2020 Mitre 10 Cup round 3 review (+ South African rugby tales)

Well, here is the review of round 3 of the 2020 Mitre 10 Cup season:

Otago pushed Taranaki into an unwanted place in the record books when securing a 30-19 win to claim the Ranfurly Shield (The pinnacle of New Zealand rugby as well as New Zealand rugby's most prized possessions) at Inglewood in Mitre 10 Cup play on Sunday.

Having taken the Shield from Canterbury on Saturday a week earlier, Taranaki held the trophy for eight days, the 4th shortest tenure in the Shield's history.

As a result, the result sets up an early contest between Otago and Hawke's Bay, in Round 4 of competition next week.

Canterbury suffered a second loss within a week when beaten in Napier by Hawke's Bay while Northland continued Counties Manukau's losing run by claiming a 24-15 win in Pukekohe.

Tasman maintained their pace-setting role with a 34-17 win over Waikato to remain four points clear of Wellington in the Premiership, with Auckland and Waikato a point back on 10 points while Canterbury is on seven.

Hawke's Bay and Otago have 10 points each in the Championship while Southland, Northland and Taranaki are one point back.

Wellington v Bay of Plenty

If Christchurch has proved New Zealand's first five-eighths factory in recent decades, then Wellington can lay claim to the hooker's factory as debut player Tyrone Thompson pulled off a stunning try at SKY Stadium. Taking a return throw from a lineout on halfway, he raced through tackles to score 50m downfield. Shoddiness in the first phases of the game had given Bay of Plenty an early boost with a try to hooker Nathan Vella 35 seconds after the start. It took 30 minutes before Wellington recovered but two tries before halftime to No.8 Teariki Ben-Nicholas and wing Wes Goosen. Then Ben-Nicholas scored a second before Thompson's effort which was backed by another debut scorer, wing Ruben Love.

Wellington 32 (Teariki Ben-Nicholas 2, Wes Goosen, Tyrone Thompson, Ruben Love tries; Jackson Garden-Bachop 2 con, pen) Bay of Plenty 10 (Nathan Vella try; Dan Hollinshead con, pen). HT: 12-10

Tasman v Waikato

Waikato made much of the early running in Nelson but it was a David Havili intercept and 80-metre run that saw Tasman score first. Waikato came back with a lovely take by centre Quinn Tupaea from a chip kick from first five-eighth Fletcher Smith to the Tasman line. But then, in one of those moments of frustration that can turn games, Tasman had the benefit of a line call on a lineout throw which produced a try on halftime for hooker Andrew Makalio. Tasman poured on the pressure in the third quarter with Andrew Nankivell and Havili scoring before Tasman struck back through replacement wing Valynce Crosby-Te Whare and Smith. But it was Havili who had the final say in scoring an outstanding hat-trick try.

Tasman 34 (David Havili 3, Andrew Makalio, Alex Nankivell tries; Mitch Hunt 3 con, pen) Waikato 17 (Quinn Tupaea, Valynce Crosby-Te Whare, Fletcher Smith tries; Smith con). HT: 13-5

Southland v North Harbour

After North Harbour flanker Tim Sail marked his debut with an early try, running a line from first receiver to pierce the home defence, Southland had to wait until the 56th minute before reducing the margin to two with a try to wing Rory van Vugt. With a hint of a rare crossover win against a Premiership opponent, skipper and No.8 Tony Lamborn stepped up with an outstanding demonstration of his leadership qualities, and the last crucial turnover, to spearhead a Southland defensive effort that squeezed the life out of the Harbour challenge. There was an exchange of penalty goals between the five-eighths Bryn Gatland and Scott Eade and while North Harbour looked to close out their 10-8 lead heading into the final moments, Lamborn managed his turnover and after clawing their way into North Harbour territory, an infringement provided home replacement first five-eighth Greg Dyer with a penalty goal chance and he made no mistake.

Southland 11 (Rory van Vugt try; Scott Eade pen; Greg Dyer pen) North Harbour 10 (Tim Sail try; Bryn Gatland con, pen). HT: 0-7

Hawke's Bay v Canterbury

Enjoying the advantage of greater possession in the first half, Hawke's Bay got out to a 10-0 lead at McLean Park in Napier, but Canterbury used their lineout to advantage to get hooker Shilo Klein over for their first try two minutes into the second half and by the end of the third quarter they led 19-10 after tries to halfback Ere Enari and fullback Josh McKay, who was fed into a lovely gap by wing Ngane Punivai on the halfway line to run in the try. But some clever thinking by Lowe at the base of a ruck on the Canterbury line saw him score. Into injury time, Hawke's Bay had a lineout out from the Canterbury line and with just about all the team joining the driving maul, it was captain and hooker Ash Dixon who smuggled the ball over the line for the match-winning try.

Hawke's Bay 20 (Lolagi Visinia, Jonah Lowe, Ash Dixon tries; Lincoln McClutchie con, pen) Canterbury 19 (Shilo Klein, Sam Darry, Josh McKay tries; Brett Cameron 2 con). HT: 10-0

Auckland v Manawatu

Auckland got their campaign back on track when taking a 50-12 win over Manawatu at Eden Park on Sunday. Manawatu didn't help their cause when having two men Teofilo Paulo and Tietie Taimauga in the sin-bin for two minutes. Wing Adam Boult scored during that period for Manawatu but in the meantime Auckland crossed twice as wing AJ Lam scored first followed by No.8 Waimana Reidlinger-Kapa. The further the game went the more Auckland's support play came into effect, first five-eighths Simon Hickey's two tries and another to fullback Jordan Trainor being classic examples of that. And replacement halfback Jonathon Ruru may never have a better result from a botched box kick which ended up falling nicely for Lam to run 40m for his second try.

Auckland 50 (AJ Lam 2, Waimana Reidlinger-Kapa, Simon Hickey 2, Salesi Rayasi, Blake Gibson, Jordan Trainor tries; Hickey 5 con) Manawatu 12 (Adam Boult, Kyle Stewart tries; Ben Wyness con). HT: 26-5

Taranaki v Otago

Ranfurly Shield lore maintains that if challengers are to be successful in their bids to secure the prized trophy they need to start well and maintain that lead for the remainder of the game. Otago managed that, getting out to a 22-5 lead in the first half. No 8 Dylan Nel, wing Freedom Vaha'akolo and hooker Liam Coltman all scored tries with the only response coming from home fullback Stephen Perofeta's try. Taranaki were forced into a defensive role in the first half but they were unable to halt Otago's momentum. And when they did get some traction in the second half, it was too late, especially after Otago first five-eighths Josh Ioane was able to slip easily through a gap to score. Otago will now face a challenge from Hawke's Bay next weekend.

Taranaki 19 (Stephen Perofeta, Kaylum and Lachlan Boshier tries; Jayson Potroz con; Daniel Waite con) Otago 30 (Dylan Nel, Freedom Vaha'akolo, Liam Coltman, Josh Ioane tries; Ioane 2 con, 2 pen). HT: 5-22

Counties Manukau v Northland

The pain for Counties Manukau continues as it remains winless in the Championship after going down 15-24 to Northland at Pukekohe on Sunday. Counties Manukau had a 12-3 lead at halftime but an intercept by veteran centre Rene Ranger seemed to lift the Northland side, as they ran in three tries in a 20-minute burst to lock Temo Mayanavanua, hooker Jordan Olsen and wing Pisi Leilua to which the home side could only reply with a Baden Kerr penalty goal. There was still time to secure a win heading into the final 10 minutes but vigorous Northland defence, not least when a series of scrums on the line were held out for the visitors to drive Counties Manukau back into their own territory for the final moments.

Counties Manukau 15 (Kieran Read, A Motuga tries; Baden Kerr con, pen) Northland 24 (T Mayanavanua, J Olsen, P Leilua tries; Dan Hawkins 3 con, pen). HT: 12-3

So that is my 360th blog of the year 2020 (MMXX) & my 20th of this year.

P.S. And Pops took me to the Brick House to meet one of Pops cousins Paul Morgan (Who is the son of the late Vera Morgan) & we had a great time there (I had the prime beef wiener schnitzel with vegetables for my main meal (I had some of Pops chicken salad) before I had that sticky date pudding (With both cream & ice-cream) for dessert).

And it's been just coming up to 11 months since South Africa conquered as they ruled the rugby world & became a global superpower in rugby as they beat England (Who became the All Blacks tormentors in which they successfully conquered them in the semifinal) in last year's Rugby World Cup final at Yokohama in Japan to win their 3rd Rugby World Cup along with New Zealand but the Springboks begin their Rugby Championship title defence against Argentina when the Rugby Championship is held in Australia (Well, I thought it was going to be held in New Zealand but it wasn't to be) between November to December (The AB's quest of regaining the Rugby Championship is against the hosts Australia (Who will be here in New Zealand to take on the All Blacks in the 1st 2 Bledisloe Cup tests in both Wellington on the 11th of October & Auckland on the 18th of October the day after the New Zealand general election but remember, the Wallabies players & coaching staff will have to self quarantine for a fortnight upon arriving in the country) but after the Rugby Championship, the AB's players & coaching staff would be spending Christmas under self isolation since no would be sick people are allowed in to prevent or should I say, stop the spread of COVID-19 because the borders are in fact closed at the moment until the pandemic is over but they sorted it out as the All Blacks will be coming back home for Christmas due to rules regarding to self isolation here in New Zealand are in effect after our match against Australia was originally on December the 12th but it has been moved to the last day of this month on the 31st of October) & South Africa's opening Rugby Championship game against Argentina will be their 1st rugby match since winning the Rugby World Cup last year in Japan (And let's hope that the Springboks wouldn't become the 2nd country to successfully defend the Rugby World Cup (The pinnacle of world rugby while the William Webb Ellis trophy is one of world rugby's most prized possessions) when the next tournament is held in France in 2023 after New Zealand did it against Australia in the final in 2015 (Our most recent Rugby World Cup triumph) in England after winning in 2011 on home soil against France in the final by a single point).

My 1st blog in over a month (2020 Mitre 10 Cup round 2 review)

Well, I'm back but hey guys did you miss me again? Because I haven't been blogging since we went back to level 2 last month until Monday that we are now back on level 1 (The sporting highlights that I have missed including the South Island rugby team winning the inter island rugby match at Sky Stadium in Wellington against the North Island rugby team (Including that match winning try scored by Will Jordan) & 6 new faces in the All Blacks squad under new coach Ian Foster for 2020 including Caleb Clarke (Son of Eroni Clarke), Cullen Grace, Will Jordan, Hoskins Sotutu (Son of Waisake Sotutu), Quentin Strange & Tupou Vaa'i) as well as Arsenal winning the FA Cup & Bayern Munich winning the UEFA Champions League & I've got 2 new games on my PS4 at EB Games such as Project Cars 3 (The game that I like so much (Although most people don't like it because of the ratings) since I don't like the 1st 2 Project Cars games but it features Indycar (Which is America's equivalent of F1 (Which is held worldwide but the teams are based in Europe) & Super Formula (Which is Japan's premier open wheel/single seater racing series which is featured on Gran Turismo Sport along with Japan's premier grand touring series which is Super GT) because of my childhood days of playing the old Indycar Racing computer game (It features the streets of Long Beach, California as well as Laguna Seca in Salinas in the Monterrey county in California & Road America which is located in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin & the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Home of the world famous Indianapolis 500 race which is held annually in Speedway, Indiana) on the old MS-DOS) & Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 (A remake of the first 2 Tony Hawk's Pro Skater games but it is an excellent game, the best PS4 game that I've played (And the ratings of that game had a tremendous but magnificent turnaround from Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5 that I didn't play because of the terrible ratings) except in the Auckland area still under level 2 until 11:59pm tonight.

And here is the review of round 2 of the 2020 Mitre 10 Cup season which got underway a fortnight ago:

Tasman and Waikato are setting the pace in the Premiership while new Ranfurly Shield holder Taranaki is out on its own as the only unbeaten side in the Championship.

Taranaki's successful excursion to Christchurch was the highlight of an action-packed weekend, but Wellington's 39-21 demolition job on Auckland wasn't far behind.

Tasman, after a 54-21 win over Northland and Waikato who beat North Harbour 41-19 are the pacesetters in the competition as the only unbeaten sides in the Premiership.

Tasman 54 Northland 21

Northland got a short, sharp jab to remind them about what life is like at the sharp end of the Mitre 10 Cup from Tasman. The game was only 2min 6sec old when All Blacks' wing Sevu Reece scored the first of his three tries. Northland kept Tasman honest at Lansdowne Park in Blenheim during the first half but the spirit of adventure Tasman play with emerged in the second half with some superb tries. Fullback Will Jordan capped off the best which started in their own 22m area with a kick to the wing from David Havili. With outside backs Fetuli Paea and Leicester Fainga'anuku doing all the hard work to keep the ball alive, Jordan was on hand in support to score. Northland showed plenty of courage with Kara Pryor and Tom Robinson mixing it in the loose.

Tasman 54 (Sevu Reece 3, Leicester Fainga'anuku, Andrew Makalio, Fetuli Paea, Will Jordan, Jacob Norris; Mitchell Hunt 5 con; Tim O'Malley 2 con) Northland 21 (Kara Pryor, Harrison Levien, Lua Li tries; Wiseguy Faiane 3 con). HT: 19-7

Waikato 41 North Harbour 19

Waikato's speed, not only in the backline but also in support play, outdid a North Harbour side who looked useful in their set-piece play but who lacked the level of flair Waikato achieved, from halfback Xavier Roe through first five-eighth Fletcher Smith, second five-eighth Anton Lienert-Brown, centre Quinn Tupaea and replacement wing Valanyce Te Whare to fullback Damian McKenzie, whose try was a classic example of speed and support. Flanker Mitch Jacobson popped up all over the field. However, a try from a lineout drive may never be better demonstrated than that achieved by North Harbour to open their scoring with hooker Luteru Tolai capping a 15m drive. They attempted to repeat from 20m out and while Tolai was stopped just short, lock Jacob Pierce was on hand to pick up and score.

Waikato 41 (Xavier Roe, Quinn Tupaea, Mitch Jacobson, Damian McKenzie, Valynce Te Whare; McKenzie 4 con, pen) North Harbour 19 (Luteru Tolai, Jacob Pierce, Lewis Gjatema tries; Bryn Gatland 2 con). HT: 29-12

Canterbury 22 Taranaki 23

Unrelenting defence, highlighted by an outstanding breakdown/turnover dominance achieved by flanker Lachlan Boshier, saw Taranaki stun Ranfurly Shield holders Canterbury when leading 20-3 at halftime in Christchurch. As was to be expected, the Canterbury [read Crusaders] playing hierarchy stepped up in the second half to reclaim a 22-20 lead with 10 minutes remaining. But fullback Jordie Barrett, who had an off day with his goal-kicking, had no problem with a 50m effort to reclaim the lead which allowed Taranaki to count down the clock to win consecutive challenges against Canterbury on their home soil. Probe as Canterbury might, it couldn't find the line often enough due to resolute defence and in the final count it was a deserved Taranaki victory.

Canterbury 22 (Oli Jager, Richie Mo'unga, Andrew Knewstubb tries; Mo'unga 2 con, pen) Taranaki 23 (Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens 2, Tupou Vaa'i tries; Jordie Barrett con, 2 pen). HT: 3-20

Bay of Plenty 17 Southland 14

This was a good old-fashioned slug-fest, two tries apiece with Bay of Plenty first five-eighths Otere Black's penalty goal the difference on the scoreboard. The nature of the game is reflected in its statistics. Tied up 14-14 at halftime, it had featured some running play from both sides in the first half and then a thorough test of their respective defensive patterns, especially close to their own lines, in the second. Bay of Plenty deserved their win in the end, securing crucial turnovers when it mattered most, not least in the final moments when All Blacks' captain Sam Cane denied Southland a final thrust for victory. By the same token, Southland looked a team on the improve playing with more confidence than it has enjoyed for several seasons.

Bay of Plenty 17 (Fa'asiu Fuatai, Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi tries; Otere Black 2 con, pen) Southland 14 (Amanaki Nicole, Greg Pleasants-Tate tries; Scott Eade 2 con). HT: 14-14

Hawke's Bay 31 Counties Manukau 17

Relishing the opportunity to get their support game flowing, after their disappointing first round loss to Southland, Hawke's Bay turned on the class in a first-half display that left a bridge too far for Counties Manukau to get themselves back in the game in Napier. The visitors hadn't helped themselves when suffering yellow cards to No 8 Sam Slade and lock Mickey Woolliams, their times overlapping for two minutes. All Blacks' halfback Brad Weber scored two tries, one of them an in-the-corner effort while a superb set-piece play from a lineout on halfway saw centre Stacey Ili complete a classic outside break to link with fullback Kurt Baker before wing Lolagi Visinia scored in the corner to give the Bay a 26-10 lead at the turn. They only scored once in the second half but that too was a memorable long-range effort completed by No 8 Devan Flanders.

Hawke's Bay 31 (Brad Weber 2, Lolagi Visinia, Devan Flanders tries; Penalty try; Lincoln McClutchie  2 con) Counties Manukau 17 (Kirisi Kuridrani, Sam Slade tries; Baden Kerr con, pen; Jason Robertson pen). HT: 26-10.

Manawatu 25 Otago 36

Giving away two interceptions is not advisable at the best of times but when Vilimoni Koroi and Michael Collins are on the receiving end that is always going to make life difficult. Manawatu learned that when going down 25-36 to Otago in Palmerston North. Manawatu had looked the more likely when having usual halfback Jamie Booth playing on the wing and scoring the opening try. But Otago struck back when hooker Liam Coltman showed that it wasn't only outside backs who could burst onto the ball at speed to break through gaps to run 20 metres to score. Down 8-36 with 14 minutes remaining, Manawatu did finish in a rush with halfback Aaron Smith scoring twice, one from a classic dart into space around a ruck, and Micaiah Torrence-Read scoring the last of the game.

Manawatu 25 (Jamie Booth, Aaron Smith 2, Micaiah Torrence-Read tries; Ben Wyness pen; Stewart Cruden con) Otago 36 (Vilimoni Koroi 2, Liam Coltman, Freedom Vahaakolo, Michael Collins tries; Josh Ioane 4 con pen). HT: 8-14

Auckland 21 Wellington 39

Hitting Auckland behind the advantage line at every opportunity, Wellington induced multiple mistakes on the home team at Eden Park as they needed to after their first round loss to Waikato. They absorbed early Auckland pressure but unable to turn possession into points, Auckland looked frustrated and Wellington pounced. Flanker Du'Plessis Kirifi kept the pressure on at the breakdown and while Auckland looked to get into positions to score, especially during a scrum fest just out from Wellington's line in the third quarter, they were still unable to produce the points they needed. As a consequence, it was Wellington who had the confidence to finish better with Vince Aso picking up a brace on a day when their outside backs, Peter Umaga-Jensen, Billy Proctor and Wes Goosen all took advantage of opportunities in better fashion than Auckland achieved.

Auckland 21 (Leni Apisai, Jonathan Ruru, Caleb Clarke tries: Harry Plummer 3 con) Wellington 39 (Vince Aso 2, Wes Goosen, Peter Umaga-Jensen, Billy Proctor, Pepesano Patafilo tries; Jackson Garden-Bachop 3 con, pen). HT: 14-29

So that is my 359th blog of the year 2020 (MMXX) & my 19th of this year.