Wellington 39 North Harbour 14
KEY POINTS:
If the jungle drums are, for once, beating out a credible message, Conrad Smith's dodgy hamstring might have started Ma'a Nonu thinking of foreign fields.
Smith has had so little game time that any kind of lengthy recuperation from this latest twinge could effectively rule him out of
the World Cup - invoking anxious thoughts yet again of the centre injury "curse" that has afflicted the All Blacks at the last two global tournaments.
Nonu shapes as the likeliest replacement if such a thing is required - not because of any burgeoning run of form but because it seems so unlikely the All Black selectors would call for anyone outside the experienced group they have already road-tested over the past couple of years.
That would seem to rule out the likes of untried candidates like North Harbour's Anthony Tuitavake (who had only an average game last night in any case) or Canterbury's Casey Laulala. However, there is still a strong body of thought that says Graham Henry and co will simply keep their Conrad and look to play him, if needed, on not much rugby later in the tournament.
Nonu's performance, as Wellington defeated North Harbour last night, might have firmed up that latter option. Nonu showed some more questionable judgement - he let bounce one Harbour kick which could have embarrassed his team - and he also produced several more of the handling and ball security lapses that mar his obvious talent of running through defenders.
And this wasn't really the type of match which automatically brought the words "All Black" to mind. It was tightly structured in the first half - all set pieces and kicks - until a fine Wellington attack, sparked by Piri Weepu and cleverly finished by winger Shannon Paku who somehow defied gravity and the corner flag to dot the ball down.
If you were thinking All Black, the first form that would weave into mind would definitely be Weepu's, perhaps closely followed by second five-eighths Tamati Ellison.
No one is seriously suggesting the young midfielder would be considered for France but he might put a bit of a marker down for future years. He is a solid performer, all subtle angles, flicks and sweet distribution - plus a good hard runner when the opportunity is there. Think a bit of Aaron Mauger crossed with Warwick Taylor, the All Black midfielder of the 80s who did nothing flashily but everything efficiently.
Ellison's distribution helped to make Paku's try and he was also involved in the lead-up to the touchdown by lock Jeremy Thrush which took Wellington in for the break at 20-0 up.
Ellison's bullet pass also put flanker Api Naikitini over for the bonus point try - after an intercept and two good runs by Nonu.
Paku's athleticism from a Jimmy Gopperth kick brought a good try to standout loose forward Thomas Waldrom and Nonu started to create havoc in the Harbour ranks later in the game and blazed through for a trademark try with 10m to go.
Harbour offered little. They rarely threatened the Wellington goal line, or at least not until the match was decided; their defence roamed between the secure and the absent-minded; and the score would have been higher if more of Wellington's conversions had gone where intended.
Wellington 39 (S. Paku, P.Weepu, J. Thrush, A. Naikitini, T. Waldrom, M. Nonu tries; J. Gopperth 3 con, pen), North Harbour 14 (R. Wulf, M. Harris tries, J. McPhee 2 con). Halftime: 20-0.