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Watch: Damian McKenzie scores second try in as many weeks as Waikato establish themselves as Mitre 10 Cup contenders

(Photo by Masanori Udagawa/Getty Images)

It’s unlikely Waikato will be able to call upon the services of Damian McKenzie for the remainder of the Mitre 10 Cup campaign, but the All Blacks star has certainly made an impact in the two matches he’s played for the Mooloos.

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One of many All Blacks released to play in the opening fortnight of New Zealand’s premier provincial competition, McKenzie returned to Waikato for the first time since 2016 in scintillating fashion in their season-opener against Wellington last weekend.

Scoring a whopping 33 points against a Lions side stacked with All Blacks and Super Rugby talent, the 25-year-old capped off his showing with a blistering 85 metre intercept try to help his side to a 53-28 victory.

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McKenzie continued that vein of form into Waikato’s second match of the season this weekend when they hosted North Harbour, scoring another impressive try, this time using his support play to help the men in red, black and yellow claim a 41-19 win.

Following up a line break by young midfielder Quinn Tupaea, the 23-test fullback was on the receiving end of a draw-and-pass before putting on the afterburners to outpace three North Harbour defenders and cruise in under the posts.

That wasn’t McKenzie’s only significant involvement in the game, with the playmaker showing some deft footwork to play a key role in setting up a try for impressive young halfback Xavier Roe, who crossed for his second score of the game.

It will be players like Roe that Waikato will lean on heavily once McKenzie leaves the squad to link up with the All Blacks in Whakatane on Monday.

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The 21-year-old has been a standout for the Mooloos thus far this season, having scored last week against Wellington to help cement his place as Waikato’s top No. 9 in a position many pundits viewed as an area of weakness before the season kicked off.

Likewise, former Chiefs and Sunwolves flanker Mitch Jacobson has similarly caught the eye since returning to provincial action, and the efforts of Waikato’s less-heralded players will put the side in good stead upon McKenzie’s departure.

The Hamiltonians’ win over North Harbour sees them rocket up to second place on the Mitre 10 Cup Premiership standings with two wins from as many matches, and will look to extend their winning run against fellow table-toppers Tasman in Nelson next week.

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Tom 52 minutes ago
England player ratings vs South Africa | 2024 Autumn Nations Series

I'm not sure about the Earl incident. I recall him missing an important tackle but he's certainly a quick flanker. SB has him cover centre when doing 6-2, fortunately we've never had to see how that would play out.


I'm not getting on board I'm afraid. The fact that England are scoring tries and being competitive despite being so amazingly disorganised and managing to lose every match is even more frustrating. The players front up and make a good account of themselves physically but the defence since Felix Jones is so much less organised. Players are flying out the line all over the place, there is no cohesion at all... And the attack... Literally it's just Marcus Smith.. and a bit of Feyi Waboso. Almost every player in the backline has done nothing offensively because the structure just isn't there for it, there's nothing creative or innovative to challenge the defense. The last 20 mins against the Boks it was just runners on crash ball off the 9, over and over getting smashed behind the gainline and turned over. These players are capable of doing much better.


We did score tries under Eddie but the backs didn't create anything. It worked well for a while but when we no longer had a big pack with the likes of Haskell and the Vunipolas playing well, it stopped working very rapidly. Once we started losing the gainline and couldn't exert so much pressure through bullying, they suddenly all looked clueless and we finished 5th in consecutive six nations.


I'd love to be on board, I've watched every game for the last 15 years and what I see is just super frustrating. It's groundhog day. The same mistakes over and over and no sign of progress. They've pushed some good sides close in this series but there is no acknowledgement of the issues, they keep saying how close they are and they're a growing team etc... he's been in charge for 2 years and has hundreds of caps in the side. This will end poorly, he's not the right guy, but thank you for trying.

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LONG READ
LONG READ Mick Cleary: 'England are not far off. But the margin is there. It’s palpable.' Mick Cleary: 'England are not far off. But the margin is there. It’s palpable.'
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