Otago took the physical battle to Auckland earlier today to claim a 34-26 Mitre 10 Cup win in Dunedin, in a match that featured a number of bruising collisions.
This tackle by Mikaele Mafi in midfield was the biggest of the night, as he crushed flanker Blake Gibson in a bone-rattling ball and all tackle.
Otago went on to score five tries in total, beating Auckland for the first time since 2013.
To compound matters for Auckland, centre Malakai Fekitoa went off after a bad head knock, but has since tweeted that he is doing okay and will be back soon.
The win moves the southerners temporarily to second place on the Championship table, while Auckland are sixth in the Premiership table, with five losses and two wins.
On Wednesday Bay of Plenty put 57 unanswered points (where have we heard that before?) on Southland, and still to come this weekend are another six Mitre 10 Cup fixtures.
Manawatu take on Northland, North Harbour face Canterbury, Waikato are up against Wellington, Hawke’s Bay battle Taranaki, then Bay of Plenty play again on Sunday, facing Counties Manukau, and Tasman host Southland.
You can view the clip of the huge tackle below, and highlights from the match under that.
Match Highlights:
credit: skynz/allblacks/rugbypass
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