Counties continue to battle-on courageously after the final siren. But a knock-on soon follows, and the whistle sounds. It took some time for Canterbury to exert their dominance, but in the end, Canterbury persevered for a hard-fought victory. Thanks for joining us. see you next time!

The flow of substitutions from the Canterbury bench has provided the spark for this side. Luke Whitelock crosses for another, as the Counties defence crumbles before the oncoming red and black jerseys. Brilliant, scything line from Whitelock off the base of the ruck.

Canterbury accumulating momentum - They cross once more within five minutes - Keresoma tears down the wing and brings his side up to the opposition twenty-two. The ball is recycled quickly, and Manu eventually powers over from close range.

Counties build their way deep into Canterbury territory following the break. They sweep the ball from left to right in search of try number two. Eventually its number 7, Sean Reidy who finds space on the wing, and dots down. But ten minutes later, Canterbury find themselves with a scrum five metres out and secure their first try - Osborne cuts in from his wing and collects the ball on a devastating line. He crashes through a Counties' challenge and touches down.

Counties boot to touch, and the referee concludes the half. The visitors will be brimming with confidence after a fantastic half whilst Canterbury will be scratching their heads, after being convincingly outperformed. But Canterbury are far from defeated, and will look to turn the tide in the second..

Counties earn dividend after dominating the game's first quarter. Lefau crosses in the corner to cap a terrific team effort. Selwyn sparks the try, tearing down the touch-line before cutting back inside. He's dragged down short but the ball is kept alive thanks to some fantastic handling. Eventually, Lefau collects an offload two metres out and dives over for the score. Anufe converts, and Counties extend the lead to seven.

Canterbury secure a further three points against the run of play. They earn a line-out on half way launch the attack. As they approach the Counties' twenty-two, referee Brendon Pickerill spots a Counties player handling on the floor and penalises accordingly. Bleyendaal knocks over penalty number two, but his three points are shortly cancelled out by the boot of Anufe..

Counties find their stride quickly though - dominating territory and possession in the last ten minutes. A well organised set-piece, and some dangerous line breaks from Patrick Osborne in particular.

Canterbury come away with points on their first visit to the opposition half. A breakdown infringement by Counties allows Bleyendaal a shot at goal. He makes no mistakes, and Canterbury pull in front. Counties' restart goes straight to touch - shaky start for the visitors.

Hello and welcome. Today, defending champions, Canterbury welcome Counties Manukua to the AMI stadium. Canterbury have struggled somewhat this season - their 72-7 thrashing of Manawatu was overshadowed by disappointing losses to Wellington and Auckland. Last week, in Eden Park, they looked a disinterested side- trailing 32-7 at the break, and conceding a further try in the second half.
Meanwhile, Counties Manukau have enjoyed a whirlwind of a month - securing the Ranfurly Shield for the first time, and successfully defending it against Taranaki and Waikato. Should be an interesting 80 minutes, with the result far from certain - Kick off on the way.