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Tasman claim maiden Mitre 10 Cup title with tense victory over Wellington

By Alex McLeod
Jordan Taufua makes a break during the Mitre 10 Cup final between Tasman and Wellington. (Photo by Evan Barnes/Getty Images)

Tasman have won the Mitre 10 Cup title for the first time in their 13-year history, downing Wellington in a tight affair at Trafalgar Park in Nelson.

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The Mako headed into the encounter as favourites after finishing the regular season undefeated, leading them to a semi-final clash against Auckland last week, of which they came away as 18-9 victors.

Wellington, on the other hand, came into the knockout stages as the competition’s second-seeded team, and reached the final after dispatching 14-time champions Canterbury 30-19 in Wellington last Saturday.

Continue reading below…

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As such, the hosts started the match as firm favourites to emerge as champions, and a pair of early penalties to incoming Highlanders playmaker Mitch Hunt did no harm to their chances.

It took his opposite Jackson Garden-Bachop three attempts in the ensuing eight minutes to finally land a successful kick at goal, but a burst through the Lions’ defence by electric wing Will Jordan killed any momentum just moments later.

Hunt and Garden-Bachop went on to exchange further eight points from the boot between them, but a 23rd minute try to David Havili following an error from the re-start by Vince Aso extended Tasman’s lead by 23-6.

A Garden-Bachop penalty four minutes later was followed by an Alex Fidow try on the half-hour mark, which came after some good continuity from the Wellington forward pack deep inside Mako territory.

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That left the half-time score at 23-14 in favour of the hosts, but a penalty to Hunt 10 minutes pushed the buffer out by a further three points.

What followed was a tense period of play which lasted for more than 25 minutes, as both sides struggled for break each other’s defence with both side’s title hopes on the line.

Two missed shots at goal by Hunt and long-range specialist Havili added to the drama, and with time ticking away, the desperation shown by Wellington to salvage a try and close the gap on the scoreboard became more and more evident.

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However, a runaway try scored by Jordan on the back of a handling error by Wellington captain Du’Plessis Kirifi with two minutes to play killed off any hope of a late Lions comeback, and in doing so, the Mako etched their name into New Zealand provincial rugby history for the first time.

The win provided a raft of departing stars with the perfect sendoff, with the likes of Wyatt Crockett, Liam Squire and Jordan Taufua playing in their final matches for the province.

Tasman 31 (Tries to Will Jordan (2), David Havili; 2 conversions, 4 penalties to Mitch Hunt)

Wellington 14 (Try to Alex Fidow; 3 penalties to Jackson Garden-Bachop)

Rugby World Cup sandwich survey with All Blacks legend Justin Marshall:

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Jon 6 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 9 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 10 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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