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Southland almost triumphed again in bad weather, but Waikato found a way to win with persistent rain from Invercargill on Sunday.
The Stags punished Waikato’s mistakes in pursuit of their third 2020 Miter 10 Cup win and led 6-0 thanks to two penalties from Greg Dyer after 62 minutes.
But Waikato held on and was finally on the board when promising fullback Liam Coombes-Fabling caught Fletcher Smith’s precise kick in the fourth quarter and stood up to score.
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Waikato fullback Liam Coombes-Fabling surrounded by Southland defenders.
Smith then hit the winning drop goal in the 75th minute, albeit through the hand of a Southland defender, and the Mooloos held on 10-9 to improve their record to 3-1 after a final on the stands.
READ MORE:
* Miter Cup 10: Tony Lamborn leads the way as the Southland Stags face off at home
* Miter Cup 10: David Havili sends a reminder to the All Blacks in Tasman’s win over Waikato
* Miter 10 Cup: Damian McKenzie stars again as Waikato smashes North Harbor
Scott Eade, who stood his ground last weekend to lead Southland to a last-gasp win over North Harbor, put the Stags ahead 9-7 with eight minutes remaining, but ruined their drop goal attempt. that would have snatched the Championship fighters a dramatic victory at the last minute.
Smith, whose shot in the first five-eighths of the second half calmed the Mooloos, also pulled off a difficult conversion by guiding Waikato to a priceless victory that brings them back to the Premiership semifinals.
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Liam Howley clarifying the danger to Southland in the pouring rain.
It was just their fourth meeting since the competition split into two divisions in 2012 and the Mooloos will happily jump on the plane home after a steamy afternoon in the Deep South.
The wet conditions favored Southland in priceless home wins over Hawke’s Bay and Harbor and the surface of Rugby Park was soaked again for Waikato’s first visit since 2013.
Former All Black Liam Messam made his first provincial appearance in more than five years when he came off the bench for Waikato, but the lazy 43-test forward couldn’t have imagined returning to the Kiwi game in such dire weather.
Messam, 36, last played in New Zealand for the Chiefs in a Super Rugby quarterfinal in July 2018. The trip to Southland was his first match since playing for French club Toulon in March, when the Covid-19 was beginning to decimate the sports calendar, and it got caught up in challenging the south to lift up an inexperienced side of Waikato.
Hooker Samisoni Taukei’aho was also a living presence for the Mooloos, but opposing skipper Tony Lamborn was an inspiration to Southland again and blocking Manaaki Selby-Rickit added a touch of class.
The 2020 Stags are much tougher after a woeful 27-game losing streak from 2016-19, but the rain certainly levels the playing field when teams are in the Deep South.
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Southland captain Tony Lamborn speaking with referee Jono Bredin.
Still, Southland didn’t give an inch to the Mooloos and the competition was the complete opposite of Waikato’s initial victories over Wellington and Harbor on sunny Hamilton afternoons.
Inspired by Southlander Damian McKenzie and fellow All Black Anton Lienert-Brown, Waikato rioted with an extensive running game on their home deck in dry weather, but minus their All Blacks from the second round and in increasingly dire conditions, nothing more than conservative rugby was possible. Just in case, the wind was swirling.
That suited Southland, who seemed to enjoy running to Waikato as the water rose from the surface, and his tactics were smarter, kicking early to force the Mooloos back.
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Mitch Jacobson sports an injury in Waikato’s victory at Southland.
Waikato’s mistakes in the horrendous conditions were adding up. Southland’s lineout and scrum were also dominant, but the hosts only held a 3-0 lead at halftime after Dyer’s first penalty and never seemed to score a try all match.
The Mooloos blew their best chances in the first half and Adam Thomson’s try was correctly ruled out for a forward pass.
Dyer took a second penalty after the break, but missed a third and Waikato finished strong for a valiant victory.
TAKE A LOOK
Waikato 10 (Liam Coombes-Fabling try; Fletcher Smith scam, drop goal) Southland 9 (Greg Dyer 2, pen by Scott Eade) HT: 0-3.
MVP Points: Fletcher Smith 3, Samisoni Taukei’aho 2, Liam Coombes-Fabling 1.
