Defending Meads Cup champions South Canterbury have become the first province to secure a top-four finish in Heartland Championship.
But Horowhenua Kapiti did not make it easy for the Green and Blacks in a 28-24 victory at Auckland's Eden Park on Sunday, their sixth straight in 2024 and a record 37th in a row, dating back to 2019.
LATEST HEADLINES:
South Canterbury scored three tries in the first 25 minutes to former Maori All Blacks hooker Hika Elliot, Lisate Folau and Paula Fifita, all converted by Sam Briggs, to take a 21-0 lead.
Horowhenua Kapiti dominated play through to halftime with tries to flanker Joel Winterburn and wing Willie Paia’aua, and wing Chris Salu scored early in the second half to make it 21-17.
In the 57th minute, South Canterbury struck back. From a scrum, Fifita ran 30 metres to score.
Both sides were guilty of handling errors. Had Horowhenua-Kapiti managed to keep ball in hand they could have managed two further tries. Salu managed to get his second to close the gap to four again and with Horowhenua Kapiti dominating looked capable of causing a boilover.
However, with only a few minutes remaining, South Canterbury pushed the Horowhenua Kapiti pack off their own put-in to the scrum and soon after received a penalty, kicking to touch to preserve the streak.
Elsewhere, Mid Canterbury maintain their place in the top-four with a 28-21 win over North Otago at Weston Park, near Oamaru.
Whanganui and Thames Valley both put up big scores as they stayed second and third, respectively, likely needing just one more win to reach the Meads Cup semifinals. Whanganui defended the Bill Osborne Taonga for the first time, 56-17 over Wairarapa Bush and the Swamp Foxes smoked Buller 84-14 in Whangamata.
Behind Mid Canterbury (20 points), King Country (18), Horowhenua Kapiti (16), West Coast (16) and Ngati Porou East Coast (15) are ready to pounce for the fourth Meads Cup berth, should the Hammers falter.
Those four are favourites to fill the Lochore Cup semifinals, with hosting rights to be decided, as Buller are five points adrift of East Coast, with North Otago another point back.
King Country defeated winless Poverty Bay 49-15 in Gisborne and West Coast rolled East Coast 37-19 in Greymouth to claim the 'Best Coast' title.
HEARTLAND CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS - ROUND 6
West Coast 37 East Coast 19
Mid Canterbury 28 North Otago 21
King Country 49 Poverty Bay 15
Thames Valley 84 Buller 14
Whanganui 56 Wairarapa Bush 17
South Canterbury 28 Horowhenua Kapiti 24
Comments