The Spirit showed creativity in the loss to premiership side Canterbury in an 80-minute game in the morning. But the 30-minute run against Tasman in the afternoon was mostly disappointing.
While the Spirit won the encounter with Tasman 7-5, the team was fatigued and the performance was lacklustre.
That said, it was a valuable exercise in preparation for the Spirit's opening games against Taranaki at Forsyth Barr Stadium on September 8.
"We got what we wanted out of it against Canterbury," Manson said.
"We pushed them and probably duffed three certain tries. It is good to know we can put ourselves in a position to put points on.
"We just need to be a bit more accurate and finish the job."
Canterbury emerged victorious, 46-21.
"It wasn't really about the score, though."
The Spirit's defensive pattern needs some fine-tuning and the tackling technique of some of the players will require some attention as well. But overall, Manson felt the team had stuck to its defensive structures well.
"The defence looks pretty good. It is more about how
we get them down faster to stop them before the gainline."
The workout against Tasman was "disappointing", though.
Manson said his side looked "gassed", lacked accuracy and the pack failed to dominate the way he hoped.
"We turned over too much pill and did not look after our ball carriers very well. And Tasman did really well to put us under pressure."
The Spirit has some tough decisions to make in the
midfield, with Sam Hollows, Amy du Plessis and Teilah Ferguson all competing with Black Fern Kilisitina Moata'ane for a starting spot in the midfield.
Hannah Stolba has shone at first five-eighth and Rosie Kelly is another strong option in the pivot's jersey.
Bree Thomas has shown promise at openside and Greer Muir has made a smooth transition from the midfield to a loose forward role.
• Canterbury under-19 came back from 25-7 down with 25 minutes to go to win 34-32 against Otago under-19 at Linfield Park in Christchurch.
