A battered and bruised Auckland struggled to match North Harbour’s energy, accuracy and hunger, falling heavily, 57-10, to its first Battle of the Bridge defeat since 2009.

The visitors to Albany were fronting for their third game in nine days, but a lack of fluency on attack and porous defence saw them well beaten by a side who recorded its highest ever scored against its Blues partners. This was just the seventh victory for North Harbour over Auckland in 32 years, and one of the most impressive, led by a back three full of running and anchored by a dominant pack. First five Bryn Gatland chimed in with 22 points off the tee.

The 57 points were comfortably the most Harbour has run up against Auckland.

Before a vocal crowd of around 7000, North Harbour played largely mistake-free rugby and then cut loose in the second spell with some compelling attacking rugby which Auckland failed to stem.

There was little to enthuse over in Auckland’s performance, though George Moala did score his 28th try, in 49 games, for the union, off a second half lineout move. Fullback Pryor Collier made a couple of promising early thrusts. But too often there was little cohesion and the passing was again ragged. Loose forward Taleni Seu made his comeback and got through the entire second spell. First five Daniel Bowden departed on a stretcher after a heavy head knock.

North Harbour controlled the first stanza from the moment the visitors kicked the ball out on the full at their first possession.

Shaun Stevenson, a product of Auckland Grammar School, looked sharp at fullback, scoring an early opening try after nice work by Matt Vaega and Matt Duffie. Stevenson might have scored a second soon afterwards were it not for a forward pass. But he did nail a second five-pointer early in the second half off a Bryn Hall chip over the top.

Duffie scored North Harbour’s second try as the home side worked the short side, Vaega gifting the final pass.

Harbour’s scrum was ascendant and it looked energised, perhaps unsurprisingly after a break of 10 days. Auckland, conversely, looked fatigued and its set-piece, so solid against Northland and Waikato, came under severe heat.

Left wing Tevita Li scored a double for Harbour, while the biggest cheer of the night was reserved for hooker James Parsons, another Blues rep, who scooted 35m for a solo try.

North Harbour is now second on the Premiership table. Auckland is last, on points differential, and will need to swiftly bounce back on Saturday when Taranaki comes to Eden Park.

*In the curtainraiser, the Auckland Under 19 As tuned up for the looming Jock Hobbs Memorial National Under 19 tournament with a convincing 57-12 victory over their North Harbour counterparts. - Campbell Burnes

Auckland 10 (George Moala try; Jono Hickey con, pen) North Harbour 57 (Shaun Stevenson 2, Tevita Li 2, Matt Duffie, James Parsons, Ben Volavola tries; Bryn Gatland 5 con, 4 pen) HT: 18-3 North Harbour