North Harbour almost pulled off a massive upset in their first game of the season but it wasn’t to be, losing to Tasman 29-31. It was a tit-for-tat game early on but it looked like Harbour were going to slip away early into the second half, as the hosts’ third successive try, this time via an intercept, got the Mako out to a 15-24 lead. However, this very young Harbour team got right back into the fight, scoring almost directly from the kick-off through Leo Gordon. Crucially, though, they were never able to get back into the lead, with some questionable decision-making late in the piece forcing them to settle for the loss, but they will take away plenty of positives. With 14 22 entries, NH certainly had their chances, but they were sloppy when it mattered most, committing 22 turnovers. Jed Melvin, Tristyn Cook and Kade Banks all had impressive starts to the season, and Rory Taylor looked like a real threat on attack.
There were few positives that Counties Manukau could have taken away from there Round 1 game against Taranaki as they lost 5-20 at home. Heading into half-time down 0-10, there was still some optimism amongst the Steelers as they had the opening five minutes of the second with a one-man advantage and had their fair share of attacking opportunities in the opening 40 minutes. Jimmy Tupou then scored early on in the second stanza to make things interesting, however, things started to get very messy in the second half as both teams struggled to put together phases and build any real momentum. That saw Counties fail to make any further ground from there, often looking lifeless and uninspired on attack, with the exception of Gibson Popoali’i and Adam Morrison. To their credit, the Steelers largely defended well, with Cameron Church and Adam Brash at the forefront, but it was an all-round disappointing first effort.
The Steelers have made a couple of significant upgrades in the front row, bringing in Ioane Moananu and Ezekiel Lindenmuth, while Harbour have retained the same starting XV. On the back of last week’s strong showing against the Mako, it’s understandable that NH are comfortable favourites, but Counties will be a handful in this clash. They have the size and the grunt up front to really trouble the hosts and that will see them enjoy plenty of ball. An upset may well be on the cards to start Round 2.
Tips
Best: Counties Manukau +6.5 ($1.95)
Value: Counties Manukau ($2.80)
Try Scorer: Ioane Moananu ($12 First, $1.87 Anytime)
Same Game Multi: Ioane Moananu Try / Kade Banks Try / Jonathan Taumateine Try ($11.94)
Taranaki somewhat took care of business in Round 1, beating Counties Manukau 20-5 on the road, but they would have left Pukekohe wanting more. Despite gaining 14 entries into the hosts’ 22, the Bulls failed to take the bonus point in the victory, as they repeatedly struggled to crack the Steelers’ line in the second half. Errors started to become more and more prominent as the game went on, particularly with their handling and their discipline, which made it very hard for Taranaki to generate build-up play and score the all-important fourth try. With Josh Jacomb on All Blacks duty, Sam Clarke proved to be a more-than-capable backup, while Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkins was the most influential of the Taranaki bunch, playing a key role in a couple of tries and orchestrating the attack well.
Waikato got off to a flying start in the season-opener, dispatching a classy Bay of Plenty team 38-26. It was a thrilling game, as both teams came to play attacking footy, and the Mooloo men were a class above, as they ran in five tries to bank a bonus-point win and get their campaign off to a stellar start. All of their damage was done in the first half, in what may well end up being the best 40 minutes of the competition by any team come season’s end, scoring all five of their tries in the opening 4. The onslaught started almost immediately, as Taha Kemara, Oli Mathis, Daniel Sinkinson and Nathan Stephens combined for an excellent five-pointer in the opening two minutes, before fellow wing Waisake Salabiau dotted down. Sinkinson, Kemara and Mathis all scored tries of their own before the break to make it an unassailable 35-0 lead for the Mooloos, with all of their stars standing up in what was a highly impressive first showing.
Samipeni Finau has been ruled out of this weekend’s game, and Mathis is on the bench in what are a couple of blows for the Mooloos, but I still expect them to be up for the fight on Friday. Their backs looked deadly last week and are shaping up to be one of the most dangerous attacking weapons in the competition, while their burly forwards are capable of going toe-to-toe with the Steamers. As big underdogs, I am siding with the Mooloo Men.
Tips
Best: Waikato +8.5 ($1.92)
Value: Tri-Bet — Either Team By Under 7.5 ($3.00)
Try Scorer: Waisake Salibiau ($13 First, $2.10 Anytime)
Same Game Multi: Waisake Salibiau Try / Seta Tamanivalu Try / Daniel Sinkinson Try ($14.19)
Auckland were generally impressive In their first hit-out of the season as they went down to defending champions Canterbury, 31-38. At One NZ Stadium, it was always going to be a big ask for the visitors to go toe to toe against Canterbury, but they stayed in the fight in the first half despite being outplayed, as Sam Hainsworth-Fa’aofo scored off a lineout after a somewhat fortunate penalty reversal, before Xavier Tito-Harris picked off a pass to level the scores at 14 apiece. Josh Beehre and Stephen Perofeta kept the tries coming for Auckland, and they led 31-26 with 20 minutes on the clock, but they couldn’t seal the deal as the red and blacks dotted down twice more to hand the Seagulls the loss. With just 42% possession and a slew of errors at lineout time, Auckland were efficient with ball in hand thanks to the likes of Perofeta, Beehre and the impressive Che Clarke. However, a costly lineout error opened the door for the Cantabrians and they took their chance, seeing Auckland lose a heartbreaker.
Wellington looked ordinary in their Round 1 contest, losing to Hawke’s Bay 33-52. The damage was done by the Magpies early in the piece, scoring four tries by the 20-minute mark to blow the Lions off their home field in a grim-looking Hnry Stadium, and there was no way back into the contest for Wellington. Logan Henry and Divad Palu scored from close range to give the hosts a sniff, but Hawke’s Bay were never truly under threat, as Wellington continued to leak points as the game got away from them. Du’Plessis Kirifi was the star performer, with his trademark breakdown work complementing his two try assists (including a delightful flick out the back door) and one try, while Dominic Ropeti toiled away on attack and Hugo Plummer and Caleb Delany were solid on both sides of the ball.
In a shock lineup change, reminiscent of Leicester Finaga’anuku’s move to the loose forwards, Du’Plessis Kirifi has been named at second five-eighth as Sione Halalilo comes into the loosies. For Auckland, one of last week’s standouts Harvey Cordukes joins the starting team, as does Payton Spencer in what is a deep 23. Both teams showed what they are capable of on attack last week and Kirifi’s new position may well hurt Wellington’s defence, with him less likely to be ball-hunting at ruck time, opening the door for another big total.
Tips
Best: Over 64.5 ($1.90)
Value: Auckland 11-20 ($3.80)
Try Scorer: Rico Simpson ($11 First, $1.68 Anytime)
Same Game Multi: Rico Simpson Try / Sam Hainsworth-Fa’aofo Try / Du’Plessis Kirifi Try ($13.63)
Bay of Plenty had the first half from hell in their opening clash, laying the foundations for a 26-38 defeat last Thursday. The writing was on the wall in the opening minutes, as Waikato crossed the chalk early and, for almost the first 30 minutes of play, the Steamers were conceding a point a minute. By half time, the deficit was 35 points and while it was a much-improved showing from the visitors in the second 40, there was simply no coming back from that scoreline. Come the end of the 80 minutes, BOP had a four-try bonus point and finished just 12 points shy of Waikato, but it was never all that close, as the Steamers had just 33% territory and 40% possession and had plenty of struggles at set piece. Joe Johnston put his hand up to get through a mountain of defensive work, with a round-high 27 tackles, while Taine Kolose (24), Nikora Broughton (23) and Jai Knight (23) weren’t far behind. Broughton was also a standout elsewhere, carrying strongly, with a couple of sharp line breaks, and Veveni Lasaqa added some punch off the bench with a couple of tries, but it was a rough opener for BOP.
Northland got everything that they wanted out of their opener, waltzing past Manawatū 40-14. It was a shaky opening 10 minutes for the Taniwha, but they kicked into gear shortly afterwards, as Nathan Salmon athletically finished in the corner, before Jordan Trainor coughed up what should have been an absolute gimme of a try. Heremaia Murray and Rivez Reihana went bang-bang shortly before half time for a 21-14 lead, before Brady Rush scored a second-half double to bank an impressive win for the hosts. Northland’s defence and discipline was impressive, as was their ability to pounce on the Turbos’ mistakes. Salmon, Rush, Terrell Peita and Heremaia Murray all stood out on attack, while Rob Rush was a workhorse defensively.
There are more than a handful of changes to BOP’s XV, headlined by Lasaqa coming in at openside and Riley Hohepa starting at #10. That may well signal a more attacking approach for the Steamers this week but it is not going to come easily against this spirited Taniwha outfit. They were constantly able to shut down the Turbos last week and their dynamic backs will be a real handful for BOP’s defence. I expect this one to be close at the end of 80 minutes.
Tips
Best: Northland +9.5 ($1.90)
Value: Northland +3.5 ($2.50)
Try Scorer: Nathan Salmon ($14 First, $2.10 Anytime)
Same Game Multi: Nathan Salmon Try / Reon Paul Try / Veveni Lasaqa Try ($14.80)
Hawke’s Bay had a great game one of their season, heading down to Wellington to thrash the Lions 52-33. The Magpies came hot out of the gates, linking up beautifully on a counter-attack to send Folau Fakatava in for a try inside the opening two minutes. Hawke’s Bay had already banked their four-try bonus point by the 20-minute mark, as Hunter Morrison, Neria Fomai and Will Cole all dotted down. A pair of tries either side of half time put the nail in Wellington’s coffin, as HB got up 38-14 and never looked back, before hitting the half-century in the final 10 minutes to ice a great display in the capital. It was a complete performance from the Magpies, but it was really the opening 20 minutes that won them the game. Up 26-0 at that stage, they were continually able to hit back at anything Wellington threw at them, as Jonah Lowe, Cooper Flanders, Harry Godfrey and Fomai all providing impressive displays.
Tasman will be relieved to have banked the five points from their Round 1 clash against North Harbour, but they were given a real scare. The 31-29 victory was often ugly for the Mako, who committed a woeful 26 turnovers and enjoyed just nine entries into Harbour’s 22, but the difference at the end of the day was Tasman’s ability to finish their chances. It was Kyren Taumoefolau who was largely to thank for that, with the star wing scoring a hat-trick, with his third try being particularly important one as it gave Tasman a nine-point buffer with just over 15 minutes to play. His partnership with centre Cooper Roberts was the highlight of Tasman’s performance in what was and otherwise rather underwhelming opener from the Mako. Eli Oudenryn, Johnny Lee and Rory Scott worked hard defensively and Leo Marfell had his moments, but Tasman will need to improve in Round 2.
Tips
Best: Over 60.5 ($1.92)
Value: Anytime Try Scorer — Harry Godfrey ($2.75)
Try Scorer: Harry Godfrey ($21 First, $2.75 Anytime)
Same Game Multi: Kyren Taumoefolau Try / Eli Oudenryn Try / Harry Godfrey Try ($15.53)
Otago were more than happy to play the role of party poopers in Invercargill on Saturday, breezing past Southland 41-14, but now they gear up for their first Ranfurly Shield defence of the NPC season. Otago were simply too good on attack in their season opener as they scored four tries in the opening 25 minutes, firstly through Jai Broomfield before Riley Lucas, Josh Timu and Lucas Casey added tries of their own for an early 24-0 lead. It was game over at that point, despite the game evening out much more in terms of territory and possession, as Otago never really looked bothered by whatever the Stags threw at them. Casey was able to add a second try in the second half, as was Christian Lio-Willie, with the star loose-forward duo shining brightly throughout the game as they caused all sorts of havoc in open play, at set piece, and at the breakdown. Elsewhere, Sam Nemec-Vial was a constant threat at the back, while Timu, Lucas and Jona Nareki all caused Southland some troubles.
Canterbury recorded a bonus-point win in their first game of the year, getting past Auckland 38-31. Despite always feeling somewhat in control, Canterbury were never able to fully pull away from the visitors in what ended up being a tit-for-tat game and it was no other than Richie Mo’unga who proved to be the match winner for the Cantabrians. In his return to NPC footy, Mo’unga broke the 31-31 deadlock, slicing through the Auckland defence with just three minutes to play to win the game in heroic fashion and put his hand up even higher for an All Blacks call-up. It wasn’t the tidiest attacking game from Canterbury, who committed 15 turnovers and had just five line breaks, but they were able to take their chances and turn it on when it mattered most. Jamie Hannah, Finlay Brewis and Torian Barnes all rolled up their sleeves in the pack, while Jone Rova, Chay Fihaki and Ngatunane Punivai did their jobs in the back line.
It’s another almighty team named by Canterbury head coach Alex Robertson, and I expect them to be taking the Ranfurly Shield back to Christchurch on Sunday. Mo’unga this week starts at first five-eight and Johnny McNicholl starts at fullback to add more class, in what is another Super Rugby-calibre 23. Otago’s squad is also very strong, but the experience and poise of this Canterbury outfit will prove to be vital on Sunday.
Tips
Best: Canterbury -3.5 ($1.90)
Value: Canterbury 1-12 ($2.90)
Try Scorer: Ngatungane Punivai ($13 First, $1.87 Anytime)
Same Game Multi: Ngatungane Punivai Try / Dallas McLeod Try / Lucas Casey Try ($12.90)
Manawatū will be disappointed with their first showing of the season, in a 14-40 loss to Northland. The Turbos were right in the fight for much of the first half, with the scores tied at 14-14 with a few minutes to play in the opening stanza, but a try from the Taniwha just before the break seemed to really shake their confidence, and the visitors never recovered. Northland ran in three unanswered tries in the second half to make it a blowout, leaving Manawatū a lot to improve on going into Round 2. Things looked a little shaky for the Turbos in the first half before the wheels well and truly fell off, finishing the game with just 43% territory and conceding an inexcusable 12 line breaks. On the bright side, Reece MacDonald impressed on attack, Joe Gavigan racked up 20 tackles in a busy showing and Brayden Iose did some strong work at the breakdown.
Southland will similarly be feeling like they let themselves down in Round 1, following a 14-41 loss to Otago on Stag Day. It was ugly from the beginning, as the hosts leaked four tries in the opening 25 minutes to fall into a 0-24 hole, and there was no way for them to come back from there. That’s not to say that Southland were dominated, as they went through the game with multiple prolonged phases in possession, but crucially, they were seldom often to convert those chances into points. Young first five-eighth Jimmy Taylor had a promising debut, keeping a cool head throughout, Clem Halaholo showed off his class with ball in-hand and Scott Gregory was a brick wall defensively, but the team will need to show much more punch on attack going forward.
Both teams will be better after their drowsy starts to the season, but I am picking the Stags to be the sharper outfit in this one. Southland enjoyed long periods of control against a very good Otago team, despite the scoreline not reflecting that, and Taylor will be better prepared to help his team take advantage this week. Mika Muliaina returns from injury to add class off the bench and although Manawatū are set to have their moments on attack, I have the Stags recording an upset here.
Tips
Best: Southland +6.5 ($1.90)
Value: Southland ($2.70)
Try Scorer: Glen Vaihu ($15 First, $2.10 Anytime)
Same Game Multi: Glen Vaihu Try / Brayden Iose Try / Jack Taylor Try ($13.62)