Crunch midweek match for Lions against Taniwha in first visit to Northland since 2016

The Wellington Lions are coming off a five-day turnaround to face the Northland Taniwha in Whangarei tonight in round seven of 10 of the National Provincial Championship.

The Lions will be hoping to claw their way out of their current position on the points table with a bonus point win over the Taniwha, one that would temporarily lift them to seventh on the ladder ahead of the bulk of this weekend’s games.

More importantly, the Lions are seeking consistency and impetus over the back end of the competition, where the top eight finishing sides after the round-robin progress to the next stage and have a shot at winning the title, or in the Lions’ case retaining it.

To do so, they need to get past a Northland side that finds itself equal on competition points on 13 and bruised after coming off a 29-10 defeat to Otago in Dunedin.

The Taniwha roar loudest at home and the Lions will have to quickly regroup after losing 45-19 to Hawke’s Bay in their last outing.

With at least nine first choice leading players in Ardie Savea, Billy Proctor, Du Plessis Kirifi, Peter Lakai, Ruben Love, Kyle Preston, Asafo Aumua, Brad Shields and Matt Proctor all in the All Blacks or injured, they are relying on some young and up and coming players to propel them forward tonight.

The Lions do welcome back experienced players to their line-up for this match. Xavier Numia returns from a one-game injury spell to play loosehead prop and second five Julian Savea returns from Auckland where he was supporting his brother Ardie last week.

Julian Savea moves back into second five and Callum Harkin moves out to fullback for tonight’s game.

Also in the front row, Siale Lauaki comes into tighthead prop for PJ Sheck, while Teofilo Paulo starts at lock for Akira Ieremia and Sione Halalilo at openside flanker.

In the backs, Esi Komaisavai starts at halfback, while Stanley Solomon is on the right wing and Losi Filipo at centre for Matt Proctor who captained the team last week.

The Wellington Lions team to play Northland at 7.05pm on Thursday night in Whangarei is:

1. Xavier Numia (Ories)
2. James O’Reilly (HOBM)
3. Siale Lauaki (Norths)
4. Hugo Plummer (Tawa)
5. Teofilo Paulo (HOBM)
6. Caleb Delany (OBU)
7. Sione Halalilo (Ories)
8. Dominic Ropeti (Ories)
9. Esi Komaisavai (Pare-Plim)
10. Jackson Garden-Bachop (Norths)
11. Tom Maiava (Ories)
12. Julian Savea (Ories)
13. Losi Filipo (Petone)
14. Stanley Solomon (Petone)
15. Callum Harkin (OBU)

BENCH DWELLERS:

16. Penieli Poasa (Ories)
17. Kenshi Yamamoto (Japan)
18. PJ Sheck (Tawa)
19. Akira Ieremia (Tawa)
20. Cody Lokotui (Wellington Axemen)
21. Nui Muriawai (HOBM)
22. Kapu Broughton-Winterburn (HOBM)
23. Yamada (Japan)

Tonight’s game will be their first fixture against Northland since 2022 when they met at Porirua Park, and remarkably their first at this venue in Whangarei since 2016.

The Lions won 29-21 that day on 22 September 2016, with hooker Asafo Aumua scoring a hat-trick.

Overall the two teams have met 15 times in Whangarei since the start of the NPC in 1976.

Wellington leads the head-to-head count at the venue formerly known as Okara Park 11-4.

However, the Northlanders can look at the most recent outing between these sides for inspiration when they visited Porirua Park on 20 August 2022 when they battled to a 15-6 win in the wet, with Wellington’s Jackson Garden-Bachop kicking two penalties for the home side.

Northland had several players in that side who will be lining up tonight, such as the same halfback-first-five combination, halfback Sam Nock and flyhalf Rivez Reihana.

Hooker Matt Moulds is another player to look out for, while former Oriental-Rongotai lock Liam Hallam-Eames started at lock that day and is on the bench tonight.

Prior to that loss in 2022, Wellington had won their previous six fixtures against Northland.

Their previous loss had been in 2014 at Whangarei when they recorded their lowest ever score against them: 5-35.

The overall record between the two sides heading into this game is: played 36, Wellington 29 wins, Northland seven wins.

Heading into this clash, Wellington has scored 1.064 points and 152 tries in all NPC matches against Northland and the visitors have scored 584 points and 71 tries against Wellington.

Prior to the NPC error (up to and including 1975), Wellington and the union known as North Auckland had met five times between 1939-1970, with North Auckland winning three of these and there were two draws.

Their first game in Whangarei was on 13 September 1939, 11 days after the outbreak of the second world war in Europe.

The brief Dominion report the next morning (a Thursday read):

“The superiority of the northern forwards in the loose was the deciding factor. Wellington hooked from the majority of the scrums but the combination of the youthful backline often failed.

“An outstanding performance was given by 18-year old Dance, Wellington fullback.

“For North Auckland Masters kicked a penalty and converted a try scored by Callanan. Cunningham also scored a try. Thomas scored for Wellington.

Teenaged Wellington fullback A.T. Dance played for the St Pat’s College Old Boys club and for Wellington in 1939-41.

Wellington’s try scorer was L.R Thomas, who played for Wellington out of the Onslow club in 1939-40 and again after the war between 1946-48.  Lin Thomas played for the 2 NZEF Forces team overseas during the way and  later coached Onslow to their maiden Jubilee Cup victory in 1955.