Northland vs Auckland
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Someone tackle that Taniwha mascot. Calling @WillieTheWaiter
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Great 2nd half where everybody stood up. Akira showed his class just when he was getting written off (myself included) which really shows the character of the man as he has been played into the ground this year but still finds a way to get back up and mark his presence. Lemalu I felt made a huge difference to our rolling maul defence as he's a real nuisance in there. Fukofuka was my MOTM. He's been outstanding so far especially with that try he set up for Nanai. Rayasi, Manu and Plummer also were impressive in the backline and Gibson continued to tackle all day. We probably won't go all the way in this comp, but great to see them playing with a bit of pride after a disasterous 2017.
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Anyone else suspect that if the young Umaga turns out to be good enough he will stay and have a crack at the ABs.
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What's really encouraging is how organised the team looks on both attack and defense despite not a huge amount of experience.
Especially in the backline, which is very young, these guys are having to learn on the job and are making a decent fist of it and clearly look well drilled. You'd have to think coaching is playing a huge part in all of this. You'd have to think this much more beneficial for their development than being stuck on the bench whilst an 'experienced' (journeyman) player starts in front of them.
