Hawke's Bay will be keen to show that its late season resurrection is not a flash in the pan against Northland in Napier on Thursday.
HEAD TO HEAD: Hawke's Bay vs Northland
VENUE & TIME: McLean Park, Napier, Thursday October 7 2010 , 19.35 NZT.
Hawke's Bay carried on with its 'nearly' season, drawing against Auckland after two late goal attempts narrowly missed and denied the Magpies their first win on Eden Park since 1969. The Bay has taken points from its last seven matches, and all five against the Super rugby bases, but still has only two wins on the board in what is a season that must be testing the team's fortitude. It could have been so much better, if only ... Northland, on the other hand, has recently had the air let out of its tyres and a promising season is in danger of slumping to a disappointing end. There were plenty of good moments against Waikato but enough bad ones to let the Mooloos get away to a big, and eventually uncatchable, lead. The two results last weekend have probably condemned both sides to a lower-half finish but they remain the only two sides that have even a faint chance of bridging the existing gap.
The Hawke's Bay forwards have finally hit their straps and last week the scrum, anchored by Anthony Perenise, was strong. This allowed young Trent Boswell-Wakefield to have one of his best games at this level, which he capped with a gymnastic effort for a try. The backline looked sharper than at any time this year and several clean breaks were made, helped along by quick service from Chris Eaton and Kahn Fotuali'i in the halves. Northland will be pleased for Pat O'Connor, whose good season has been rewarded with a place in the Wallaby training squad. Dean Budd continues his impressive season and must surely be attracting attention from the various Super rugby teams. Aaron Bancroft brings many talents to the midfield, while Lachie Munro, despite an indifferent day with the boot last week, continues to lead the championship scoring table by some margin.
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The Hawke's Bay forwards have finally hit their straps and last week the scrum, anchored by Anthony Perenise, was strong. This allowed young Trent Boswell-Wakefield to have one of his best games at this level, which he capped with a gymnastic effort for a try. The backline looked sharper than at any time this year and several clean breaks were made, helped along by quick service from Chris Eaton and Kahn Fotuali'i in the halves. Northland will be pleased for Pat O'Connor, whose good season has been rewarded with a place in the Wallaby training squad. Dean Budd continues his impressive season and must surely be attracting attention from the various Super rugby teams. Aaron Bancroft brings many talents to the midfield, while Lachie Munro, despite an indifferent day with the boot last week, continues to lead the championship scoring table by some margin.
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