Despite going into their Mitre 10 Cup clash with Auckland with nothing to gain, tomorrow's Battle of the Bridge is anything but a dead rubber for North Harbour.
Sitting fifth on the Mitre 10 Cup Premiership ladder, Harbour are no chance of making this year's finals, although Auckland have a chance to secure themselves a home semi-final, looking to leapfrog Tasman into top spot.
Speaking to 1 NEWS this morning though, Harbour captain James Parsons, and coach Tom Coventry are adamant that they can't allow that to happen.
"This is always a standalone game for us," Parsons said.
"It means so much to our community, and we base so much of our culture around giving back to our community and making sure they're proud to wear the jersey in the street, and also proud to see us wear it."
Coach Coventry echoed his skipper's sentiments.
"There's certainly no love lost between the two provinces," he said.
"They've had a great year. They'll be looking for a home semi-final which is what they're after, but we're after a good peformance.
"The Battle of the Bridge means something to us, and I'm sure we'll perform well tomorrow."
SHARE ME