Tasman made light of Wellington's visit to the NPC on Saturday, putting up 42 points to run out 42:28 winners. The hosts did not travel to make up the numbers, and by then it was clear they were building something special.
What struck me was how quickly the game opened up. Wellington came out looking to compete, but the wheels came off rather sooner than anyone expected. Tasman's attack found rhythm, and the visitors seemed unable to find their footing.
Both sides had been through mixed fortunes before this one. Tasman came off a 10:20 defeat to Northland, while Wellington had lost 35:46 to Counties Manukau. Yet neither team looked like they were carrying that momentum onto the pitch.
We had backed the hosts at 75 per cent confidence, and to be fair, the result confirmed that call. The form difference showed through, even if the recent results on paper looked comparable.
By then the gap was 14 points, and Wellington's response was muted at best. Tasman's attack kept finding gaps, and the visitors struggled to string together anything resembling a coherent game plan.
The result puts Tasman in a stronger position going forward, while Wellington will need to find answers quickly. The clean-sheet run came to an end, but for the hosts this was exactly the sort of performance they needed.