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There are a fair few things you can be forgiven for questioning when it comes to Southland rugby, although yesterday’s effort shown against Manawatu in Palmerston North is not one of them.
The Southland Stags rounded out their Mitre 10 Cup campaign yesterday with a 38-26 loss to Manawatu.
Everything was stacked against the Stags.They were lining up in their third game in the space of just eight days, while Manawatu was coming off a nine-day break.
It was a situation that highlighted what a farce the Mitre 10 Cup format can be at times.
Not helping them was the fact that All Blacks coach Steve Hansen decided to release Nehe Milner-Skudder, Jackson Hemopo, and Ngani Laumape to play in the game.
The end of the season probably could not have come quicker for some of the Southland players, but at least it did not show in the Palmerston North outing.
When in-form Southland lock Manaaki Selby-Rickit knocked the ball on from the kick-off, leading to a Hemopo try after just a minute, it was a scary outlook for the southerners.
Manawatu made it 14-nil in the 16th minute when Laumape made a slicing run and delivered a nice pass to set up flanker Antonio Kiri Kiri to score.
But to the Stags’ credit there was some fight in this group yesterday, despite the sorry-looking season results.
Tighthead prop Morgan Mitchell scored his fourth try of the season and James Wilson scored five minutes later to level it up 14-all at the 26-minute mark.
Milner-Skudder then injected himself into the game, showing good footwork with a run close to a scrum and setting up Laumape to score and push it out to 21-14.
Again, Southland was not done, and five minutes into the second half the scores were levelled again at 21-all when fullback Lewis Ormond scored the first of his two second-half tries.
However, it all came unstuck from the kick-off, when first five-eighth James Wilson had a clearing kick charged down and captain Kiri Kiri waltzed over for his second try. Laumape dealt a telling blow in the 58th minute to push it out to a 14-point margin.
Ormond reduced it to nine points with his second try, before Manawatu’s respect for the Southland challenge put up yesterday was highlighted.
With eight minutes to play, Manawatu opted for a shot at goal through Jade Te Rure to lock in the 38-26 victory.
Both teams struggled to build a lot of phases in an error-riddled game. Southland looked tired at times — unsurprising given its work-load — while Manawatu’s performance did not match the firepower it had on hand.
Stags captain James Wilson said yesterday’s loss mirrored much of the winless 2018 season for the Stags.
"It’s been a tough one right throughout the season," he said.
"There [have] been [some positives] throughout the season, but only in small patches, unfortunately. We haven’t really put in an 80-minute performance all season. That’s what we have lacked and that’s why we haven’t come away with any wins," he said.
He believed Southland rugby would be better for the difficult season.
"These guys are young— some of them, it’s their first season. This experience is going to help them tenfold going forward into next season.
"I’m proud of the boys."
- Logan Savory
Mitre 10 Cup
The scores
Manawatu 38
Antonio Kiri Kiri 2, Ngani Laumape 2, Jackson Hemopo tries; Otere Black 5 con, Jade Te Rure pen
Southland 26
Lewis Ormond 2, James Wilson, Morgan Mitchell tries; Wilson 3 con
Halftime: 21-14.