Northland made no contest of their opponents and the conditions to waltz into the national men’s rugby final with a dominant 38-19 display over Otago.
Friday night’s belting of their guests in the wet in Whangārei followed a similar script the Taniwha had adopted for much of this year’s Hilux NPC – head to the sheds ahead on the scoreboard and go all out in the second spell in a way that becomes chasing the game harder for the opposition.
The downpour felt like manna from heaven. Happy to feast on a mountain of errors by the visitors, the Taniwha kept building scoreboard pressure through three-pointers while giving their bench precious game time.
For the Taniwha boys, Sunday church service would have been as much about seeking divine help in the grand final as it would have been about praying that Canterbury bomb out in the other semi-final at home to Taranaki (3.35pm).
But Northland have wrestled the Log o’ Wood from the powerhouses of New Zealand rugby and there’s no reason why they shouldn’t win in Christchurch again.
By the time the final whistle sounded at Semenoff Stadium on Friday night, the scoreboard told one story, but the crowd knew they had witnessed something more special than their side’s big victory.
The excitement built up the same way as the scoreboard and the Taniwha supporters were hungry for more.
In the end, the 13 penalties Otago conceded with nine minutes to go killed any hopes of making a comeback.
Pinned in their own 22, the southerners made life difficult for themselves by toying with the ball rather than hoofing it into touch.
Some of their decision-making went from bad to worse to utterly embarrassing. Patrick Pellegrini’s decision to run inside his 22 when he had time to go for touch, only to throw a pass that went miles forward, was a case in point.
Replacement Nathan Salmon couldn’t believe his luck with an intercept try to heap more misery on the visitors.
Otago were very much in the contest at halftime. Halfback Kieran McClea opened the scores with a sniping run off a ruck and the telescopic arm of captain Christian Lio Willie stretched for the second try.
But standout home front-rower Marcel Renata scored a brace for the hosts to ensure Northland went into the sheds with a lead.
The second half was Northland’s to savour with Rivez Reihana banging conversions from out wide, Terrell Peita making the Otago defence look cardboard-like and Josh Goodhue showing why he’s such a good lineout exponent.
Otago were guilty of bringing a knife to a gunfight in the second spell. The visitors went pop and Northland went bang.
The Taniwha orchestrated attacks that felt less like structured rugby and more like spontaneous conversation.
It was controlled chaos. They simply trusted the next player. Every possession carried possibility. Every counter-attack invited anticipation.
Every Otago defender looked just slightly unsure. Northland’s success in this season’s NPC isn’t built on isolated moments, but on sustained collective belief that will be absolutely crucial in the crowning match.