Counties Manukau had cruised though the opening rounds, winning all five of their games, including a convincing 8-3 victory over North Harbour, but Harbour turned up to play today and an upset was on the cards.
The first half saw Harbour playing the better Touch but Counties kept in it with some individual brilliance and taking all the chances that were afforded to them. Good tries to Harbour’s Chris Swain and Nat Turner were matched by Johnson TeKaute and a brilliant individual effort by Brian Woodward who scored a runaway try. North Harbour went into halftime up 5-4, but Counties were finding form as the half went on.
The tight contest continued in the second half, with Harbour desperate to keep their noses in front. Counties threw everything they had at them, including a brilliant try to Heremaia-Manaia that was set up by Benji Puiri, but Harbour managed to counter and hold them off for a memorable 9-8 victory.
Last Modified on 06/03/2010 12:53