Auckland penalised for hands in the ruck

Southland send it wide

Great steal by Welsh

Eade sends it high and Nanai takes it easily

Southland take the lineout quickly and attack

McDonald clears

Eade gets the game underway

This is Jerome Kaino's 50th match for Auckland

The two sides making their way onto the field

Good day and welcome to the first of two Mitre 10 Cup matches today. Southland will be looking to bounce back from 78-20 defeat at the hands of Canterbury, while Auckland will be hoping they can get only their 2nd victory of the season. Neither side has started this season well and will be aiming to secure a much-needed confidence booster. Stay tuned as this match could prove to be an exciting one.