Hot Counties can sniff safety

SHANE WENZLICK/Fairfax

OOPS: Tasman Makos players Blair Cook, left, and Robbie Malneek bang into each other trying to take a high kick during last night's loss to Counties Manukau.

Relevant offers

Provincial

Rugby loses another top performer Taranaki Rugby boss role draws many applicants DJ Forbes recommits to Counties Manukau Turbos lament video switch Similar ending to cramped provincial rugby season Tana Umaga ready to step up to next level Two New Zealand rugby drug violations in 2011 Tana Umaga to coach Counties Manukau team Taranaki tag three of the best for 2012 squad Peter Russell may head overseas for rugby job

Counties Manukau's stunning season showed no sign of abating after their convincing Tasman 23-3 at Bayer Growers Stadium last night.

It has been a remarkable turnaround for the Steelers. They finished last season at the bottom of the points table with the NZRU trying to push them into the Heartland Championship.

Now, they're playing some of the most attractive rugby in the country, are third on the table and need three wins from their last seven games to ensure a place in the top flight when the ITM Cup splits into two divisions next season.

While the Counties backs continually opened up the Makos' defence, it was their forwards that did the key work by dominating the breakdown, Fritz Lee and Ronald Raaymakers standing out.

First-five James Semple, who's on loan from Auckland, had a far better performance than against Waikato last weekend, especially with his deft kicking game.

There's little Tasman will be able to take from this loss, although Joe Wheeler was industrious at No 8 and Ben Franks played to the level you'd expect from an All Blacks prop.

But on attack Tasman too often drifted wide allowing Counties to just run them into touch.
It didn't look like being such a one-sided game at the beginning.

Counties prop Jono Owen, who was getting a real working over by Fai Mika in the scrums, gave away penalty that Steve Alfeld should have goaled in the 10th minute, but the Makos' halfback put the simple shot wide.

It was the closest Tasman ever came to taking the lead as seven minutes later Counties went in front through a Tim Nanai-Williams penalty after Tasman were pulled up for being offside 10m from their line.

Alfeld did better with his second penalty kick just after, but the scores were level only briefly as Ahsee Tuala took a no-look pass from Nanai-Williams to touch down in the corner.

Nanai-Williams' conversion and second penalty made the score 13-3 at the break.

The second half began with a third penalty from Nanai-Williams, with the Counties fullback continuing to establish himself as one of the best goal kickers in provincial rugby.

Sherwin Stowers clinched the match with a try in the 50th minute, sliding the last 5m after receiving a pass from halfback Samisoni Fisilau, although there was some debate as to whether there was a double movement from the wing on his way over the line.

Counties were happy to wind down the clock for the remainder of the game while Tasman bombed chance after chance.

Counties: A Tuala, S Stowers tries; T Nanai-Williams 3 pens, 2 cons.

Tasman: S Alfeld pen.
HT: 13-3

- © Fairfax NZ News