Canterbury cruise to a fine double

Late try gives Lions some respectability

Canterbury did the double. The Ranfurly Shield holders added the Air New Zealand National Provincial Championship (NPC) to their trophy cabinet, when they won their country's most prized league competition by smashing the Wellington Lions 40-27 at the Cake Tin in Wellington on Saturday.

It is the fifth time in the 28-year history of the NPC that the Cantabs won the title, but the first time since 2001.

The Lions started like a house on fire and had the visitors under pressure early on. But a late first-half scoring spree saw Canterbury take a 20-13 lead into the break.

For most of the second half it was all Canterbury, with veteran All Black halfbacks Justin Marshall (scrum-half) and Andrew Mehrtens (fly-half) who dictated the terms.

And with nine minutes to go the Canterbury lead had swelled to 40-13, before late tries by Tana Umaga and Sireli Bobo (the latter in the final minute) gave the hosts some respectability.

The All Black-laden Canterbury team produced a poised and polished team performance, with Wellington relying on individual brilliance to open up the game.

Wellington offered their home fans early encouragement when lock Luke Andrews scored a try in the 22nd minute, following 12 phases of play.

Piri Weepu's conversion saw Wellington lead 13-6 after he and Daniel Carter had earlier traded penalties, but from there Wellington were made to wait another 52 minutes before they again troubled the scorers.

In between it was all Canterbury as they powered towards their fifth NPC crown on the back of an industrious and clinical forward pack, who provided staunch defence around the fringes to block Wellington's alleyway of attack.

A bitterly disappointed Wellington captain Rodney So'oialo could only reflect on his team's inability to cope with the marauding Canterbury pack, which included All Black star loose forward Richie McCaw in fine form.

Most of Wellington's problems started up front. especially in the line-outs, where Canterbury contested brilliantly and had the home team under pressure throughout the match.

So'oialo said despite the disappointment of losing in the Final, his team should be remembered for the good rugby they played throughout the year.

McCaw, the Canterbury captain, was confident that the knock he took in the Final - after spending many months on the sideline with constant concussion headaches - will not prove too be too serious.

"I did see some stars, but it feels fine now," McCaw said in his post-match reaction.

He praised his team for the amazing amount of hard work they had put in over the last few weeks - not just to win and retain the 'Log of Wood', but also to win the NPC.

Of that late first-half burst McCaw said with thing having been so close in the early stages, they knew they needed to score to shut the dangerous Wellington team out.

He also praised his halfbacks - Marshall and Mehrtens - for their role in the game.

The scorers:

For Wellington:
Tries: Andrews, Umaga, Bobo
Cons: Weepu 3
Pens: Weepu 2

For Canterbury:
Tries: Marshall 2, Mauger, Laulala
Cons: Carter 4
Pens: Carter 4

The teams:

Wellington: 15. Shannon Paku, 14. Lome Fa'atau, 13. Conrad Smith, 12. Tana Umaga, 11. Ma'a Nonu, 10. Riki Flutey, 9. Piri Weepu, 8. Rodney So'oialo (captain.), 7. Ben Herring, 6. Kristian Ormsby, 5. Luke Andrews, 4. Ross Kennedy, 3. Neemia Tialata, 2. Mahonri Schwalger, 1. Joe McDonnell.
Replacements: Luke Mahoney, Tim Fairbrother, Ross Filipo, Thomas Waldrom, Scott Waldrom, Jimmy Gopperth, Sireli Bobo.

For Canterbury: 15 Daniel Carter, 14 Scott Hamilton, 13 Casey Laulala, 12 Aaron Mauger, 11 Caleb Ralph, 10 Andrew Mehrtens, 9 Justin Marshall, 8 Sam Broomhall, 7 Richie McCaw (captain), 6 Reuben Thorne, 5 Norm Maxwell, 4 Chris Jack, 3 Greg Somerville, 2 Corey Flynn, 1 Dave Hewett.
Replacements: 16 Tone Kopelani, 17 Campbell Johnstone, 18 Brad Thorn, 19 Johnny Leo'o, 20 Jamie Nutbrown, 21 Cameron McIntyre, 22 Ben Blair.

Referee: Paddy O'Brien (Southland)