Counties Manukau have caused a major upset, claiming the Ranfurly Shield from Northland with a 22-19 win in Whangārei.
AJ Alatimu kicked a penalty goal with just under two minutes left to give Counties the lead for the first time in the match and they then held out a tenacious Taniwha side.
The shield seemed safe in the Far North for the summer, when Northland’s scrum dominance saw them take a 19-12 inside the final 20 minutes, but Counties hit back, with fullback Adam Morrison scoring in the corner and AJ Alatimu levelling up the scores with a brilliant conversion.
They then secured a vital penalty decision with the clock almost up and Alatimu coolly slotted the kick, despite boos from the home crowd.
The Steelers have won the shield once before, beating Hawke’s Bay in 2013 and holding it for six defences.
Northland had won the shield from Canterbury in August, and defended it successfully against Tasman and Waikato, before going down on Saturday.
Northland captain Rivez Reihana handed over the shield to jubliant Counties captain Jimmy Tupou, who was playing for Counties as a teenager, when they last held the Log O’ Wood.
He told Sky Sport it was an “extra special” feeling, as he was ”young and naive” when Counties first won the shield, and he was now experiencing the thrill again towards the end of his career.
Counties won’t be involved in National Provincial Championship playoffs, but Tupou was delighted with how his team kept it all together for the shield challenge.
“It’s been a tough old season,” he said. “For us, this was our final, we came here and just gave it everying.
“I’m just so proud of this group. Results didn’t quite go our way this season and the one thing that was always unwavering is we always had a belief that we could put in a result like this, regardless if it was a shield game or not.”
Reihana rued mistakes that led to Northland’s defeat.
“Our intention was to lock it up for the season,” he said. “This one is going to sting for a while.”
He said holding the shield had been a huge win for Northland.
“It’s changed a lot of people’s lives up here.”
Counties Manukau must defend the trophy against Hawke’s Bay next weekend.
Northland’s loss also saw them drop from top of the NPC ladder to third, with the competition lead changing twice on Saturday.
Canterbury took over from Northland with their 34-21 win over Southland, but then North Harbour vaulted from fifth to No.1 with a 32-21 win over Otago.
The leaderboard is tight, with North Harbour on 36, leading by one point over Canterbury, with Northland third, two points further back.
Hawke’s Bay and Otago are a point further back on 32, with Hawke’s Bay a chance of going to the lead, if they beat Taranaki on Sunday.
There is one more round before the playoffs.
See how the action unfolded in the blog below:
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