News

Auckland regained the New Zealand national provincial title over the weekend, wresting the championship from Canterbury for the first time in 18 months in a defensively oriented tournament.

With four teams taking part at the AUT stadium in Takapuna, Auckland, a double round-robin of games was played over the weekend.

On the first day Auckland started well, accounting for Wellington with relative ease before the team from the capital backed up against the inexperienced but athletic Counties-Manukau team in a match that finished in a draw.

The third match of the day was the crunch, with the hosts taking on the defending champion. Never looking totally comfortable, but never losing their lead, the Auckland team showed better control and more defensive rigour to neutralise Canterbury’s usual attacking superiority, eking out a hard won two goal victory.

Matches through the rest of Saturday went to form, with the top two eventually accounting for their rivals by comfortable margins, but only after some close fought korfball.

In the first game on Sunday, Wellington looked much more organised and comfortable than they had in the corresponding fixture on the previous day to record a good victory over Counties-Manukau.

The rematch between the top two teams was next up, as the game that would likely decide the tournament, and neither was prepared to give anything away – least of all goals, which were in very short supply. Although Canterbury had the slenderest lead for periods of the match, they slipped behind with about ten minutes to go and were not able to peg their miserly hosts back, losing by 6-5, probably the lowest scoring encounter in KNZ NPC history.

Although Counties-Manukau threatened to make it interesting in the next game, leading Auckland at various points, they were unable to sustain that advantage and the tournament was effectively decided.

Wellington gave Canterbury a tougher test than they had the previous day in the weekend’s highest scoring contest before losing by two in a match that saw 28 goals.

Results:
Auckland 12 Wellington 3
Wellington 10 Counties-Manukau 10
Auckland 13 Canterbury 11
Counties-Manukau 7 Auckland 15
Canterbury 15 Wellington 6
Counties-Manukau 8 Canterbury 17

Counties-Manukau 8 Wellington 14
Canterbury 5 Auckland 6
Auckland 9 Counties-Manukau 6
Canterbury 15 Counties-Manukau 7
Wellington 13 Canterbury 15
Wellington 5 Auckland 14

Final Placings:
1. Auckland
2. Canterbury
3. Wellington
4. Counties-Manukau