Canterbury have thrashed Tasman 62-14 in a record-breaking victory which has put them into the semifinals of the NPC against Bay of Plenty next weekend.
Bay of Plenty, who won their quarter-final at the death against Hawke’s Bay yesterday, will host the semifinal on Saturday afternoon.
Wellington, the top seeds, will host the other semifinal against Waikato on Saturday night.
This was always going to be a difficult challenge for Tasman in Blenheim given the recent highs and lows of winning and losing the Ranfurly Shield but they were outclassed by a Canterbury side finding form at the right time of year.
The Cantabs, bolstered by All Blacks lock Sam Darry, scored nine tries and dominated the home side from start to finish.
They had standouts across the park, including skipper and No.8 Billy Harmon, hooker George Bell and openside flanker Tom Christie. Such is their depth they brought on Crusaders loose forward Cullen Grace for the final quarter.
Former All Blacks midfielders Brayden Ennor and Dallas McLeod also combined extremely well for the Cantabs, with first-five Rameka Poihipi controlling things well.
Canterbury’s previous best victory over Tasman was 39-0 in 2017, the last time they won the NPC.
For Tasman, halfback Finlay Christie tried hard in a losing battle.
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