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One week in, we've seen some nice results last week and this week will again include some mouthwatering encounters.
Waikato successfully defended the Ranfurly Shield last week by beating Northland and this week, they will try the same when Otago is visiting. With both teams getting a win in the first week, momentum will be key for this game. TJ Ioane and Peter Breen scored tries for Otago in the 32-29 win over Bay of Plenty. Waikato beat Northland 31-22 with 3 tries: Rory Grice, Joe Webber and Toby Smith. These two teams last met in 2011 when Waikato won 25-10 in Hamilton.
The two teams most far apart will also be battling each other. The Southland makes the trip from Invercargill all thw way up north to Whangarei. Unlike the Waikato-Otago game, these two teams lost in the first round. Southland failed to score a single try against Tasman in week 1, losing 15-25 while Northland failed to take the Ranfurly Shield in Waikato. Last year, both teams met up in Invercargill with Southland winning 16-12.
One match most people will be looking forward to is the Battle of the Bays. Baypark Stadium in Tauranga is the venue when Bay of Plenty and Hawke's Bay will try to be the better team. Last year, this was the most exciting match of the season. The Magpies won 42-41 with a last-minute try by Ihaia West while Gillies Kaka scored a hat-trick. Hawke's Bay acquired good veteran players with Super Rugby experience in Ged Robinson, Ben Franks and Alby Mathewson. Last week they beat Manawatu 45-18, scoring 7 tries. The hosts, Bay of Plenty, lost to Otago in the first week. The game was going back and forth with both getting enough chances to win the game, but it was Hayden Parker who slotted the deciding penalty with 4 minutes to go.
Other matches this week are:
North Harbour vs. Counties Manukau in Albany
Taranaki vs. Wellington in New Plymouth
Tasman vs. Canterbury in Blenhelm
Manawatu vs. Auckland in Palmerston North
Round 2 Fixtures
North Harbour Stadium, Albany (Thursday, 06:35 GMT / Thursday, 19:35 NZST)
Yarrow Stadium, New Plymouth (Friday, 06:05 GMT / Friday, 19:05 NZST)
Waikato Stadium, Hamilton (Friday, 07:05 GMT / Saturday, 20:05 NZST)
Landsdowne Park, Blenhelm (Saturday, 01:35 GMT / Saturday, 14:35 NZST)
Toll Stadium, Whangarei (Saturday, 03:35 GMT / Saturday, 16:35 NZST)
Baypark Stadium, Tauranga (Sunday, 01:35 GMT / Sunday, 14:35 NZST)
Arena Manawatu, Palerston North (Sunday, 03:35 GMT / Sunday, 16:35 NZST)