By David Di Somma
With a twenty point triumph in Christchurch last night, Canterbury has turned around a 20 point hiding by Waikato in Hamilton a fortnight ago.
It was exactly what the coach ordered.
“We shut down their line out and we neutralised their scrum so they didn't have a platform and out fringe defenc3e was outstanding,” said Rob Penney.
Even into the Southerly blast, Canterbury dominated - three times they got over the line in the first half but only one was given by the TMO.
Waikato’s Achilles’ heal was their kicking game, while Canterbury’s game plan was executed perfectly.
“It was raining pretty heavily and the reality is the track was in good knick and we got to show our skill - we played, especially in the first half,” explained Canterbury captain George Whitelock.
The opening minutes of the second spell were marked by a nasty head clash between Sean Maitland and Waikato’s Save Tokula and even though Waikato threatened a comeback with a well-worked move to the left those kicking woes undid all the good work.
Colin Slade's effort in the emphatic 33-13 victory prompted the inevitable question, “Shouldn't he be on all black duty in England?”
Canterbury are the first team since Auckland in the mid 90s to win three titles in a row.
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