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AKL vs BOP
NPC
Auckland Grammar School, Auckland
Auckland
vs
Bay of Plenty
24
FT
26
Action
Lineups
All
Facts Only
All
Full-Time: 24 - 26
It's the end of the season for Auckland, and they will be disappointed with how they've gone out this year in a clash where they really had every opportunity to come away with a stunning win. They do pick up both bonus points, however, thanks to that late try racking up their fourth of the day and putting them within seven for the losing bonus as well. Bay of Plenty take the full complement, and surely plenty of confidence as well as they play host to the Hawke's Bay Magpies next weekend in the quarterfinals.
Both sides made great use of their kicking throughout the game as well. Cheeky little chips and grubbers to chase put the back three of both sides under a decent amount of pressure, bringing about in a couple of knocks and territory gain as a result of some good chases. There were some great charge downs as well, with the Steamers opening their scoring through Jacob Norris who came flying through to charge down a clearance kick inside the Gulls' 22 and following that up with diving on the ball in-goal.
The first half scrums were fairly steady, but things devolved somewhat in the second half after the replacements came on. Every scrum had to be reset, sometimes multiple times, and Waenga ultimately lost patience and started handing out penalties as the front rows just kept falling straight to ground. The result was that the game became a little stop-start towards the end, not helped at all by the fact the handling became a bit ordinary as well.
There was a decent contest in the lineouts, with steals from both sides at crucial moments that prevented the attacking team from being able to build on the pressure and momentum. Bay of Plenty sent a couple straight over the top to send their support players straight up, resulting in an excellent try from Broughton late in the first half as he burst straight through and over for the points on his own.
Bay of Plenty were absolutely brutal on defence at times. They weathered multiple storms under enormous pressure down in their own red zone, and yet were able to either hold the home side up over the line, force the error, or force turnover ball on the floor to be able to find the exit and send Auckland back onto the back foot to have to do it all over again.
It's consolation points for the Auckland Gulls today with that late try, and that will have to do for them as their season comes to an end this afternoon. It was just a disappointing day for the home side here, with over two thirds of the possession and territory and still coming up short on the scoreboard. They really just didn't take their opportunities, spending nearly 10 minutes down in Bay of Plenty's 22 and yet only managing to score four tries for all the hard work they had to put in on attack.
80+2'
Easy extras for Plummer from just to the right.
24-26 H. Plummer
Conversion
80+2'
80+1'
Lineout set up in the right corner. Overthrown for Segner who drives up into contact. Some hard, fast phases here from the home side, and it's Clark who forces his way onto the chalk just to the right of the posts!