Tasman eye a quarter-final place

Tasman 56 Northland 15

Northland regressed to the bad old days as Tasman, New Zealand's newest rugby franchise, gave themselves a shot at making the Air New Zealand Cup quarter-finals with a crushing victory in Blenheim yesterday.

Leading 16-0 at the break at Lansdowne Park, Tasman racked up a free-wheeling point-a-minute after the interval with Brumbies-bound Australian wing Peter Playford enjoying a golden period with four tries.

Northland entertained thoughts of making dramatic strides to the top eight after last weekend's grinding win over Taranaki, just their second since 2002. They now need to pick themselves up and beat pool leaders Southland in Whangarei next week.

"We took too much confidence [out of Taranaki], we didn't show up and we got a hiding," said Northland captain David Holwell, offering a blunt and accurate assessment of his side's capitulation.

Tasman, thanks to a maximum five-point haul, jumped from fourth to second in the group - leaving them everything to play for in New Plymouth. Southland, on eight points, still hold pole position.

It has been Tasman's nature throughout their maiden campaign to run wherever possible and that enterprising approach was taken to extremes early on when third-choice goalkicker Aaron Kimura, his kicking leg heavily strapped, turned down three kickable penalties.

However, when Kimura was finally coaxed into testing his right hamstring with a handy 20-metre effort in the 17th minute, his confidence grew and he eventually landed nine from 10 for a personal haul of 21 points.

The midfielder, who started at first five-eighths, also showed no signs of discomfort as he ran to the line strongly throughout, while his right boot produced the grubber for Playford to dot down for his second in the 54th minute.

That poacher's try, from the grasp of Northland halfback David Gibson, gave Tasman an unassailable 35-3 lead entering the final quarter.

"I didn't have to do much to get most of them," the modest New South Welshman admitted, although he had to carry giant prop Stan Wright over the line for his first.

"It was just nice to get some ball, now we can look forward to a big game in the 'Naki."

- NZPA