They would have at least had a few weeks to go over the data...

They would have at least had a few weeks to go over the data post-JV. It depends if AUR was shopping or SFR was snooping but in general an Information Memorandum is prepared, and a 'data room' (AKA a USB thumb drive at least, full of the raw data and all the reports) given to the prospective JV partner. The JV partner then would trawl through it all and come to their own conclusions with or without listening to or reading the vendor's opinion.

Did RNI/AUR have this area as a target? Maybe. I haven't seen the data. Would SFR even have listened to their targeting rationale? Doubtful, but you never know.

Maybe there was an anomaly in the data that AUR didn't recognise and that SFR did. A fresh pair of eyes is sometimes necessary to spot subtle anomalies that the old hands cannot see because they are too familiar with the area. This is why sometimes it's worth pushing a broom through the geological team every couple of years.

As I said previously, if AUR had the resources of SFR they may have drilled here previously, but they chose other targets they thought were more worthy, at the time and based on the information to hand.