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For the first time since 1978, Northland have won the famed Log of Wood, punishing Canterbury 36-12 in Christchurch. The last time the province held the Ranfurly Shield, they were competing as North Auckland, and coming into Thursday night’s clash they hadnot beaten Canterbury since 1999. But on the back of a quality set piece and strong defence, the Taniwha took everything the hosts threw at them and returned it with interest. “It feels unreal. I’ve been on the back end of some of these games, getting bloody hidings, and it’s unreal that I get to get a Shield challenge, win it, and it’s my 50th [game],” Northland loose forward Rob Rush told Sky Sport. Rush was among the stars for Northland, with a massive work rate capped by two second-half tries. It was the second Shield defence in a row for Canterbury who, after fending off Bay of Plenty’s comeback effort last Saturday, couldn’t match Northland’s intensity on the short turnaround. Northland are the third team to hold the Shield this season, after Canterbury won it from Otago in round two. “Shield footy is different footy. Credit to Northland, they really brought it tonight,” Canterbury captain Brodie McAlister told Sky Sport. “We just couldn’t get the momentum back. They rode that the whole game and full credit to them.” It took just seven minutes for Northland to signal their intentions, with hooker James Mullan crashing over from close range after an attacking lineout. Canterbury struck back soon after with tries through Tahlor Cahill and Jone Rova to lead 12-7 after 17 minutes, but the visitors refused to let their hosts find their rhythm. Canterbury struggled with handling errors throughout the contest as they struggled to find ways through the Taniwha defence. Tries to Marcel Renata and Sam Nock in the 10 minutes before halftime saw the challengers hold a nine-point cushion at the break, and they went on with the job from there. A converted try to Rush and a Rivez Reihana penalty gave the visitors breathing room as Canterbury tried to fight back in the second half. However, Northland did a good job of controlling possession and not giving the hosts too many good attacking opportunities. Ultimately, the visitors had the final say, with Rush getting his second for the night in the last play of the game to cap off the win. The defence told the story for Northland as they held Canterbury scoreless for the final 63 minutes of the contest.