tries did little to add enterprise to Taranaki's game, with Charlie Ngatai's opportunistic third on the stroke of halftime exemplifying the extent of the visitors' attacking efforts.

But that began to change in the second spell and, as Northland continued an uninspiring approach, Taranaki soon secured a bonus point and the match, with the late flurry displaying the sort of rugby expected of the champions.

Northland 7 (Hawkins try; Hawkins con)
Taranaki 50 (Penalty try, Halafihi, Ngatai 2, Tamanivalu, Va'eno 2 tries; Rei 6 cons, pen)
HT: 0-21