Otago rugby fan Paul McDonald reviews the ITM Cup semifinals and shares his picks for the finals.
Although Otago had Tasman to thank for their home semi-final, they were not about to grant their northern rivals any favours in the opening clash of the weekend.
Glenn Dickson has done a superb job as caretaker captain for the injured Paul Grant, but the leadership Grant provided in the Otago forward pack has been missed.
Luckily, Adam Thomson was on hand to fill the void.
Thomson has been underutilised in the Rugby Championship, but he has travelled with the All Blacks to provide cover for the other loose forwards.
Because of this, he has only been able to play a cameo role in the ITM Cup, adding his experience to a young Otago side when released from national duty.
Although Otago took the early lead through a try to young Green Island lock Jackson Hemopo, Tasman fought back and was in control for most of the match.
A pair of intercept tries almost sealed the deal for Tasman, but Otago's ability to rise from the dead - on and off the field - has been the highlight of 2012.
The men in blue and gold scored 23 points in the final quarter, winning the game 41-34 and gaining their place in the Championship final.
Counties vs Southland
Tana Umaga's team has taken the Championship division by storm this year, and there was no doubt fourth-placed Southland would face an uphill battle.
However, it wasn't all plain sailing for Counties. The Stags led for the majority of the match and it took a late lapse in the Southland defence for the Steelers to gain momentum.
The match was marred by an incident in the early stages of the game. Former Highlander Hoani MacDonald suffered a cardiac arrest and, after receiving CPR, was whisked away to Middlemore Hospital where he was placed in an induced coma.
MacDonald's condition is improving, but the incident should be considered when the NZRU reviews the provincial competition at the end of the year.
Who will win the Championship final?
Counties have been the form side in the Championship this year and Coach Tana Umaga can be proud of what they have achieved.
On this basis alone my pick would have gone the way of the Steelers, but the return to the Otago team of All Black trio Tamati Ellison, Ben Smith and Adam Thomson may change things.
Otago have proven what a difference these players make when they combine with Tony Brown's young talent. Northland and North
Harbour couldn't handle Otago with two All Blacks, and three may just be enough to see them have the edge over Counties.
Prediction - Otago by 12 or under.
Canterbury vs Taranaki
The final score read 51-27, which perhaps reflects the dominance the red and blacks have shown in previous weeks.
However, it did not reflect how agonisingly close Taranaki came to upsetting Canterbury.
After the scores were locked at 27-all, 20 minutes were added to the clock to break the deadlock.
This is where Canterbury showed their class with some superb running rugby that shattered Taranaki's hopes of gaining a spot in the Premiership final.
Beauden Barrett will be lamenting what might have been after he missed the final conversion that would have won them the match.
Wellington vs Auckland
The Lions horror-run of provincial play-offs continued with a 33-22 loss to Auckland.
Wellington played some exciting rugby and dominated for most of the match but some poor decisions close to their line cost them dearly.
Auckland took advantage of these mistakes and broke the Lions' hearts yet again. With the score at 22-14 the northern team clawed back the deficit and went on to win by 11, earning them a spot in the final.
Who will win the Premiership final?
The boys from the City of Sails will have to order their latte to go this week as they head south to Christchurch to face a formidable Canterbury team.
They will huff and they will puff, and they may even lead in the early stages. But as they have done all season, the red and blacks will rain on their parade in the final 10 minutes.
Prediction - Canterbury by 13 to 20
• Paul McDonald is a Media and Communications student at the University of Canterbury.
