The Stags slumped to their fifth straight loss in the NPC when they fell to a 41-28 defeat to Wellington in Invercargill on Saturday.
There is a generous playoff system — four teams out of seven in each pool get a chance to extend their season — and the Stags have at least got four bonus points out of the first half of their campaign, but it is a reasonable bet they will have little to play for in the coming weeks but pride.
Oh, but did we say something about a shield?
Southland still has one significant chance to make 2022 a bit special when it heads to Napier this weekend to challenge Hawke’s Bay for the Ranfurly Shield.
Stags Nation loves a good shield reign, and it would be just the tonic for a rugby province that is trying hard and often highly competitive but is just not good enough right now to be much more than a nuisance.
The Stags looked keen and committed in the first half at Rugby Park, leading 3-0 after 24 minutes and 13-7 after 36.
Talk about false dawns. Wellington, which had been a bit sleepy, rattled on two tries in the dying stages of the half, the second a belter to Highlanders fullback Connor Garden-Bachop.
It was wind-out-of-sails time, and Wellington rubbed salt into the wound when veteran winger Nehe Milner-Skudder grabbed a brace to start the second spell.
The Stags finished strongly — their third try, to new loose forward Blair Ryall in the last minute, was wonderful — but the final result was all too familiar.
Their fans will hope that special shield helps create something special this weekend.
NPC
The scores
Wellington 41
Nehe Milner-Skudder 2, Asafo Aumua, Sione Halalilo, Connor Garden-Bachop, Aidan Morgan tries; Aidan Morgan 3 con, Jackson Garden-Bachop con, pen
Southland 28
Morgan Mitchell, Quinn Harrison-Jones, Blair Ryall tries; Robbie Robinson 2 con, 3pen
Halftime: Wellington 21-13.
