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Auckland's Joe Rokocoko drills Taranaki's Nathan Hohaia - Source: Photosport -
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Auckland clung to an Air NZ Cup rugby lifeline by beating
Taranaki 10-0 in miserable conditions in New Plymouth on Friday
night.
The result kept the Aucklanders in contention for a semifinals
berth while Taranaki now have nothing more than pride at stake in
their last two games.
The match was a virtual playoff because Auckland entered the game
in seventh position and Taranaki ninth, with the winners surviving
to fight another day and the losers being consigned to also-ran
status.
Wintry cold, wet, muddy, windy conditions reduced the contest to a
messy arm wrestle, one largely confined to two combative forward
packs, who went toe to toe for much of the 80 minutes.
Auckland held the upperhand in the trenches, particularly in the
second half when halfback Taniela Moa cleverly used a strengthening
wind at his back to keep turning Taranaki around.
The appalling conditions dictated that much of the play was
confined to in and around the rucks and when and if the ball was
aired it was shifted in short passing movements to reduce the
likelihood of mistakes.
The strong wind which swept down the ground turned the lineouts
into a lottery while handling errors littered both teams' play due
to the slippery ball.
Auckland's forwards coped admirably against both the elements and a
willing Taranaki pack as the visitors snuck ahead 7-0 while playing
into the wind in the first spell.
They engineered a controlled lineout drive during one of their few
visits to the opposition 22 before flanker Onosai Auva'a detached
to scamper the last 10m on his own in the 19th minute.
Auckland totally dominated the third quarter everywhere but on the
scoreboard, with Moa influential as they spent large periods deep
on attack.
They were thwarted only by the errors which regularly interrupted
play and a desperate Taranaki side who knew their season was on the
line.
It seemed only a matter of time before Auckland were rewarded but
they were kept waiting until five minutes from fulltime when they
forced a penalty inside the 22 for first five-eighth Ash Moeke to
convert into points.
Auckland 10 (Onosai Auva'a try; Ash Moeke pen,
con)
Taranaki 0.
Halftime: 7-0.
