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Auckland end Canterbury's reign in front of 20,000

By Sam Warlow
Auckland captain TJ Faiane makes a break during the Mitre 10 Cup Premiership Final. Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images

Alama Ieremia’s first year in charge of Auckland has ended in dramatic fashion.

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A home crowd of over 20,000 were treated to an unforgettable spectacle that injected life back into the competition and will go down as one of the greatest finals in provincial rugby history.

It took Auckland 100 minutes of play as they marched to a thrilling overtime victory over Canterbury, securing their first provincial title since 2007 and their 17th all-time, robbing the visitors of a tenth title in the last eleven seasons.

Canterbury dictated play in the early stages, dominating possession and territory. Rewards were slow to arrive, but they eventually did in the form of a penalty from new All Black Brett Cameron and a penalty try after pressuring Auckland close to the line.

Auckland’s star Number Eight Akira Ioane was shown a yellow card after the infringement, and Canterbury capitalised in his absence.

Canterbury fullback George Bridge crossed for his side’s second try just minutes after Ioane’s binning after a beautiful inside ball from centre Braydon Ennor, but the short-handed Auckland erased the score shortly after, with quick-thinking captain taking a quick tap and finding centre Tumua Manu on his inside for a score under the posts.

Ieremia’s Auckland side refused to lay down despite facing a 20-7 halftime deficit, with Ioane scoring a try after the break that would spark a remarkable comeback.

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Consecutive scores from fullback Jordan Trainor and replacement wing Caleb Clarke along with tough conversions from Plummer saw scores level at 26 with just minutes to play.

The home side had the chance to steal victory after working for an incredible 33 phases close to the line. They were unable to set up a drop-goal attempt and the final siren sounded with scores still locked.

The sides traded scores in the first overtime period, with Auckland dotting down next to the posts as the siren sounded.

Replacement halfback Leon Fukofuka decided the match early in the second overtime period as the beneficiary of a Melani Nanai sideline streak, crossing for the decisive try after 92 minutes of play.

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The title is a great reward and signifier of how far this Auckland side has come in 2018. Under Ieremia’s tutelage the province have successfully gone from just one point away from relegation to national champions.

Ioane was a workhorse for the home side, carrying 20 times for 79 yards and a try while loose forward partner Evan Olmstead was a standout on the defensive end. The Canadian international led all players with 14 tackles – with none missed – and two turnovers won in the number six shirt.

Luke Whitelock was a linchpin for Canterbury, racking up 23 tackles and winning three turnovers of his own.

Canterbury will rue missed opportunities as they were unable to match Auckland’s intensity in the second spell, with possession statistics reversing over the final 60 minutes.

AUCKLAND 40 (Manu, Ioane, Trainor, Clarke, Sosene-Feagai, Fukofuka tries; Plummer 4 cons) CANTERBURY 33 (Penalty Try, Bridge, Sanders tries; Cameron 2 cons, 4 pens) HT 7-20

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Jon 7 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 10 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

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A
Adrian 12 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

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