Seriously?????????

[Strathen]

North Harbour 35 - Otago 23

North Harbour storm back to defeat Otago
NZPA

Malakai Ravulo scored two second half tries as North Harbour scored 26 unanswered points to storm to a 35-23 win over Otago in the ITM Cup rugby championship tonight.

Two tries in two minutes helped Otago to a 23-9 lead before halftime and they looked a good chance to lift themselves off the bottom of the NPC table.

Otago's Glenn Dickson and North Harbour's Ben Botica traded penalties in the first 20 minutes, Botica's penalties both coming from Otago chasers being caught ahead of the kicker.

The southerners had the best of the play however, and they were rewarded with two tries in two minutes shortly after the 20 minute mark. Replacement prop Halani Aulika was first to score, smuggling the ball from a ruck to charge 5m to score.

Shortly afterwards winger Joe Hill won the race to a Ben Smith kick to score near the corner. Dickson converted both to put Otago to a 20-6 lead.

Further penalties to Botica and Dickson before halftime saw the visitors take a 14 point lead at the break.

But a half-time rev-up from coach Craig Dowd awakened North Harbour and they quickly got back in the game.

Two more Botica penalties got Harbour moving, and then in the 55th minute a lineout steal gave the home team possession close to the Otago line, and a few phases later flanker Malakai Ravulo forced his way over the line. Botica's conversion brought North Harbour within one point.

North Harbour were by this time dominating, and a regular stream of breakdown penalties given away by Otago cost them the lead.

Luke McAlister, who took over the goalkicking after Botica was substituted, put the home team in front for the first time in the 61st minute, and he stretched the lead to four points three minutes later.

The home team secured the win when Ravulo latched onto a speculator pass from Otago winger Fetu'u Vainikolo with three minutes to play and he ran 10m to score.

North Harbour captain Michael Reid said the team was confident they could turn around the half-time deficit if they maintained possession, especially as Otago were playing after just a five-day break.

"We put some phases together and put them under pressure. We knew they had a short turnaround and they looked pretty buggered in the end," he said.

"We kept working them wide to wide and it came off in the end."

Otago captain Alando Soakai bemoaned his team's errors and penalty rate in the second half.
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"We gave away silly penalties. It just mounts up," he said.

"It's a bit of a let down as soon as you give away six points and all of a sudden they score two easy tries and it's pretty hard to get back up."

The win lifts North Harbour to eight competition points, while Otago remain rooted to the foot of the table on one point.

North Harbour 35 (Malakai Ravulo 2 tries; Ben Botica con, 5 pen; Luke McAlister 2 pen, con) Otago 23 (Halani Aulika, Joe Hill tries; Glenn Dickson 2 con, 3 pen). Halftime 9-23.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/provincial/4042400/North-Harbour-storm-back-to-defeat-Otago

[Strathen]

It's times like this that really test your resolve as an Otago supporter. Does this guarantee us relegation? We deserve it.

A good lead at half time, only to let ourselves get outplayed by a North Harbour that has looked pedestrian all year. Fingers crossed Northland don't put 77 points on us like they did to Manawatu.

 

[ROAMER]

I think it is time to dispare, fer godsake what are they playing at 

[Old lock]

From the ODT

Rugby: Otago facing another week in the cellar
Home » Sport » Rugby
By Steve Hepburn on Fri, 20 Aug 2010
 
Otago's Hayden Triggs hands off a pass in the tackle of North Harbour's Mike Reid during last night's ITM Cup match at North Harbour Stadium. In the background is Glenn Dickson. Photo from NZPA. A woeful second half saw Otago slump to a 35-23 loss to North Harbour in Auckland last night, leaving it rooted to the bottom of the table.
Ahead by 14 points at the break, Otago never fired a shot in the second stanza, as Harbour, riding on the back of a favourable penalty count, ended up a convincing winner.

The loss, the fourth in a row, leaves any chance of making the all-important top seven at the end of the season a forlorn hope.

Otago will stay at the bottom of the ITM Cup for at least another week, and realistically must win all the rest of its games to get into the top seven.

Otago did not score a point in the second period, while Harbour got 26, and was running on as the game ended.

The visiting side was looking comfortable at the break, up 23-9, and started the second half well, but could not get over the tryline.

And then its game fell apart, with too many knock-ons, poor options and indiscipline.

Worryingly, its energy levels went down the further the game went on.

Referee Bryce Lawrence penalised Otago by more than two to one in the match, so Otago just could not get out of its half.

Harbour sealed the win in the dying stages when Otago winger Fetu'u Vainikolo, trying to run from his line, threw a wayward pass and it was picked up by Harbour flanker Malakai Ravulo, who cantered over to score his second try.

Otago coach Phil Mooney was at a loss to explain what unfolded in the second half.

"I do not know what happened.

Things we spoke about doing we just went away from," he said.

"You saw the best of it and the worst of it over 80 minutes.

It was very disappointing.

"We spoke at halftime about specific things we wanted to do and we started well for the first five minutes.

"But then we started drifting away and I and David [assistant coach David Latta] can't explain it."

The first 20 minutes of the match rather meandered along and neither side could keep its hands on the ball for a long enough period.

The ball was being turned over too often from both the teams, and two penalties apiece by Glenn Dickson and Ben Botica was the best the teams could manage.

But Otago, in its first sustained attack, got the first five pointer after 22 minutes, with replacement prop Halani Aulika getting across the line.

Otago nudged it towards the line through a series of phases.

Then Aulika, who looked strong on the break, burst out of a ruck to the home team's surprise and could not be stopped by the back-pedalling defence.

That try was followed by another score straight from the kick-off.

The ball bounced up to centre Ben Smith and he put the pedal down.

When blocked 35m out, he cleverly kicked ahead and winger Joe Hill showed his pace to be the quickest to the ball.

All of a sudden, Otago was 14 points up, and although Harbour came back well, the visitor managed to keep its line intact for the rest of the half.

Botica nudged over a penalty three minutes from the break, but Dickson immediately replied with a penalty in the last act of the first period.

Otago had little territory or possession in the first half, but its defence was sound, while North Harbour showed poor ball security.

But the first half became a distant memory for Otago as it imploded after halftime.

No 8 Adam Thomson tried hard for Otago, and lock Hoani Matenga got through plenty of work.

Smith set up the try well, and fullback Chris Small did little wrong, and was wrongly called at a critical time for kicking the ball outside the 22m line.

The scrums were, as usual, a mess, although worrying for Otago, prop Sam Hibbard and hooker Liam Coltman both left the field with shoulder injuries.




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It must be tough for a quality player like Thommo. He lost his AB slot and is now having to carry a last place side.
 

[Reformed]

Sorry chaps... Seems as if Otago has finally hit rock bottom... and have started to dig.

[ROAMER]

one thing with digging is that if you dig deep enough you will come out on top

[Reformed]

Now you know that it aint true... whoever told you that rubbish? 

[ROAMER]

Cause it's true!!  I told my self so!

[Reformed]

Ahhhh, well now. You keep n telling yourself hogwash like that sooner'n'later you'll be beleiving yourself too!!! Halelujaaa Brother!... 

[ROAMER]

Told myself the abs would win in sa too

[Reformed]

... I think that was a fact like water is wet...

[ROAMER]

i kno i told me so ..

[Reformed]

Don't talk to yourself too much... some might say it's not healthy... 
Next thing you'll loose an argument... with yourself... and then be angry... with yourself... for being better or cleverer... than yourself. That'll just make you more angry... and then you'll know what's wrong with PdV

[ROAMER]

yeah... he told me self too!!

[Reformed]

That's what he said...