ITM Cup match preview: Auckland to compete Tasman in Trafalgar Park, Nelson – Rugby news
Auckland is taking on Tasman in the opening match of 10th round of ongoing ITM Cup in Trafalgar Park, Nelson on August 16.
Both the sides have met on three times before this match and Auckland has grabbed the victory on two occasions. Last time the teams collided in 2010 and Auckland thumped Tasman by a monstrous total of 49-10 in Auckland.
Meanwhile, Auckland is in good touch and is on three matches winning streak at the moment. Auckland has won four matches after five outgoings in the current event of ITM Cup 2011. On the other hand, Tasman is having real bad season this year as they have
won just one match in the tournament so after playing five.
The facts and figures clearly favour Auckland for their upcoming clash to be played on August 16. Despite the poor performance of Tasman, the coach of Auckland Mark Anscombe is of the view that the opponents have got the quality to bounce back into the tournament.
Sharing the memories of 2009 when Tasman managed to carry the day by 12-9 he said that, “We don't have good memories of being down here so we've got something to rectify from what happened last time. It still hurts and there are a few of the guy that are
still here from the last time but that’s not our main motivation.”
He further said that, “There's personal hurt from last time but this time the fact is we see where we're sitting on the ladder and if we're going to be in the hunt to make the final we've got to take full advantage of the points on offer so this is a crucial
game for us.”
The Auckland side is expecting greater role by Joe Rokocoko, Chris Lowrey and Toby Morland to continue their winning streak in the event. Joe Rokocoko has been impressive with his performance for Auckland.
Meanwhile, Tasman will be expecting from their skipper Andrew Goodman to lead from the front to come out of loosing slot. Lucky Mulipola and James Marshall is also the front line player for Tasman and they can boost their side with a surprising effort.
Tasman really needs to work on their defence as they have provided the opponents quite a few chances to score some easy goals in the previous matches. Anyhow Auckland is the hot favourite for their upcoming clash.
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