Well, here is the review of the 3rd round of the 2019 Mitre 10 Cup season:
Tasman's 60-point thumping of Manawatu has them two points clear of Auckland in the Mitre 10 Cup Premiership on 14 points.
Waikato is third on 10 with North Harbour and Counties Manukau sharing nine points.
Taranaki, on 14 points, sit one ahead of Hawke's Bay in the Mitre 10 Championship while Bay of Plenty are third, six points clear of nearest rival Otago.
Bay of Plenty first five-eighths Dan Hollinshead heads the individual points scorers with 33 while Riley Hohepa from Counties Manukau and Danie Waite of Taranaki have each scored 30.
Josh McKay, who also leads the metres carried states with 330, heads the try scoring list with four for Canterbury which belies their lack of success. Tasman wing Jamie Spowart joined the list of nine players who have registered three tries. The others are: Sean Wainui (Taranaki), Quinn Tupaea (Waikato), Jona Nareki (Otago), Leicester Fainga'anuku (Tasman), Matt Duffie (North Harbour), Chris Kuridrani (Counties Manukau), Ash Dixon (Hawke's Bay), Jackson Ormond (Taranaki).
Week Three results:
Hawke's Bay 29 Otago 21
Hawke's Bay continued to dominate proceedings in the second division with their win over Otago achieved on the back of a tough forward scrap but also utilising their strengths out wide. Otago got a little too far adrift to be able to pull them back in but showed some classy play of their own to deny Hawke's Bay a try scoring bonus point.
Scorers: Hawke's Bay 29 (Ash Dixon, Tom Parsons, Danny Toala, Brad Weber tries; Lincoln McClutchie 2 con; Toala con, pen) Otago 21 (Jona Nareki, Josh Ioane, Michael Collins tries; Ioane 3 con). HT: 17-7
Wellington 23 Canterbury 22
Scoring the first try of the game with Josh McKay crossing was not enough to achieve a change in fortune for Canterbury. Wellington, a side who have also had their issues getting a win achieving their best finally replied just before halftime when wing Vince Aso picked up a superb ball to go over in the corner. That set the tone for a better third quarter with two tries getting them out to a comfortable lead. Canterbury, as expected stormed back with two late tries but they left it too late and Wellington claimed the one point win.
Scorers: Wellington 23 (Vince Aso, Du'Plessis Kirifi, Alex Fidow tries; Jackson Garden-Bachop con, 2 pen) Canterbury 22 (Josh McKay, Mitchell Dunshea, Harrison Allan tries; Brett Cameron 2 con, pen). HT: 8-10
Tasman 64 Manawatu 3
Tasman ran all over Lansdowne Park in Blenheim in a display that highlighted the allround skills that make the side an early contender for honours. The ball handling, and intuitive passing, especially on the inside pass, made life a misery for the Manawatu defence. It wasn't just the backs who profited, although Jamie Spowart scored a hat-trick of tries, but the forwards who unleashed some impressive continuity play. Flanker Liam Squire was rampant in the loose for Tasman.
Scorers: Tasman 64 (Liam Squire, Hugh Roach, Jordan Taufua, Finlay Christie, Jamie Spowart 3, Jacob Norris, Will Jordan, Ethan Blackadder tries; Mitch Hunt 4 con; Tim O'Malley 3 con) Manawatu 3 (Otere Black pen). HT: 33-3
Auckland 19 Bay of Plenty 13
Two snappy tries to fullback Salesi Rayasi, the first an excellent example of calmness under pressure from a crossfield kick before unleashing a corkscrew turn and a burst of speed, and an intercept to Rieko Ioane proved crucial for Auckland who lost shape and form in the second half as Bay of Plenty dominated possession without being able to make the most of position to truly apply pressure on the home team at Eden Park.
Scorers: Auckland 19 (Salesi Rayasi 2, Rieko Ioane tries; D'Angelo Leuila 2 con) Bay of Plenty 13 (Mitch Karpik try; Dan Hollinshead con, 2 pen). HT: 19-7
Counties Manukau 26 Waikato 31
Letting Waikato get out to a 31-7 lead after three-quarters of the game cost home team Counties Manukau dearly. They came storming home but ended up six points short of claiming a win in a game that produced four tries apiece for the sides. One for Waikato from a lucky bounce off the corner flag and into the in-goal for Declan O'Donnell and two for the Steelers courtesy of their dynamic driving maul.
Scorers: Counties Manukau 26 (Kali Hala, Sam Henwood, Riley Hohepa, Donald Maka tries; Hohepa 3 con) Waikato 31 (Declan O'Donnell, Bailyn Sullivan, Newton Tudreu, Hamilton Burr tries; Fletcher Smith 4 con, pen). HT: 7-21
Taranaki 52 Northland 19
Northland may have scored first but that only fuelled the Taranaki fires and they weren't to be doused over the next 70-odd minutes as they ran in eight tries to show they are determined to regain Championship status as quickly as possible. Northland's cause was helped by two late tries but the running power of the home side in New Plymouth was too strong in the final count.
Scorers: Taranaki 52 (Sean Wainui 2, Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi, Jackson Ormond 2, Tupou Vaa'i, Daniel Waite, Jayson Potroz tries; Waite 6 con) Northland 19 (Ross Wright, Renata Roberts-Tenana, Coree Te Whata-Colley tries; Jack Debreczeni 2 con). HT: 14-7
Southland 12 North Harbour 33
Unable to benefit from their first half possession advantage, and tied 7-7 at the break, North Harbour unleashed some outstanding long range play to stretch Southland with superb support play. Every time a North Harbour player made a break the support was immediate and their second half broke the Southland defensive spirit.
Scorers: Southland 12 (Marty McKenzie, Scott Eade tries; McKenzie con) North Harbour 33 (James Little, Asaeli Tikoirotuma, Bryn Hall, Harrison Groundwater, Matt Duffie tries; Matt McGahan 4 con). HT: 7-7
And in international rugby news such as England thumping Ireland in their pre-Rugby World Cup warm-up at Twickenham then it was Scotland who got revenge against France by turning the tables on them at Murrayfield.
So that is my 305th blog of the year 2019 (MMXIX) & my 45th of this year.
P.S. And I saw both Andy & Kelsey at the pizza party we had on Saturday as well as going to Caroline's on Sunday for brunch & they were both great.
And finally England have won the 3rd test at Headingley in Leeds against Australia with the series now all square after Ben Stokes was the hero, scoring an unbeaten century of 135 not out in the 2nd innings but Jofra Archer has picked up 6 wickets in the 1st innings & it was another one of those memorable moments along with Stokes who scored an unbeaten century to win the test.
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