Tries: L Taliu (2), J Payne (2), R Ranger
Cons: D Howell (3)

As reported in the

Cash-strapped Northland produce a wealth of talent
14.07.2008 by Tim Eves

They might have car pooled to get there and been forced to go for the budget option but the Northland rugby team delivered a promising pre-season entree worthy of five star treatment against North Harbour on Saturday.

Northland won 31-14, the ideal platform for the cash-strapped team to launch into the serious countdown for the Air NZ Cup competition.

They have two more pre-season matches - against Manawatu in Kaitaia this weekend and Counties-Manukau in Whangarei next week - and tricky selection issues to be resolved before the opening Air NZ Cup match against Waikato on July 31.

Getting bragging rights over North Harbour is a new experience for Mark Anscombe, the former Harbour assistant coach.

While the performance might have caused back-slapping scenes post-match, Anscombe kept the lid firmly on celebrations.

"It was handy enough, a very promising start considering we have only been together a week and that was Harbour's second game after a long pre-season training campaign. We still have a few issues to sort, a couple of key positions to get some quality back-up for and a few other parts of our game to tidy up," Anscombe said.

Primary among Anscombe's concerns are the hunt for a tighthead prop to back up New Zealand Maori and Blues No.3 Bronson Murray and a deputy for veteran David Holwell.

After Saturday night Anscombe is probably breathing easier about his stock of midfield backs, the pedigree of his second row forwards and the defensive systems he is fixing in place. That he has two strike-power wingers, Fetu Vainikolo and Rene Ranger, to threaten the best defences in the championship only adds substance to Northland's prospects.

Against North Harbour, Ranger and Vainikolo were constant headaches, Ranger getting one try and two bursts from Vainikolo creating two more touchdowns. Ranger could easily have scored two more five pointers, but he was robbed of possession in one and spilt the ball as he dived at the grass for the other.

That second five eighths Leo Taliu scored two tries was testament to his eye-catching effort while fullback Jared Payne, who transferred from Waikato in December, also got a double.

With halfback James Rodley delivering a class effort and some brutal play from new lock Marty Veale, Northland were up 17-0 in as many minutes, some clever, second-phase plays catching the Harbour defenders flat-footed. They then charged out to a 31-0 lead at halftime.

At halftime Anscombe switched half the starting team and the Northland performance stuttered in the second half, but the dominance of the breakdown continued and the heartening show at scrum time against a much bigger Harbour eight was pleasing.

"We need to make some [selection] decisions soon for these guys. Some have been with us all week and have been forced to take time off work. We can't contract them all, the way things are that's just the way it is, so we will be letting a couple go this week and making decisions as quickly as we can," Anscombe said.

They might not be in the money just yet, but on the evidence presented on Saturday night, everyone has a sniff of it.