North Harbour keep the shield

Easy Pisi: Log 'o Wood safe for now

North Harbour opened their defence of the Ranfurly Shield with a straightforward 69-0 win over Thames Valley on Saturday.

Leading 50-0 at the break, Harbour lost shape and focus in the second half as the Thames Valley amateurs gamely searched for a try.

North Harbour had not mounted a Shield defence since winning it for the first time in Christchurch last September, and fly-half Luke Hamilton became the first player to score a North Harbour point in defence of the Shield, pouncing on a loose ball in the fifth minute.

Other first-half tries followed from Nick Williams (2), Michael Harris (2), Tusi Pisi, James Afoa and George Pisi, with Harris converting five of the eight tries.

All three Pisi brothers - Tusi, George and Ken - were playing together for the first time, and all three combined to send lock Doug Fletcher over shortly after the break, and then sevens star Zar Lawrence added one, before Thames Valley enjoyed their best spell of the game.

With a couple of minutes remaining, Lawrence sped away for his second and North Harbour's eleventh of the night.

North Harbour's second pre-Air New Zealand Cup defence of the Ranfurly Shield is against Horowhenua-Kapiti on July 14.