It's official, Auckland are back.
The last box needing to be ticked by them was beating Canterbury in Christchurch and they achieved that on Sunday with their 34-29 win.
After years of being Canterbury's whipping boys, Auckland muscled up and took the game to the defending champions ensuring the latter stages of the season are going to provide some more competitive play.
In the Premiership, Auckland, Canterbury, Wellington and Tasman have put a gap between themselves and the chasing sides.
Ranfurly Shield holders Waikato are sitting on top of the Championship, although all other sides have a game in hand. Hawke's Bay, Otago and Northland hold the first four places.
North Harbour 21 Canterbury 31
Canterbury's ability to react to pressure was tested in the first game of the fifth round when North Harbour scored classic tries to tie the game up at 14-14. However, in their inimitable fashion, Canterbury resorted to type and poured on the pressure in the second half to get out to 31 points before North Harbour mounted a belated but ultimately unproductive surge.
Waikato 42 Hawke's Bay 22
Hawke's Bay journeyed to Hamilton buoyed by the prospective of a Ranfurly Shield challenge. After all, what better way to take revenge for their loss of the log of wood in 2014 than to claim it back. That was especially knowing the game was the third in eight days for Waikato. In fact, that never became an issue as Waikato were in complete control of the game with their dynamo Sevu Reece again a spark to their success.
Northland 49 Manawatu 19
Sometimes redemption comes in the most unlikely form and after seven straight losses to Manawatu, Northland turned it on big time for their fans in Whangarei when running in seven tries to three in a dominant display that kept their Championship playoffs hopes alive. Their Australian import Jack Cebreczeni showed his worth in contributing 19 points.
Tasman 53 Taranaki 17
Losing the Ranfurly Shield can go two ways. Teams bounce back with emphatic wins, or they slip further into the mire, and that was the case in Nelson as the home team underwent their own revival after a heavy loss to Auckland. The power of the home pack proved significant and demonstrated why Tasman are such a threat when the playoffs arrive.
Counties Manukau 12 Wellington 53
Wellington retained the Jonah Lomu Memorial Trophy in emphatic fashion on a glorious Saturday afternoon in Pukekohe. After powering to a 29-0 halftime lead on the back of strong performances from Jackson Garden-Bachop and Vaea Fifita, Wellington didn't relinquish their stranglehold on the match as they ran out bonus point winners.
Southland 24 Otago 43
No relief from their lack of success occurred for Southland who were well beaten by their southern neighbours Otago at Rugby Park. A hat-trick of tries to Mitchell Scott was only part of the frustration for the home side who also saw Jona Nareki cross twice as well. They did score three tries of their own but they were unable to break the control the visitors exerted.
North Harbour 32 Bay of Plenty 20
Relief at last for North Harbour who found themselves on the bottom of the Premiership table. Bay of Plenty were in their firing line on Sunday. It wasn't the most classic of games but North Harbour made the better use of their opportunities with Shaun Stevenson setting up a key try for Tevita Li while Bryn Gatland's 17 points proved crucial, especially as Bay of Plenty lost their own first five Mike Delany at halftime.
Canterbury 29 Auckland 34
From the moment flanker Dalton Papali'i pulled off an interception from a scrum in the first minute, it was clear that this Auckland unit was different from some of those in the past. Second five-eighths TJ Faiane benefited by scoring a hat-trick of tries and the confidence Auckland showed in running the ball from their line highlighted their changed approach. Canterbury finished strong with two late tries but the damage had been done.
So that is my 229th blog of the year 2018 (MMXVIII) & my 49th of this year.
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