Makos beat Auckland to clinch final semifinal berth
The Tasman Makos have clinched the final play-off berth after a convincing 31-18 win over Auckland in their Mitre 10 Cup premiership rugby clash in Nelson on Sunday.
Tasman's brief was clear heading into the match. Beat Auckland and the fourth playoff spot was theirs.
It was by no means a straightforward assignment, Auckland full of confidence after a big win over Bay of Plenty and Tasman playing their second game in five days on a sodden Trafalgar Park.
However, they maintained their intensity throughout to become the first team this season to win both their Wednesday and Sunday contests.
Tasman head coach Leon MacDonald was delighted with the team's performance.
"I'm really proud of the effort and [after] a four-day turnaround, to come out in conditions like that and put that sort of effort in was fantastic," he said.
"I think we got a good balance. I thought we had the best of the field position because some of our kicking was good from our drivers and when there were opportunities in front of us, we played with our eyes up, we looked really good and we used the ball when it was the right time.
"The decision-making and the balance to our game was really good."
But as they've done all season, the under-performing Aucklanders struggled for consistency as the battle-weary Makos appeared absolutely determined not to waste their opportunity of another extended season.
Auckland the early pressure, recycling effectively in the wet conditions as they worked through the phases. That territorial dominance translated into an early 6-0 lead through the boot of halfback Jono Hickey as handling errors continued to frustrate the home team.
But it was Tasman that opened the try-scoring when flanker Vern Fredericks crossed out wide following an excellent break by lock Shannon Frizell to take some of the sting out of Auckland's confident start.
Tasman looked creative with ball in hand, fullback Will Jordan penetrative at the back and centre Levi Aumua powerful on the carry. But it was halfback Billy Guyton, in his 50th game for Tasman, who consolidated the home side's advantage when he lunged over from a ruck on Auckland's line before also landing the difficult sideline conversion for a 12-6 lead.
Auckland's initial confidence appeared to dissipate even further when a loose lineout slap found Fredericks and eventually fellow flanker Ethan Blackadder for Tasman's third try and a handy 19-6 lead.
Auckland's frustration mounted when big Fijian winger Joeseva Ravouvou was held up over the line by Tasman midfielder Trael Joass as the home team took a 13-point lead into the break.
Tasman had their tryscoring bonus when Jordan finished a clever blindside attack off a slick pass from his winger James Lowe to push the score out to 26-6 just seven minutes after the restart.
It took Auckland 55 minutes to score their first try, but it came at an opportune time when flanker Taleni Seu dived across in the corner following a couple of penalty concessions by Tasman.
Clever interplay between Lowe, Jordan and lock Shannon Frizell had Frizell across in the corner for a 20-point lead midway through the half as Auckland's frustration continued to mount.
Auckland again struggled to maximise the team's impressive individual array of talent as Tasman produced one of their more effective team performances of the season.
It was certainly one of Tasman's better defensive efforts, despite letting lock Ben Nee-Nee in for a late consolation try with time virtually up. The loose forward trio of Blackadder, Fredericks and Jordan Taufua played key roles in Tasman's defensive structure, with Tasman's forwards always willing to shift bodies in the physical exchanges.
Young lock Pari Pari Parkinson also continues to impress with each outing.
AT A GLANCE
Tasman 31 (Vern Fredericks, Billy Guyton, Ethan Blackadder, Will Jordan, Shannon Frizell tries, Guyton 3 con) Auckland 18 (Taleni Seu, Ben Nee-Nee tries, Jono Hickey 2 pen, Harry Plummer con) HT: 19-6.
