Taieri breezed into the Dunedin premier club semifinals with comfortable 43-20 win over University at Peter Johnstone Park on Saturday.
The Eels will host Dunedin in one semifinal, while Kaikorai secured home advantage for the other semifinal against Southern.
Taieri 43
University 20
The real Taieri emerged just before the break.
It cut into University’s 13-5 lead with a nicely worked move from a lineout close to the line.
The Eels set up for the maul, but Leroy Ferguson peeled off and strolled through the gap between two defenders.
Josh Casey nailed a sideline conversion, and just like that the defending champion was back on course.
Taieri is unbeaten this season and showed why with a clinical effort in the second half.
The Eels ran in four tries to clinch a home semifinal berth against Dunedin.
University enjoyed the better of the opening half, though.
No8 Will Stodart scored from a 5m scrum and made some damaging runs, Crusaders hooker Ricky Jackson helped his side gain an edge in the scrum and in the close exchanges, and winger Jeremiah Asi needed much more ball because he is a power-packed young man.
But University’s defence out wide and at the back was dodgy. The students were exposed more than once in that area.
Taieri centre Mitchell Scott put in outstanding display. He proved hard to stop and muscled his way over for a late, and well-deserved, try.
Veteran lock Brodie Hume was devastating in the wide channels and made some telling runs in the second spell.
Ferguson bagged two tries from openside and No8 Sam Fischli carried strongly.
Kaikorai 29
Harbour 28
It ended Harbour’s season with a 29-28 win at Watson Park.
Kaikorai brought an intensity to the game that had Harbour scrambling in defence, resulting in it controlling territory and scoring four tries in the opening 30 minutes. That proved the winning of the game.
For the majority of the first half, Harbour’s play centred around midfielder Viliami Fine. It was eventually rewarded when Fine gathered the ball from a breakdown and caught the Demons’ defence napping with a 40m sprint up the guts for a try under the crossbar.
Harbour’s 26-7 deficit at the break had largely been as a result of it being its own worst enemy through ill-discipline and two yellow cards.
The inclusion of forwards Abraham Pole, Saula Ma’u and Phoenix Kairimu off the bench for the second half put a totally different complexion on Harbour’s game as it took control with three quickfire tries and Kaikorai struggled to counter the onslaught.
With 20 minutes remaining and Harbour ahead 28-26, Kaikorai called on its bench players, resulting in an enthralling forward battle as Kaikorai slowly clawed its way back into the match.
And, as Kaikorai positioned for a possible drop goal in the final minutes, ill-discipline came back to haunt the Hawks when Nic Proffit slotted a penalty from right in front to gain a place in next Saturday’s home semifinal against Southern.
Southern 41
Dunedin 32
Both sides scored six tries in this encounter but that is where the comparisons end.
The game, as is often the case, was won at the breakdown.
Southern generally controlled its own possession whereas Dunedin turned it over well into the late double digits.
The number of loose carries from Dunedin bordered on the ridiculous and the tigerish Southern pack made the Sharks pay dearly.
The Magpies led 22-5 at the break and such was their control, Dunedin was never going to mount the big comeback like last week.
The score blew out to 41-17 with 15 minutes to go before Dunedin woke up to some extent with three late tries to bring some respectability to the scoreline.
Winger Dylan Hook scored a brace for Southern, and hooker Jake McEwan, the game’s best player, also cashed in with a couple.
Prop Sonny Mulipola was not far behind McEwan as they monstered the beleaguered Dunedin pack.
Flankers Harry Taylor and Jordan Dwight were all over Dunedin at the breakdown, while Jack Leslie orchestrated well for the Southern backline and Hook was a solid finisher out wide.
Lock Konrad Lotu L’iga was Dunedin’s best and No8 Hame Toma never gave up with some strong carries. Young replacement flanker Jay Davis certainly made an impact when he came on and showed some startling pace to score a try from 40m out.
Southern, if it can maintain the momentum up front, will be a force to be reckoned with in its semifinal against Kaikorai, but Dunedin has a mountain of work to do to get anywhere near champion-elect Taieri in the other semifinal.
Dunedin playoffs
The scores
Taieri 43 (Leroy Ferguson 2, Josh Casey, Kace O’Neill, Jesse Hutton, Mitchell Scott tries: Casey 5 con, pen); University 20 (Will Stodart, Ricky Jackson tries; Jacob Waikari-Jones 2 con, 2 pen). Halftime: University 13-12.
Kaikorai 29 (Jonah Aoina 2, Filipo Whitehouse-Opetaia Tovio, Jake Russ tries; Nic Proffit 3 con, pen); Harbour 28 (Viliami Fine, Austin Atiga, Obey Samate, Saula Ma’u tries: Samate 4 con). Halftime: Kaikorai 26-7.
Southern 41 (Dylan Hook 2, Jake McEwan 2, Mackenzie Haugh tries, penalty try; Jack Leslie 3 con, pen); Dunedin 32 (Rohan Wingham, Ben Paku, Jay Davis, Tim Hogan, Konrad Lotu L’iga, Josh Retter tries; Paku con). Halftime: Southern 22-5.
-- Rugby Writers
