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Canterbury players congratulate Tom Taylor after scoring his first of two tries in their win over Auckland. - Source: Photosport -
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Canterbury strangled Auckland out of the game with a clinical second-half display to take out their fifth consecutive national provincial title 31-18 in Christchurch tonight.
A try to winger Telusa Veainu in the 62nd minute sealed the visitors' fate, with a dropped goal from Tyler Bleyendaal and two Tom Taylor penalties having extended the home side's 15-13 halftime lead.
Auckland managed a last minute consolation try to replacement back Lolagi Visinia crossing out wide but the red and blacks were already celebrating their historic win.
After dominating all the statistics in the first half Auckland were punished in the final minute before the break when a faltering lineout allowed Canterbury the chance to attack.
Midfield lynchpin Ryan Crotty made the bust and showed a strong fend before finding Taylor on the outside to score the try that gave them the lead for the first time in the match.
Despite playing with a man down after Veainu was binned for intentionally knocking down an Auckland pass when a try looked certain, Canterbury started the second-half strongly and looked buoyed by their tenacious first half effort.
Taylor was allowed to edge them ahead two minutes after play resumed and five minutes later added three more, as Canterbury began to assert their dominance with ruthless efficiency.
Auckland had lost the energy and enthusiasm that marked their early play and together with a mounting penalty count, a lack of composure and accuracy led to their undoing.
Remarkably, they still held the upper-hand at scrum-time - particularly after Charlie Faumuina was introduced after the break - and continued to win the contest at the breakdown, yet to no avail. They found themselves bogged down inside their 22 and unable to advance beyond the halfway line.
It took until the 59th minute before Auckland had a genuine attacking opportunity in Canterbury's half, only for referee Glen Jackson's call to confuse Alby Mathewson as he was set to clear the ball from a ruck.
Mathewson's uncertainty allowed his opposite Andy Ellis to swoop and clear downfield before Auckland fullback Charles Piutau made the mistake of running it back into the teeth of the waiting defence.
Canterbury secured the turnover ball before sending it wide, centre Robbie Fruean finding Veainu on the outside to score the clincher.
Auckland began the match at an enormous pace, second-five
Hadleigh Parkes collecting an offload from Ben Lam to score under
the posts in the second minute with the hosts not having touched
the ball.
Canterbury hit back in the ninth minute however, Fruean getting
outside Lam before feeding Taylor on the inside to score his first
of the night.
Two penalties to Auckland five-eighth Gareth Anscombe put the
northerners out to a 13-7 lead before Taylor narrowed the margin
with three-points of his own.
The sin-binning of Veainu seven minutes from half-time could have proved crucial but Canterbury's second-half ruthlessness more than made up for the indiscretion.
Canterbury 31 (Tom Taylor 2, Telusa Veainu tries; 2 Taylor cons; 4 pen)
Auckland 18 ( Hadleigh Parkes, Lolagi Visinia tries; Anscombe 1 cons; 2 pens)
HT: 15-13