Northland survive NPC war of attrition to book historic home semifinal
Northland secured a historic home semifinal spot in the NPC after a hard-fought victory against Tasman. Despite falling behind early, Northland rallied in the second half to overcome the Mako.
Why it matters
This victory marks a significant milestone for the Northland rugby team in their domestic competition.
Northland has survived a tense war of attrition against a tough Tasman side to book a historic home NPC semifinal .
It was a rough start for the Taniwha in their first home playoff. The Mako were first on the board, with Johnny Lee capitalising as Northland's defence scrambled to respond to Tasman's quick hands. William Havili converted to put the Mako up 0-7.
Adding insult to injury, Northland suffered another blow just minutes later, with James Ramm forced off with an injury.
The Taniwha managed to stay strong, though, holding off multiple attempts to get across the line from Tasman's Kyren Taumoefolau.
It couldn't last, though, with David Havili making his way up the middle and putting Northland on the back foot once more. Eventually Taumoefolau dug in and got into the corner, clinching another try in his already record-breaking NPC season.
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