Lam points to more ANZ Cup upsets

Upsets galore: Lam thinks there will be more upsets yet

With upsets the order of the Air New Zealand Cup season thus far Auckland coach Pat Lam believes there are plenty more on the way.

Auckland themselves lost in their opening round fixture, against Counties Manukau, but hit back with a 22-6 victory over Taranaki to retain the Ranfurly Shield.

Their shock opening day loss was not the only one, with Manawatu downing Canterbury and Northland defeating Waikato. And on Friday the doomed Tasman added to Waikato's woe by sending them crashing to a second straight defeat.

Lam, who will finish up his work with Auckland after the round five clash with Waikato to take over as the Blues Head Coach, believes upsets are going to become normal this season.

"That was fantastic, it wasn't just about the games, it was what happened around the games that was really cool," he told Yahoo!Xtra.

"I think you will expect a lot right through. That is the beauty of this competition.

"Everyone can beat everyone on their day. It has really made this competition. There are some really good match-ups and I think that is good for the game."

However the upsets have played second fiddle to the controversy surrounding the new Air New Zealand Cup format, notably a reduction from fourteen to twelve teams as of next year.

And Lam has given his backing to the new format, adding he believes the increased level of competition will only serve to produce a raft of new stars.

"I think it is still doing its job in providing for the next group of players coming through," he said.

"Obviously we have lost a lot of experienced players, and that makes the competition probably not as good as it has been in that sense, because the quality of players has changed.

"But it will fix itself as these guys get experience and get used to playing at this level."