KEY POINTS:
Southland 25
Taranaki 20
Southland did their best to blow a 22-point lead against a bumbling Taranaki side at Yarrow Stadium yesterday, but couldn't quite pull it off, instead posting their first victory of the national championship.
The Stags went into the match equal bottom with Bay of Plenty and without a competition point to their name but they quickly made a mockery of that cellar-dweller status, racing to a 25-3 lead shortly after halftime.
With three tries to their credit and Taranaki putting in possibly the worst performance of the competition, it seemed only a matter of time until Southland crossed for a bonus-point try that would have catapulted them up the table.
But the game seemed to turn on a curious piece of refereeing by Paul Honiss.
Taranaki No 8 Tomasi Soqeta bustled across the Southland line and Honiss seemed poised to award a try. Instead he went upstairs to television match official Chris Pollock and said: "Chris, give me a reason not to award the try".
Pollock obliged, saying: "Paul, I cannot see the ball grounded over or on the goal line."
Honiss promptly signalled the try, saying: "It's my decision."
The ruling seemed to spark the hosts out of their funk.
Southland opted for a simple plan of kicking deep and waiting for Taranaki to drop the ball. It worked marvellously, Jamie Mackintosh crossing for the opening try from a botched Taranaki lineout and halfback Jimmy Cowan grabbing the second after a strong run by Mackintosh.
A long-range try to James Wilson seemed to have killed off Taranaki shortly after the break.
But then came the odd - but quite possibly correct - piece of officiating from Honiss that renewed Taranaki's hope.
Impressive reserve halfback Brent Goodin laid on a try with a chip kick for wing Asalemo Malo - one of the few Taranaki backs to come out of the match with anything like credit - and if Goodin hadn't spurned the open Malo moments later Taranaki probably would have stormed home and won it.
As it was, second five-eighths Jack Cameron scored Taranaki's third five minutes from time to ensure a nervy finish.
But the match probably ended in fitting fashion as Taranaki lock Craig Clarke spilled a loose pass on the Southland 22 with time all but up.
