Defending champs Kaikorai clinch late win on opening day

Kaikorai proved if you can just hang in there long enough, there is a gap at the end of the ruck.

The defending champions got their title defence off to a positive start with a 20-17 win against Southern at Bathgate Park.

The home team dominated most of the match.

They led 17-3 with about 20 minutes left.

But they run out of gas. Suddenly, they would have had just as much chance of getting to a ruck if it was in Tokyo.

Kaikorai ran in two late tries to level the score, and seasoned first five Ben Miller knocked over a penalty to give them the lead with just a few minutes remaining.

Southern had a late opportunity and looked to convert their complete and utter scrum dominance into a push-over try.

But veteran No 8 Mika Mafi grou nded the ball just short. They had a second dip at the line from another scrum, but this time they moved it to the midfield and were just inches short again.

In the other games, Green Island edged Harbour 17-7 at Miller Park, University dispatched Dunedin 52-31 in the Jonathan Keogh Memorial at Kettle Park and Taieri pulled away to beat Alhambra-Union 28-15 at the North Ground.

FULLTIME SCORES

Dunedin 31-52 University 

Alhambra-Union 15-28 Taieri 

Southern 17-20 Kaikorai

Green Island 17-7 Harbour