Southland Stags: 'It’s definitely not good enough'
There’s no way to sugar-coat it, this was a game Southland should have won.
The Southland Stags may be lucky they’ve got a Ranfurly Shield challenge to increase the fizz levels in the coming days because Sunday’s showing left many feeling flat when leaving Rugby Park.
Southland and Northland settled for a 15-15 draw following a 90-minute battle which included 10 minutes of extra time where the deadlock couldn’t be broken.
There’s no way to sugar-coat it, this was a game Southland should have won.
many were predicting Northland to reach for the white flag at 12-3 down in the second half as it went about its third game in eight days.
On the flipside Southland was coming off a full seven-day preparation and had developed a bit of momentum in the game.
Importantly Southland had a dominant scrum to play with.
Northland wing Heremaia Murray kept the Taniwha within striking distance with a try in the 56th minute to make it 12-10.
Southland was struggling to convert attacking opportunities but did keep the scoreboard ticking over, firstly through Marty Banks, and then replacement first five-eighth Greg Dyer.
Dyer kicked Southland’s fifth penalty from long-range with 11 minutes to play to push the score to 15-10.
Then the drama was ramped up on a damp afternoon at Rugby Park.
With a couple of minutes to play Murray scored his second try in the corner to lock the scores up at 15-15.
It left Rivez Reihana with a conversion attempt to snatch the lead and the win from wide out. He missed.
It sent the game into extra time, although the hometown crowd could do with a bit of swat on the competition rule book.
Many started heading for the exits thinking that was it at the end of 80 minutes.
It wasn’t helped by the ground announcer initially declaring the game a draw, before soon telling everyone not to go anywhere. There was more rugby to be played.
Southland got some field position during the 10-minute extra time period and twice had attacking scrums where there was a feeling their dominant scrum would earn a penalty and a shot at goal.
That however never came.
It remained 15-15 at the end of extra time and the four competition points were shared.
You could sense the frustration from captain Josh Bekhuis when he shared his assessment with The Southland Tribune soon after the final whistle.
“We got the lead at some point but against a team like Northland we really have to execute those key moments when we are down in our half.
“There were a couple of mistakes that flipped the momentum on us.
“They hung in there well.”
“We definitely left some opportunities out there and we’ll be working on that next week because it’s definitely not good enough.”
To add to the hurt, the draw meant Northland retained the Peter Te Tai Trophy which was introduced last year and won by Northland.
Te Tai grew up in Northland but for many decades has been a popular member of the Southland rugby community.
As flat as Sunday’s draw might be, the Southland Stags have a carrot in front of them to help them quickly refocus.
They now have an opportunity to write their names in Southland rugby folk law on Saturday afternoon when they challenge Wellington for the Ranfurly Shield.
Southland will have to be far better than they were on Sunday at Rugby Park, but they are a starter’s chance in Wellington. That’s good enough for any Southlander to start to dream.
Captain Bekhuis knows too well what a Ranfurly Shield victory can do for a province like Southland.
“We go out to win every game. That’s what we are focusing on this year, it’s a great occasion playing for the shield but it’s another game we’ve just got to have the mindset to go out and win.”
Southland 15 (Marty Banks 4 pen, Greg Dyer pen) Northland 15 (Heremaia Murray 2 tries; Rivez Reihana pen, con). HT: 9-3