Northland has survived a tense war of attrition against a tough Tasman side to book a historic home NPC semifinal.
It was a rough start for the Taniwha in their first home playoff. The Mako were first on the board, with Johnny Lee capitalising as Northland’s defence scrambled to respond to Tasman’s quick hands. William Havili converted to put the Mako up 0-7.
Adding insult to injury, Northland suffered another blow just minutes later, with James Ramm forced off with an injury.
The Taniwha managed to stay strong, though, holding off multiple attempts to get across the line from Tasman’s Kyren Taumoefolau.
It couldn’t last, though, with David Havili making his way up the middle and putting Northland on the back foot once more. Eventually Taumoefolau dug in and got into the corner, clinching another try in his already record-breaking NPC season.
William Havili converted and put the Mako up 0-14, ramping up the pressure on Northland.
After that Northland were dealt yet another blow, with a try from Jordan Trainor denied after the TMO spotted a forward pass.
Just before halftime, the Rush brothers put their foots down, with Brady nabbing a wide pass and running it in to finally get the Taniwha on the board. Captain Rivez Reihana couldn’t convert though, leaving Northland down 5-14.
With the clock ticking past 40 minutes, Northland made the most of the lineout, and Lachie Hooper found the line after the siren. Reihana found his form and converted, leaving Northland nipping at the Mako’s heels 12-14 going into the second half.
The second half started with the sides trading kicks, penalties and injuries. Hooper went off injured after a few minutes and Tasman were caught offside, giving Northland a penalty advantage.
Terrell Peita powered through and Reihana converted the try, finally putting the Taniwha ahead in the quarter final.
The Taniwha kept the pressure up as time left in the match ticked away, and a penalty against Tasman let Northland set up a lineout. Peita made progress, but it was Ricki Heremaia who pushed through to end Tasman’s hopes of regaining their lead.
Reihana converted, and Northland was ahead 26-14.
With just a few minutes left on the clock, Tasman got a penalty and Willy Havili got the ball into the corner. Dylan Irvine got the ball and claimed the try after the lineout, giving the Mako a small chance of avoiding yet another loss in the first round of the playoffs.
Havili converted, leaving the Mako down 26-21 with a couple of minutes left.
But their last-ditch efforts were in vain, with Northland coming out on top in a crucial final scrum and earning their spot in the semifinals.
See how the action unfolded below:
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