It's New Zealand's big north-south derby in Final
NATIONAL PROVINCIAL CHAMPIONSHIP WRAP: Auckland will host Canterbury next Saturday for the first time in a provincial Final, after a professional 38-17 Premiership semifinal victory over Wellington at Eden Park.
The home side racked up five tries, dominating the breakdown, as it has done for most of this redemptive season.
Wellington, conversely, despite moments with the initiative, failed to sustain pressure for long periods.
Most prominent of all was No.8 Akira Ioane, who missed All Blacks selection earlier in the week.
His riposte was a standout effort, scoring two tries and setting one up.
Funnily enough, his Wellington opposite Teariki Ben-Nicholas also had a fine game with several surging runs.
The scorers
For Auckland:
Tries: Akira Ioane 2, Melani Nanai, Fa’atiga Lemalu, Marco Fepuleai
Cons: Harry Plummer 5
Pen: Plummer
For Wellington:
Tries: Wes Goosen, Teariki Ben-Nicholas
Cons: Jackson Garden-Bachop 2
Pen: Garden-Bachop
* In the Championship (second tier) semifinals Waikato have swiftly bounced back from losing the Ranfurly Shield by dispatching Northland 48-26 to reach the Final, which they will host next Friday.
The Mooloos ran in six tries, four of them to wing Sevu Reece, who now goes to the top of the try-scoring list with 12, while first five Fletcher Smith contributed 18 points with a flawless eight from eight kicking display.
Yet Waikato had to a withstand a fierce Taniwha challenge in the opening half hour, during which the visitors' backline made hay with some razzle-dazzle rugby.
Waikato looked briefly rattled. But, in the final analysis, the home side had the edge in the scrums and the loose, Reece in clinical finishing form and Smith running the cutter with aplomb.
The scorers
For Waikato:
Tries: Sevu Reece 4, Samisoni Taukei'aho, Jack Stratton
Cons: Fletcher Smith 6
Pens: Smith 2
For Northland:
Tries: Sam Nock, Scott Gregory, Matt Wright, Jono Kitto
Cons: Jack Debreczeni 3
* Meanwhile Otago will venture north to Hamilton to play Waikato, the team they took the Ranfurly Shield off two weeks ago, in next Friday's Final.
Otago produced a stunning 20-19 win over Hawke's Bay, the winning points landed by home flyhalf Josh Ioane after the final hooter had sounded at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin.
It was a tough result for Hawke's Bay, who had been heroic in their defence until the last 10 minutes - when Otago were able to find some attacking rhythm, although there were elements of the flukish to Otago's success in the final moments.
After Otago scored through inside centre Sio Tomkinson with eight minutes to play, Hawke's Bay opted to try and shut the game down from a long time out, nearly seven minutes.
However, after 19 phases they coughed up a penalty - when replacement hooker Liam Coltman won the right at the breakdown. Ioane's shot fell just short with two minutes left.
But from the 22-metre drop-out, fullback and captain Michael Collins, playing his 50th game for Otago, raced into a gap and tore down the middle of the field before sending a kick to the right where a flukish inside pass attempt by wing Mitchell Scott rebounded off the heel of a Hawke's Bay defender and into touch.
Otago attempted a maul, but Hawke's Bay lock Tom Parsons was ruled offside in the maul and under advantage a Josh Renton dropped-goal attempt missed - so the advantage was applied for Renton's second attempt at goal. This time he made no mistake.
Scorers:
For Otago
Tries: Mitchell Scott, Sio Tomkinson
Cons: Josh Ioane 2
Pens: Ioane 2
For Hawke's Bay:
Tries: Marino Mikaele Tu'u, Brad Weber, Mason Emerson
Cons: Jamie-Jerry Taulagi 2
Source: @Mitre10Cup