Rugby: Surprises continue in Miter Cup 10

When it comes to the 10 Miter Cup, expect the unexpected.

It has been the theme of this year’s national provincial competition, with big names falling for minnows, surprising explosions, and the Ranfurly Shield steadily advancing across the country. That theme continued today.

At Inglewood, Auckland escaped with a 29-28 win over a Taranaki team that came into the game after double-digit losses to Otago and Northland.

When Auckland winger Salesi Rayasi crossed the line in the first minute of the match, it looked like things were going to go the same way. But that would be too obvious a story.

Instead, after falling behind 5-0 at first, Taranaki found his feet with fullback Jayson Potroz scoring 23 unanswered points, consisting of two tries, two conversions and three penalties, to give the hosts a practical advantage after 25 minutes. While Taranaki had raced over Auckland after the first attempt, the visitors closed the gap just before halftime when Jack Whetton crashed from close range to make a 23-12 game at halftime.

Auckland opted to bring middle Johnathan Ruru into the game at halftime, and his influence was immediate. With two attempts by AJ Lam shortly after the restart, Auckland had narrowed the gap to just one point. Taranaki put some distance back between the two sides 12 minutes from time when Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens crossed, but the failed conversion left the door ajar for Auckland, who crashed in the 75th minute through Rayasi. Simon Hickey’s conversion from the right up front sailed through the posts and despite late pressure from Taranaki, it was enough to close out the win.

Further south, the trend continued when Wellington was beaten 35-34 at home by an Otago team that, a week ago, failed to defend the Ranfurly Shield in Dunedin against Hawke’s Bay.

A 79th minute conversion from Josh Ioane’s start, following an attempt to block Jack Regan, was the difference in a back and forth affair.

Wellington held double-digit leads twice in the game, including an 11-point buffer with 18 minutes left.

Elsewhere, North Harbor achieved its second consecutive victory in a 46-10 demolition of Hawke’s Bay. North Harbor crossed for seven attempts, including a hat-trick in the first half for winger Jared Page. The victory, the second of the season, lifts North Harbor to the bottom of the Premiership ladder.

In the final game of the day, a strong second half saw Waikato pull away from Counties Manukau, escaping with a 36-13 win at Hamilton. Despite opening the scoring early with a try for winger Liam Coombes-Fabling, Waikato soon found himself behind after counties fullback Etene Nanai-Seturo picked up a fumble to score an out-of-control try.

However, a yellow card at halftime to counties mainstay Conan O’Donnell opened the door for Waikato to take the lead. Waikato scored 17 points in the 10 minutes O’Donnell was out of the park, giving them the platform to go ahead with the victory.