Auckland has recorded its first win of the 2017 Mitre 10 Cup, a gritty and bruising but far from fluent 10-8 victory over Championship side Northland at Eden Park.

This was crossover rugby at its most basic, no side giving an inch, a greasy ball and plenty of stoppages, errors and injuries.

Auckland led 10-3 at the break thanks to some staunch defence and replacement hooker Kurt Eklund’s fourth try for the union. Eklund had come on briefly while starting hooker Greg Pleasants-Tate was undertaking a head injury assessment. The Taniwha threw long to a lineout but it went astray and Eklund pounced.

But the home side had to fight tooth and nail for every metre against a committed Northland Taniwha, especially in the second stanza. There might have been an early try but referee Shuhei Kubo did not award what looked to be a five-pointer to Malakai Fekitoa after a dive for the line by captain Patrick Tuipulotu.

Jone Macilai sparked the visitors with a 54th minute try thanks to a 60m one-two double act on the left wing with Solomon Alaimalo.

While Auckland struggled to find fluency on offence, its defence was again sound, led by Fekitoa in the backs, while in the pack Tuipulotu led the way with several strong carries and loosehead prop Sam Prattley took the player of the day award. The likes of second-rowers Scott Scrafton and Ben Nee-Nee also marked up physically on an afternoon for the forwards.

“It wasn’t pretty, but I thought at the start when the conditions were still nice and dry we were just starting to get into our game and string things together. It felt good and it looked like we would kick on but the rain came and just narrowed everything, making things a bit easier for Northland. We wanted to be expansive but just couldn’t. They are a spirited team and got into us and our own errors put us under the pump,” says Auckland assistant coach Bevan Cadwallader.

“We are on the board but obviously have a tough week coming up with Waikato and North Harbour.”

There was time for two debuts out of the College Rifles club, first five Otu Mausia and prop Emersen Tamura-Paki. Both made encouraging starts to their provincial careers.

Leon Fukofuka left the field with a shoulder injury so will need to be assessed before Wednesday night’s Premiership game against the Mooloos. - Campbell Burnes

Auckland 10 (Kurt Eklund try; Jono Hickey con, pen) Northland 8 (Jone Macilai try; Peter Breen pen) HT: 10-3