Northland v Taranaki

The forwards seem to be doing a good enough job that if our backs were capable, we'd be well in these matches.

As it was last night, you just knew if they got it wide they'd expose our lack of pace.

Murray is a classy player, but not really quick enough on the wing, and Rush looks to have lost a yard of pace, possibly due to bulking up a bit, he had a bit of a shocker last night after looking good in the opening game.

I think the mid-field as it was is the better way, although I do question some of our tactics where Goodhue ran hard at the line and then popped off to Tua just before contact, but I guess they rate his cleanup work better than Tuas?

While I have come round to Hawkins in the last year or so as a squaddie, he is never gonna win us games (other than clutch kicks) with the way he plays, he is set too deep, lacks pace to threaten the line, and as it was, he was most often lined up at FB last night. That poor clearance after that mammoth defensive effort, following that super slow clearance by Hape was made worse by the fact those 2 played together most of the club season at HH (well when Hape wasnt injured) so there was zero reason for them to not know what was going on.

I thought Milo-Harris was pretty solid last night, some great kicks, and generally tidy (missed an easy tackle in the 1st half, but so did many others who would normally make them 9 times out of 10)

Our maul defence is probably a highlight so far and for the most part, our line defence has been pretty good, just a shame once we force a turnover or get out of jail somehow, we cannot do anything with it.

In years gone by I'd back us to have something in the tank to go 90m, right now, I don't think we have that in us.

Is such a shame 2 of our super rugby players, have come out of super rugby so out of shape as well, have to question what their trainers are doing to monitor them through the season.

Our kick chase is awful, well it isnt awful, it is largely non-existent which is the problem, there was that odd one where Olsen was charging ahead, lone rangering it, only to kinda give in early, which isnt like him.

Ref was not great and didnt help our cause, that knock for Boshier's 1st try was poor, we saw it live as it was right in front of us, and oddly the replay from the rear angle showing it clearly, wasn't played until after they were walking back for the restart (in fact were a couple of other instances where they didnt replay what was a potential error when they would normally) but as @J77 above says, that try was evened out by Rush's YC not also being a PT, they had overlaps and space, if he hadnt touched it, it was a try in the corner.

Oh well, onto Southland now, before we get our next home game, Tasman...