Tasman edge Auckland with late penalty in NZ final

WELLINGTON: An ice-cool David Havili, unwanted by the All Blacks for the past three years, showcased his talent on Saturday with the match-winning penalty as Tasman snatched a 13-12 victory over Auckland in the New Zealand provincial championship final.

Havili, who played three Tests in 2017, and is a key member of the Super Rugby champion Canterbury Crusaders, slotted a 42-metre penalty with 10 minutes remaining to secure the one-point victory for the defending champions.

The match may have been a cliffhanger, but it was not pristine and with current All Blacks away on Tri-Nations duty the scrappy performance from both sides was not a good showcase for New Zealand rugby.

Tasman scored the only try and the remaining points came from penalties with 27 awarded in the match, 14 against Auckland.

When Quentin MacDonald scored from a lineout drive just on half-time, Havili’s conversion, to go with two earlier penalties, put Tasman ahead 10-9 for the first time after Auckland had benefited from three penalties — two by Harry Plummer and a 50-metre effort from Zarn Sullivan.

Auckland regained the lead three minutes after the restart courtesy of another Plummer penalty. As Tasman battled to get back in front it took nearly 30 minutes before Havili kicked the winner, a minute after missing a 58-metre attempt.