NPC: Taranaki host Makos in Final
Taranaki will host Tasman in the NPC Premiership Final in New Plymouth next Saturday.
This follows after Colin Cooper's Taranaki advanced to the grand finale of New Zealand's premier domestic competition with an exciting 49-30 win over Auckland at the same venue on Saturday.
In the other semifinal on Saturday the Makos beat the defending champion Canterbury team 26-6 in Nelson – to earn the right to travel to New Plymouth next week.
It also means new champions will be crowned, after Canterbury's impressive six-year reign was brought to an end on Saturday.
In the first play-off match it was a match of dominating periods for both sides, from the host's two try opening broadside in seven minutes, to how Auckland drew level in the first half, before Taranaki took control of the game but not before once again the blue and whites would menace again.
With the scores locked at 30-all after regulation time, the 2014 domestic season saw the first extra-time contest.
However, Taranaki lifted to another level in the final 20 of the 100 minute contest, scoring three tries in additional time to secure the home decider.
The Amber and Blacks, three-time winners of the NPC Second Division (1985, 1992 and 1995) and a further four-time champions of the 'North Island Second Division' (1976, 1982, 1983 and 1984) have a chance to claim their first outright major crown.
* In the other semifinal Canterbury's golden era of NPC dominance was ended in the semifinal stages by a Tasman side that used aggressive defence to the utmost to set up a 26-6 victory at Trafalgar Park on Saturday.
Tasman who went from winning promotion from the Championship section last year now find themselves in the Premiership Final against Taranaki in New Plymouth next week having ended the six Championships run by their Crusaders neighbours.
The semifinals were a triumph for country rugby – the first time a Final is to be contested by two non-Super Rugby franchise bases.
After looking invincible in the first weeks of the competition, Canterbury came undone when meeting lowly North Harbour, and the complexion of their season changed entirely.
The pressure was evident in their 10-38 round-robin loss to Tasman, and with their last chance on Saturday, they were unsettled by the relentlessness of the home team's defensive assault – a tactic that allowed Canterbury's backs no room to manoeuvre.
Backing that was the consistent pressure applied by flank Shane Christie, prop Ross Geldenhuys and hooker Quentin MacDonald. Behind them was the ever-present old hand All Black Jimmy Cowan who had a fine match.
Compounding Canterbury's frustration was the way the likes of No.8 Liam Squire and lock Joe Wheeler attacked their line-out and the harder Canterbury tried, the more vulnerable they were to mistakes. Three times in the final quarter, Canterbury lost ball after line-out plays five metres from the Tasman line.
It summed up the frustrations of Canterbury's game.
Premiership semifinal scores and scorers!
Taranaki 49-30 Auckland
Scorers:
Taranaki:
Tries: R Marshall, Crosswell, J Marshall, Naholo, Thomson, Ormond
Cons: Rei 3, McKenzie 2
Pens: Rei 3
Auckland:
Tries: Anscombe, Moala 2
Cons: Anscombe 3
Pens: Anscombe 3
Tasman 2-6 Canterbury
Scorers:
Tasman:
Tries: Lowe, Cowan
Cons: Banks 2
Pens: Banks 4
Canterbury:
Pens: Taylor 2