The 2016 Mitre 10 Cup has definitely come to an end with the two oustanding finals which were played on the weekend. The quality of the rugby played was incredible through the campaign and let’s give the credit first to the players and all the coaching staff for that.
About the final results, it is confirmed that North Harbour, the Northern province, will play in the Premiership next season. The Auckland-based franchise have earned their promotion following a thrilling display in Dunedin against Otago who were the favourites.
In the Premiership conference, Canterbury were the defending Champions and also the favourites to go back-to-back. They managed to do that after a final home win against the Tasman Makos. These two Crusaders provinces played the game and it is very good news.
Very quickly, the Player Of The Year in this 2016 Mitre 10 Cup will be known and the winner will probably have the opportunity to play at Test level. It has been the case for the last two previous winners of the award : Seta Tamanivalu (2014) and George Moala (2015).
Looking at their career, Seta Tamanivalu was in the New Zealand squad for the June Tests in 2015 but has to battle with Anton Lienert-Brown to get his jersey back. George Moala made his debut in 2015 and has been selected in the squad for the next November Tour.
The 2016 Mitre 10 Cup : The Complete Review
I- The Championship Standings :
1. Otago – 1st – 34 points
The province from Dunedin finished at the top of the Championship standings in 2016. Otago played an expansive rugby game but had a switch of momentum at the end of the season. They lost three games in-a-row though they performed against the Premiership.
Otago won their home game against Tasman but they did not manage to build on that. Their semi-final was won on the defence and showed that they could struggle in final. They did not play badly in final but did not take their opportunities against North Harbour.
2. Wellington – 2nd – 32 points
Wellington had a very disappointing season following the final loss last year in 2015. The season started brillantly for the Hurricanes province with a strong home record and a magnificient win against the Counties Manukau and that Jackson Garden-Bachop penalty.
They had the opportunity to finish at the top of their conference but three losses against Manawatu, Taranaki and Waikato (both at home) was a blow. Wellington lost closely their home semi-final against North Harbour so coach Earl Va’a will have big re-building to do.
3. North Harbour – 3rd – 26 points
In all fairness, North Harbour have been consistent through the campaign with some good displays against the Premiership sides. North Harbour almost won the Ranfurly Shield against Waikato and battled really well in Christchurch against Canterbury for 50 minutes.
North Harbour recorded convincing wins against the Championship provinces such as Manawatu and Bay Of Plenty. They made a statement against Counties Manukau and had a draw against Tasman. They deservedly won the promotion in Premiership against Otago.
4. Bay Of Plenty – 4th – 23 points
Bay Of Plenty managed to get that final place in the play-offs even if they had the same number of points than Manawatu. That is a very well settled team with top performers such as flanker Jesse Parete and backline players Lalakai Foketi and Terrence Hepetema.
It was often said that their forwards pack was not good enough but this season showed some improvements. There was a lack of discipline sometimes but overall, their desire to play a good rugby earned them the right to play the play-offs and it can only get better.
5. Manawatu – 5th – 23 points
Honestly, Manawatu was unlucky not to qualify for the play-offs with the regular season loss to Bay Of Plenty responsible for that. Their final game of the season, a home defeat against Otago, was a blow as the attacking game was not good enough during the contest.
Nevertheless, there is some potential in the squad with playmaker Otere Black and Hurricanes centre Ngani Laumape, one of the leading try scorers in this 2016 Mitre 10 Cup. Flanker Callum Gibbins was impressive as well and Manawatu will be contenders in 2017.
6. Southland – 6th – 11 points
It was a very difficult season for Southland with a 6th position in the Championship rankings. Game management was often an issue in this campaign with Wharenui Hawera, the Southland first-five eighth, put under pressure in his own half during the games.
One of the area of the game that Southland has to improve is the set-piece and particularly the scrums. Scrum-half Jimmy Cowan brought some experience but Southland conceded too many tries following costly lost balls at scrum time and also lineout time.
7. Northland – 7th – 10 points
Given the rugby that they have played this season, Northland is not really deserving a last place in the standings. With a famous home win against Waikato, Northland managed to end a two-year losing streak in the Championship and that was so important for the team.
There were some incredible performances from the Northland players such as flanker Kara Pryor and winger Joni Macilai-Tori. The key for Northland is building a record at home first before targeting the play-offs but the players are not far from performing consistently.
II- The Premiership Standings :
1. Canterbury – 1st – 40 points
The Canterbury side were starting the 2016 Mitre 10 Cup as the defending Champions and they managed to go back-to-back. It was almost a perfect campaign with only two defeats in the season against Manawatu in a wet game and against Counties Manukau but away.
Scott Robertson, the Canterbury coach and future Crusaders boss, built a strong team as his team claimed the Ranfurly Shield after they beat Waikato in Hamilton. Richie Mo’unga and Jordie Barrett were the two superstars with lock Dominic Bird and Luke Whitelock.
2. Taranaki – 2nd – 37 points
With a very expansive gameplan and the help of their All Blacks players such as centre Seta Tamanivalu and winger Waisake Naholo, Taranaki reached the play-offs after a very disappointing 2015 campaign when they were defending Champions (2014 ITM Cup win).
Scrum-half Te Toira Tahuriorangi was a key player in the set-up with skipper Mitch Crosswell leading the way. Their home record in New Plymouth was pretty good though they lost closely in their Yarrow Stadium in the semi-final against dominant Tasman side.
3. Tasman – 3rd – 34 points
Tasman has been outstanding in this 2016 Mitre 10 Cup with an almost perfect comeback. They started the season terribly but worked their way back to the top with significant wins against Auckland at Eden Park of Auckland and Hawke’s Bay at McLean Park in Napier.
Credit has to go to all the players and especially prop Kane Hames with number 8 Pete Samu who provided strong carries. Playmaker Marty Banks was top with Kieron Fonotia and David Havili showing their skills but it was not enough to beat Canterbury in final.
4. Counties Manukau – 4th – 34 points
During this competition, Counties Manukau ran the show as their gameplan was built with pace, intensity and attacking combinations. The Counties Manuaku scored a big amount of tries, picking bonus points try and losing bonus points in 3 of the 4 regular season losses.
With Augustine Pulu driving, Piers Francis organising the backline and Jordan Taufua carrying, Counties Manukau qualified for the play-offs. They have to be given credit as their games against Wellington and Taranaki (two home defeats though) were thrillers.
5. Waikato – 5th – 30 points
The Waikato province were the Ranfurly Shield holders at the beginning of the 2016 Mitre 10 Cup. They never managed to find momentum in competition with a home draw against Taranaki and another home defeat against Canterbury, meaning the Ranfurly Shield loss.
Waikato relied on their star Damian McKenzie to run the show at the end of the season. They recorded an away win against Wellington after a great comeback. However, it was not enough to qualify for the play-offs so it was a tough season for the Waikato players, really.
6. Auckland – 6th – 30 points
In a very promising season, Auckland’s 6th place in the standings is very harsh because they would have deserved to qualify for the play-offs. Overall, they have played some very good rugby with Akira Ioane, Rieko Ioane and Patrick Tuipulotu showing their talents.
Auckland lost two important home games in the second part of the season as the two close losses at Eden Park against the Counties Manukau and Tasman meant not enough points. Auckland remains a quality side and no doubt that they will come back stronger next year.
7 – Hawke’s Bay – 7th – 15 points
Hawke’s Bay had earned the promotion from the Championship in 2015 following a win against Wellington at McLean Park, Napier. Unfortunately, they have been unable to stay in the Premiership as they have been relegated after not good enough performances, then.
That is sad for Hawke’s Bay as they have in their squad some quality players able to win games such as hooker and skipper Ash Dixon, scrum-half Brad Weber and first-five eighth Ihaia West. Hawke’s Bay will probably be focused on returning quickly to the Premiership.
Conclusion
The 2016 Mitre 10 Cup was very interesting because it was a good way to watch the provinces’ performance, how they are playing and if they can compete. The Mitre 10 Cup is very competitive as many Championship sides won against the Premiership provinces.
In the Championship, compared to 2015, there were the same teams in the play-offs except North Harbour. Hawke’s Bay was part of them with Manawatu playing in the Premiership at the time. North Harbour made a big statement in this 2016 Mitre 10 Cup.
Wellington are still looking for consistency and particularly in the second part of the season. Otago and Bay Of Plenty did pretty well too though Manawatu will try and qualify for the play-offs. Northland and Southland could be in the race if they fix their issues.
About the Premiership, there were not many changes with Canterbury, Taranaki and Tasman maintaining the standards since the last season. Counties Manukau had a good year with Auckland unable to make the play-offs but they will learn from this season.
The Premiership remained very competitive and this is the second consecutive season that Waikato finished closley from the relegation. Their province is talented but they have to be smarter if they want to challenge the likes of Canterbury, Taranaki, Tasman and Auckland.
Brillant Mitre 10 Cup season ! Thanks very much !
Max.
Rugby, Only Rugby ! 