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Tue 23 Aug 2016 | 11:30
Best tries of Mitre 10 Cup - Round 1

3
Comments

The first week of what was formally the ITM Cup, now Mitre 10 Cup, was played this past weekend in New Zealand. Since it was also the first round of the Rugby Championship, much of the attention was focused on the bigger Test matches. With that being said, there were plenty of attention-grabbing skills on display from the local clubs as well.

A few names should be easily recognisable, such as Chiefs star in Super Rugby Damian McKenzie, who was playing at flyhalf for Waikato. 

One of the more impressive tries was scored by Warren Dunn from Northland, starting from a scrum at around the 0:25 mark in the video, as they orchestrated a sensational try from in the opposition 22.

Not to be outdone, Taranaki displayed some high-quality ball skills on their way to an outstanding score in their match-up against Bay of Plenty.

Southland scored a cracking try in the second half of their big loss to Otago, as 21-year-old winger Jaybe Thompson-Te Muunu made an impact with a sensational finish in the corner.

With such skills on display, it's no wonder the All Blacks operate at such a high level.

Other great tries are included including a brace of tries from Johnny McNicholl of Canterbury.

Here is a look at some of the best tries of the first week of the Mitre 10 Cup.

credit: thetightfive

Posted By: davidharper

3 Comments

  • artifiction
    3:52 AM 24/08/2016

    To be completely honest, a lot of New Zealanders, myself included, feel more passionate about the provincial competition than Super Rugby, which has become a real nightmare to follow. The classic rivalries, such as Auckland vs Canterbury, North Harbour vs Auckland and Otago vs Southland are really fantastic to watch, not to mention you get a lot more homegrown players. There is definitely a massive amount of pressure to win; which is perhaps not ideal, but also perhaps the reason why the players go on to win so much when they play international rugby

  • artifiction
    3:47 AM 24/08/2016

    For accuracy's sake, the teams in the Mitre 10 Cup are not clubs, they are provincial teams. In Otago, for example, clubs such as Southern, Dunedin and Alhambra-Union have players selected to play for their provincial Union, Otago.

  • 8:46 PM 23/08/2016

    I actually think this level is the real strength of NZ rugby. I could be wrong and probably will get lambasted here but I think it's not quite as high as the premiership or Top 14 but not far off and is scattered with Former, current and future ABs.it gives young players the chance to shine and compete at a very high level before entering the bigger pressure stage of super rugby, if they pan out. It still gets a lot of national interest and also promotes a running game with less pressure to just win.

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