Rugby: Ill-discipline costs Taranaki in semifinal

File photo by John Velvin.

A costly first-half display of ill-discipline left the Yarrows Taranaki Bulls with too much ground to make up as their National Provincial Championship campaign ended in a 38-28 semifinal defeat to Canterbury in Christchurch on Sunday.

Despite producing a spirited second-half fightback, Taranaki were unable to overcome a disastrous opening period, allowing the home side to build a commanding advantage at One NZ Stadium.

The result ended a four-match winning streak for Jarrad Hoeata's side, which had scored 50 points or more in each of those victories to surge into the playoffs.

However, there was little sign of that attacking dominance early on against Canterbury.

Repeated penalties handed the hosts valuable territory and opportunities to attack, with Taranaki spending long periods defending inside their own 22.

Canterbury made the most of those opportunities, building a 33-7 advantage early in the second half and leaving the visitors facing an uphill battle to keep their season alive.

Taranaki captain Kaylum Boshier admitted the team's discipline had been costly.

"That first half, we just allowed them easy access into our 22, and they got points from it," he said.

However, the Bulls refused to surrender and showed glimpses of the attacking rugby that had made them one of the competition's most dangerous teams during the closing rounds.

Boshier helped spark the comeback with a try in the 55th minute, converted by Josh Jacomb, as Taranaki reduced the deficit to 33-21.

The momentum was briefly with the visitors, who began finding space and putting Canterbury under pressure.

However, Canterbury wing Isaac Hutchinson struck back with a try five minutes later to extend the home side's lead to 38-21.

Taranaki continued to fight, with centre Meihana Grindlay crossing in the 67th minute and Jacomb converting to bring the Bulls within 10 points.

It offered a glimmer of hope heading into the final stages, but Canterbury held firm to secure a place in next weekend's final against Northland.

For Taranaki, it was a disappointing end to a season that had promised little during a difficult opening period.

Illness and injuries disrupted the Bulls' early campaign, including a heavy 42-0 defeat to Northland, before a remarkable late-season revival saw them emerge as genuine title contenders scoring 50 points or more in four consecutive matches towards the end of the round robin.

Their run included convincing victories over Southland, Hawke's Bay and Wellington before a 50-31 quarterfinal win over North Harbour in Albany.

Boshier said he remained proud of the team's resilience, despite falling short of reaching the final.

"It was a tough start, mate. I'm proud of the way we bounced back through that middle towards the end there.

"Obviously, coming here today, we had our confidence high and, yeah, we just didn't get that performance we were after."

The semifinal also saw All Blacks first-five Josh Jacomb return to provincial duty, providing another boost for Taranaki's playoff campaign.

Boshier praised Jacomb's commitment to the team, even while away on international duty.

"Even if he hasn't been there, the work he does in his spare time when he's been with the All Blacks is awesome.

"He's always sending clips back for us to get better, and he's just another coach really.

"So, yeah, I couldn't speak highly enough of him, and thank you to him."

Canterbury will host Northland on Labour Day.