Auckland 14
Baden Kerr knocked over a 76th-minute penalty from halfway to help Counties Manukau upset Auckland in Pukekohe tonight.
The Steelers were semifinalists in last year's Mitre 10 Cup Premiership but were coming up against a talent-laden visitors lineup that boasted three All Blacks. Yet Counties managed to control much of an uninspiring contest at a soggy ECOLight Stadium, with Kerr's boot accounting for the two-tries-to-one disparity.
The first five almost played the villain, missing an earlier penalty from a handy position before redeeming himself with an impressive nudge four minutes from fulltime.
Counties then nearly threw away the game after being deceived by the on-field clock, with Kerr kicking over the sideline to seemingly seal victory. But the official clock still showed enough time for Auckland to string together a 16-phase move inside the opposition 22, with the match ending only after the TMO adjudged Akira Ioane to have been held up over the line.
The conditions in Pukekohe were greeted with glee by some kids in the crowd, who spent much of the match throwing themselves down a lengthy mudslide fashioned on the banks, but they hardly conducive to running rugby.
The first half barely featured a line break as both sides wisely opted to keep it tight, with Counties gradually taking command of possession and finding reward. Having opted three times to kick for the corner rather than take the three points on offer, openside flanker Fotu Lokotui soon made that decision a wise one by crashing over after an effective lineout drive.
But Auckland hit back when Steelers No 8 Sam Henwood was sent to the sin bin for a big hit on Jordan Trainor, with Jono Hickey cleverly planting the ball against the posts while the visitors were enjoying numerical ascendancy.
Counties were unable to add to their solitary try even after being restored to their full complement, being doomed throughout by committing too many turnovers and making too many handling errors.
And Auckland eventually made their hosts pay for their mistakes, with Malakai Fekitoa finishing off the best move of the match after Dan Bowden dropped a fine grubber behind the opposition defence.
Fortunately for the mud-covered fans watching on, Kerr soon settled the result in impressive style, allowing Counties to open their campaign with a win ahead of next weekend's trip to Waikato. Auckland, meanwhile, will be confident of bouncing back when they host Northland.
Counties Manukau 16 (F. Lokotui try; B. Kerr con, 3 pens)
Auckland 14 (J. Hickey, M. Fekitoa tries; J. Hickey 2 cons)
Halftime: 10-7
