[Please refresh your browser for the latest score]
Final score: Auckland 38 Wellington 17
80mins: Another ruck penalty for Auckland and this should be the game - Plummer finds touch and the referee calls time. Auckland the far better side today and will play Canterbury in a week in Auckland. Akira Ioane the player of the game by a long way.
78mins: Auckland earn a defensive penalty. Plummer finds touch on halfway. 90 seconds on the clock.
77mins: Lineout for the Lions on the Auckland 22.
75mins: Game winding down now. Auckland camped inside the Lions 22.
70mins: TRY AUCKLAND - Marco Fepulea'i.
That should be the game clincher. Centre Tumua Manu cites a gap in midfield and delivers a magnificent pass to Faiane who races off downfield - collected well by Goosen but two phases later and it's the replacement prop who crashes over. Plummer converts. AKL 38-17.
68mins: trent Renata with a big break down Wellington's right hand side - split three or four defenders but he blows the opportunity with a woeful pass to a teammate and the chance is gone. Auckland lineout 30m out from their own line.
66mins: Poor discipline from Carlos Price - gives away a silly penalty for pushing an Auckland player after a ruck had cleared - releives the pressure on the blue and whites. Plummer clears well.
64mins: End-to-end play. Wellington almost score through Fahamokoia but he loses the ball forward in contact - Auckland counter through Nanai who chips ahead and Trainor collects but he is pinged for holding on. Great touch finder from Garden-Bachop. Lineout 5m.
62mins: Penalty for Auckland. It was a bit of messy play for Wellington - theor lineout drive was well defended - ball bobbles around a few players feet, Coles dives on it but doesn't release. Plummer clears - lineout 30m for Auckland.
60mins: Wellington back on the attack straight away. They have a penalty insdie the Auckland 22 for multiiple defenders being offside. Lineout 5m out for the Lions.
57mins: TRY AUCKLAND - Akira Ioane
Wow Ioane is making a statement to the selectors. Great build up play, with Faiane making a couple nice runs - Ioane picks the ball up 10m out and powers over the line with three defenders on his back. Plummer converts. AKL 31-17.
55mins: Wellington trying to attack from insdie their half but Matt Proctor's pass to Tuitama floats forward. Scrum Auckland 35m out from the Lions line.
54mins: And just like that they hand some of the momentium back. Knock on from Leawere during the lineout drive and Auckland will have a chance to clear.
53mins: Momentium very much with the Lions now. Fatialofa pinged for not releasing at the ruck and Wellington have a lineout 30m out from the Auckland line.
49mins: TRY WELLINGTON - Taeriki Ben-Nicholas.
The Lions fake the lineout drive as Kirifi attacks - picked up by Ben Nicholas and he dances over untouched - too easy. Converted by Garden-Bachop. AKL 24-17.
47mins: Wellington with a chance to attack again - yet another ruck penalty, this time against the blue and white hoops. Scrum 5m for Wellington.
46mins: Scrum penalty for Auckland.
45mins: Not a great start from Coles - lineout not straight.
44mins: Penalty for the Lions - Garden-Bachop finds touch 5m out.
42mins: Wellington on the attack early after an Auckland turnover. Through 20 phases but they haven't gone far - 15m out.
Second-half: Dane Coles is on for fellow All Black Asafo Aumua. Garden-Bachop gets us back underway.
40+2: Plummer misses to the right hand side of the post, Garden-Bachop bangs it into touch and that the half.
40mins: Another ruck penalty against Toomaga-Allen and Plummer will have a chance to score a bonus three-points for Auckland from a tough angle.
39mins: Lineout messed up by the Lions and Plummer clears to halfway.
38mins: Penalty goes to Wellington this time. Garden-Bachop will kick for touch and the Lions have a lineout insde the Auckland 22.
37mins: PENALTY GOAL AUCKLAND - Harry Plummer.
Makes no mitsake and the Auckland lead is out to 14-points. AKL 24-10.
36mins: Another ruck penalty for Auckland - this time Toomaga-Allen found to have played the ball on the ground. Plummer will have a shot at three-points.
34mins: Wellington win the kick-off bhut they aren't making many inroads - penalty for Auckland with Ben Lam pinged for not releasing. Plummer finds touch on the Lions 22.
30mins: TRY AUCKLAND - Akira Ioane.
Tremendous ball retention from the Auckland side - not making a lot of yards but doing enough. Ioane with a snipe and he powers over with four defenders on his back to extend Auckland's lead. He is a man on mission today. Plummer converts. AKL 21-10.
27mins: Defensive penalty for Auckland. Malo Tuitama not releasing at breakdown. Now a lineout penalty on halfway - Plummer finds touch again on the Lions 10m line
26mins: No good from Garden-Bachop. That's a poor miss from the Lions number 10.
25mins: Penalty for Wellington after an impressive scrum. Another shot coming up.
24mins: Mistake from Parapara at the base of the ruck, loses the ball forward and the pressure is off Auckland. Defebsive scrum on their own 22.
22mins: Great defensive line speed from Wellington forces a midfield mistake from TJ Faiane and the Lions have a scrum on halfway.
19mins: PENALTY GOAL WELLINGTON - Jackson Garden-Bachop
A gimmie for the Lions playmaker. AKL 14-10.
17mins: Lions on attack as Lousi finds a hige hole in the Auckland middle - nice interplay between backs and forwards and they are hot on attack right on the goalline. Referee pings Auckland for not rolling away and the Lions will have a shot at goal.
14mins: TRY AUCKLAND - Fa'atiga Lemalu.
Ioane attacks off the back of the scrum - he looks dangerous. 3rd phase and Lemalu with a nice run, ducks under a couple of tackles and reaches out to score. TMO has a look and confirms no knock-on and the try stands.Plummer adds the extra two-points.
13mins: Penalty for Auckland inside the Lions 22. Great attacking play from the blue and whites through Trainor, Nanai and Faiane. Wellington offside at the ruck. Auckland opt for an attacking scrum.
11mins: Wellington with a scrum just outsdie the Auckland 22. they attack through te forwards but Plummer earns his side a penalty with great work at the breakdown. Clearning kick from Plummer is good.
8mins:TRY AUCKLAND - Melani Nanai.
Great reply from Auckland. Scrum on halfway, Akira Ioane off the back scoots away down the righty hand touchline, inside ball to Ruru who finds a steaming Nanai on the outside and he races away to score. Plummer converts. 7-7.
4mins: TRY WELLINGTON - Wes Goosen.
Goosen gobbles up a high kick from Plummer and runs intio contact - referee playing advantage for offside against the homeside as Garden-Bachop sniped down the short side, finds Goosen who sprints away to score in the corner. Garden-Bachop with a great conversion from the sideline. Wel 7-0.
2mins: Auckland cough the ball up through Trainor after some decent build up play - cleared by Garden-Bachop, tidied up by Trainor who finds touch just inside Wellington territory.
Kick-off: Harry Plummer gets us underway and the Aucklanders have earned a turnover at the first ruck and go on attack - less than a minute gone.
================================
5.03pm: Players and officials had made their way out to a nice reaction from a decent crowd in Auckland today.
4.55pm: Kick-off scheduled for 5.05pm - no late changes to report in either side.
4.50pm: Stunning day in the City of Sails with very little wind about - perfect conditions for rugby.
==============================================================
Greetings rugby fans and welcome to Newshub's live updates of the second Mitre 10 Cup Premiership semi-final between table toppers Auckland and Wellington at Eden Park.
Canterbury's upset win over Tasman last night means the red and blacks could host the final if the blue and white hoops slip up against the Lions.
Auckland pipped Wellington in week eight of the regular season 29-24 at Westpac Stadium -, their only loss of 2018 was at the hands of Otago.
Teams:
Auckland: 15-Jordan Trainor, 14-Melani Nanai, 13-Tumua Manu, 12-TJ Faiane (c), 11-Salesi Rayasi, 10-Harry Plummer,9-Jonathan Ruru, 8-Akira Ioane, 7-Adrian Choat, 6-Evan Olmstead, 5-Michael Fatialofa, 4-Fa’atiga Lemalu, 3-Marcel Renata, 2-Robbie Abel, 1-Sam Prattley.
Reserves: 16-Mike Sosene, 17-Jarred Adams, 18-Marco Fepulea’i, 19-Taleni Seu, 20-Hoskins Sotutu, 21-Desma Liaina, 22-Jacob Umaga, 23-Caleb Clarke.
Wellington: 15-Wes Goosen, 14-Ben Lam, 13-Matt Proctor (c),12- Billy Proctor, 11-Malo Tuitama, 10-Jackson Garden-Bachop,9- Kemara Hauiti-Parapara, 8-Teariki Ben-Nicholas,7-Mateaki Kafatolu, 6-James Blackwell,5- Isaia Walker-Leawere, 4-Sam Lousi,3-Jeff Toomaga-Allen,2-Asafo Aumua, 1-Sitiveni Paongo.
Reserves: 16-Dane Coles, 17-Tolu Fahamokoia, 18-Joel Hintz,19-Galu Taufale, 20-Du Plessis Kirifi, 21-Carlos Price, 22-Losi Filipo, 23-Trent Renata.
Newshub
