Waikato set out to repeat home form on the road

1.00pm

After walloping Auckland on Saturday and gaining joint second place on the NPC rugby table, Waikato must now prove they can win away from home.

The first chance to do that comes against the team they share second place with, Wellington, in the capital on Friday.

Coming off the high of a record 59-11 victory over Auckland at Waikato Stadium, Waikato now have two wins from three games.

Wellington were yesterday virtually gifted an 18-16 victory by North Harbour at Takapuna.

Both Waikato's victories have been on the familiar turf of the Hamilton Stadium but to be a force in this year's competition they have to show they can also win the away fixtures.

"I guess the challenge for us now is to get back up and repeat our performance because we haven't backed up yet," coach John Mitchell said after Saturday's huge victory.

"We'll enjoy the moment tonight but we've got a short turnaround (this week) too and we're going up against one of the most physical sides in the competition, in Wellington, I believe."

Mitchell will stick to his agreement with his All Blacks to only bring halfback Byron Kelleher into the training environment this week.

It may be a timely return for Kelleher, with Isaac Boss being replaced at halftime with a shoulder/neck injury after a fine first half against Auckland.

"I think we're being smart in coming to an agreement that is going to allow them to return energetic as opposed to just seeing it as a chore."

Waikato are moving into a tough phase of their NPC campaign, striking all four of the other Super 12 bases in the space of five weeks.

"So this is a huge deposit for us today," Mitchell said on Saturday.

"This is a real sprint of a competition so you can't afford to get left behind. You've got to pick up points where you can, win your home games and also somehow find a solution for away games.

"The great thing about this team is that it's wanting to learn and is internally critical of itself, always wanting to improve."

- NZPA

NPC points table

NPC fixtures