Canterbury will play Wellington in the final of the Air New Zealand Cup next weekend after they beat Hawke’s Bay 31-21 at AMI Stadium tonight in the second semi-final.

Canterbury may not have been at its best for most of this match, although a superb five-minute period during the second half was enough for the Red and Blacks to ward off a spirited but ultimately less skilful Hawke’s Bay team.

The home side attacked immediately at the kick-off, Casey Laulala finding space down the outside. At the end of the wide-ranging movement, left winger James Paterson injured his left knee. As a result, the promising flyer was forced off, allowing Adam Whitelock onto the field.

From the resulting play, Hawke’s Bay was penalised for wrong entry on the side of the ruck. The infringement gave Colin Slade his first shot at goal for the night and although the shot was only about 15 metres to the left of the posts, the number ten pushed it wide.

Both sides appeared initially nervous. Playing with the wind in the first half, Hawke’s Bay chose to kick a great deal and force Canterbury to defend.

In the 13th minute Hawke’s Bay scored the first try of the game. It came after the Red and Blacks appeared to stop for a penalty that had been signaled by the referee. The whistle never came however and it allowed openside flanker Karl Lowe the opportunity to cut through some average home defence to give the visitors a 7-0 lead.

Andy Ellis had missed a tackle that led to Lowe’s try, although he made up for it almost straight after when he was on the end of an incisive break up the middle by Colin Slade. It was a lovely try and a wonderful response.

Lowe was in five minutes later however. In something of a bizarre series of events, Canterbury winger Paul Williams was involved in a skirmish with three Hawke’s Bay players, while play continued on the openside. Still, when Lowe got the ball he again showed plenty of determination to power through the defence to score. 

The home side again responded positively. With Laulala prominent (as he was throughout the match), the ball was moved wide several times across the park. Again it was Slade who found the gap in the Hawke’s Bay defence to dot down for Canterbury’s second try. He kicked the conversion to tie the scores once again.

Corey Flynn went close to scoring in the remaining minutes of the first half, although the tied scoreline at the break was probably a fair indication of the run of play. It was an entertaining, although not altogether accurate, first 40 minutes. Both coaches would have wanted more from their sides in the second half.

The Canterbury scrum started the second half strongly. It certainly had had the better of its counterpart in the first half, although it was simply outstanding in the first ten minutes after the break. Wyatt Crockett has had a terrific season and he was again to the fore and an All Black tour surely looms for him. Greg Somerville was also having a mighty match in his last game on AMI Stadium.

The Canterbury lineout was also performing: on defence the Red and Black line was putting huge pressure on the Hawke’s Bay put-in, while they were also secure on their own throw. Isaac Ross was particularly impressive.

In the 56th minute George Naoupu and Michael Johnson both went agonisingly close to scoring for Hawke’s Bay, only a last-gasp round-the-boots tackle by replacement half-back Tyson Keats preventing a fine try.

Michael Paterson was next on the scoreboard. From a turn-over, good work by Somerville and Williams saw the lanky lock show a clean pair of heels to storm through and score a very important try.

This was a pivotal point in the match: the Magpies had only just missed scoring when they had a golden opportunity, while the Red and Blacks had the composure to take their chance when it arose. 

Two minutes later it was Canterbury captain Kieran Read who extended the home lead with another try. Moving the ball wide, good work by Scott Hamilton to kick the ball through a ruck when it looked like the Magpies had the ball, saw Read collect the resulting pass and charge through.

With 13 minutes remaining Hawke’s Bay went close to scoring when only some desperate defence by Slade and Tim Bateman prevented lock Bryn Evans from scoring. Slade, who was outstanding both on attack and defence in this match, was remarkable in preventing the score.

Slade continued his man-of-the-match performance to put the result beyond doubt with a penalty in the 74th minute. The kick was from over 50 metres, although the number ten made it look easy.

With three minutes remaining Bryn Evans finally scored a try after the visitors had showed no signs of giving up. It was a fine try and fine reward for a side that has once again performed beyond expectations this season.

While Canterbury was not necessarily at its best, they did more than enough to win. It was in many respects similar to Wellington’s semi-final victory against Southland in that it was an ugly win, although at this stage of the season the only thing that mattered was that they came out on top.

There were a number of stand-outs for the Red and Blacks. Slade was the man-of-the-match and hardly put a foot wrong. Laulala, Hamilton and Keats were also outstanding. In the forwards, Crockett and Somerville were magnificent, while as you might expect Richard McCaw was world-class.

The challenge for this Canterbury side is to now go to Wellington and beat the home side in the final. While tonight may not have been the perfect dress-rehearsal, it certainly showed that they have enough ability and class to become the New Zealand domestic champions for 2008.

Canterbury 31: Tries: Andy Ellis, Colin Slade, Michael Paterson, Kieran Read. Conversions: Colin Slade (4). Penalty: Colin Slade.

Hawke’s Bay 21: Tries: Karl Lowe (2), Bryn Evans. Conversions: Matt Berquist (3).