Canterbury lose to Manawatu in Mitre 10 Cup

Omnisports

September 17, 2016 6:02 AM

Canterbury's 100 per cent record in the Mitre 10 Cup came to an end on Saturday, while Otago made it six from six in the Championship.

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Jackson Hemopo's late try ended Canterbury's perfect record in this season's Mitre 10 Cup as Manawatu earned a 19-13 victory on Saturday.

Defending champions Canterbury had won all four matches in their 2016 campaign, and led 13-9 with around 15 minutes remaining of the Premiership clash.

But Otere Black added to his three first-half penalties with another successful effort from the tee, before Hemopo went over with three minutes to go, Black adding the extras to condemn Canterbury to defeat.

In the Championship, Otago managed what Canterbury could not, making it six wins from six with a 24-13 home victory over North Harbour, with the kicking game of Fletcher Smith proving a solid platform for success.

Smith split the posts with four penalties in total and tagged on the extras after Sam Anderson-Heather had powered over for the second of his side's two tries.

The visitors rallied from 14-0 down to trail by a point at the interval, Matt Vaega finishing off a run from Michael Little.

But Otago struck within three minutes of the restart through Anderson-Heather and saw out the victory.

Omnisports

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