Auckland claimed their second win of the Mitre 10 Cup season with a 27-17 victory over Southland at Invercargill Stadium on Friday.
Having previously lost four of their five games, the positive result was much needed for Auckland. Meanwhile, struggling Southland remain winless in 2017.
Southland opened the scoring after captain Brayden Mitchell burrowed over after a series of powerful carries from the Stags' forwards with just three minutes gone.
A period of 23 scoreless minutes followed before Auckland's persistent pressure finally paid off with Jerome Kaino cruising over. Hickey added the extras to level matters at 7-7.
Soon after, Auckland took the lead for the first time in the game when Vince Aso dotted down. But Southland immediately hit back through Liam Howley before Scott Eade converted to give the hosts a slender 14-12 lead.
However, Jono Hickey's penalty meant Auckland would have the last laugh of the first-half and take a 15-14 lead in to the break.
Greg Pleasants-Tate extended the visitors' lead to eight with a try in the 46th minute. Eade hit back with a penalty but Taleni Seu extinguished any hopes of a Southland victory when he put the game beyond doubt with 12 minutes to go.
The scorers:
For Southland:
Tries: Mitchell, Howley
Cons: Eade 2
Pen: Eade
For Auckland:
Tries: Kaino, Aso, Pleasants-Tate, Seu
Cons: Hickey 2
Pen: Hickey
Southland: 15 Lewis Ormond, 14 Aleki Morris, 13 Matthew Johnson, 12 Neria Fomai, 11 Michael Molloy, 10 Scott Eade, 9 Liam Howley, 8 Bill Fukofuka, 7 Phil Halder, 6 Tupou Sopoaga, 5 Tepasu Thomas, 4 Mike McKee, 3 Morgan Mitchell, 2 Brayden Mitchell, 1 Joseph Walsh
Replacements: 16 Flynn Thomas, 17 Shaun Stodart, 18 Guy Millar, 19 Manaaki Selby-Rickit, 20 Tim Boys, 21 Greg Dyer, 22 Willie Talatania-Mu, 23 Junior Ngaluafe
Auckland: 15 Jordan Trainor, 14 Vince Aso, 13 George Moala, 12 TJ Faiane, 11 Melani Nanai, 10 Tyrone Elkington-MacDonald, 9 Jono Hickey, 8 Jerome Kaino, 7 Blake Gibson, 6 Taleni Seu, 5 Ben Nee-Nee, 4 Patrick Tuipulotu, 3 Marcel Renata, 2 Greg Pleasants-Tate, 1 Sam Prattle
Replacements: 16 Kurt Eklund, 17 Emersen Tamura-Paki, 18 Isi Tu’ungafasi, 19 Dalton Papali’i, 20 Sinclair Dominikovich-Murray, 21 Lisati Milo-Harris, 22 Malakai Fekitoa, 23 Latiume Fosita
Referee: James Munro
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