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At Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin: Otago 31 (Josh Whaanga 6’, Josh Dickson (2) 14’, 32’, Ajay Faleafaga 39’, Finn Hurley 65’ tries; Hurley 3 con) Southland 21 (Michael Manson 20’, Scott Gregory 27’, Matt Whaanga 47’ tries; Dan Hollinshead 3 con). HT: 26-14
Lock Josh Dickson grabbed two tries in a full-blooded southern derby to help Otago to their first win of the season.
In front of a raucous crowd boosted by a sizeable contingent of travelling Stags fans, Otago and Southland threw everything at each other in a helter-skelter encounter on Saturday.
Debutant Otago No 10 Ajay Faleafaga scored a crucial try just before half-time to give the home side a 26-14 lead at the break, but the spirited Stags were never out of the contest.
Southland were the next to score through Matt Whaanga – in response to his younger brother Josh scoring for Otago earlier – and the game was back in the balance.
However, standout Otago winger Jona Nareki then selflessly set up a try for young fullback Finn Hurley to give the home side some breathing room.
Nareki and fellow Highlanders Thomas Umaga-Jensen and Fabian Holland were strong for Otago, while Southland No 9 Jay Renton and Dan Hollinshead put the Stags in the right part of the field.
Otago’s bench also added plenty of impact as Southland ran out of steam in the final quarter, and Faleafaga’s promising debut will soften the blow of losing first-choice No 10 Cam Millar for the season after he injured his ankle against Hawke’s Bay last week.
Joe Allison/Getty Images
Otago No 10 Ajay Faleafaga passes the ball against Southland.
At Eden Park: Auckland 41 (Soane Vikena 4’, Bryce Heem 10’, Josh Beehre 43’, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck 56’, Akira Ioane 70’, AJ Lam 82’ tries; Zarn Sullivan 3 con, pen, Jock McKenzie con) Hawke’s Bay 22 (Lincoln McClutchie 28’ Tom Parsons 38’, Hisamitsu Shimada 73’ tries; McClutchie 2 con, pen). HT: 15-15
Warriors-bound Roger Tuivasa-Sheck scored an outstanding try as Auckland beat Hawke’s Bay in an entertaining clash on Saturday.
Tuivasa-Sheck, playing at fullback, exploded onto a pass from midfielder Corey Evans after 56 minutes and used his footwork and pace to burst past several defenders on the way to the tryline.
SKY SPORT
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck scores a blistering try in the No 15 jersey as Auckland beat Hawke’s Bay.
The three-test All Black’s talent has never been in doubt, and the try will again raise questions whether the decision to play him as a No 12 at the Blues was the right one.
With his confidence up, Tuivasa-Sheck then produced a lovely offload to Caleb Tangitau as Auckland dominated the second half.
From the subsequent phases flanker Adrian Choat almost scored, and the Auckland scrum got the job done minutes later with a powerful surge that allowed No 8 Akira Ioane to dot down.
Tuivasa-Sheck also showed he has a decent kicking game in the first half, with some of his clearances gaining significant territory for his side.
However, it was his running game that really caught the eye, and Warriors fans will be delighted that the 30-year-old still has the ability to leave defenders grasping in his wake.
At Yarrow Stadium, New Plymouth: Bay of Plenty 29 (Ngarohi McGarvey-Black (2) 13’, 27’, Kurt Eklund 22’, Leroy Carter 50’ tries: Lucas Cashmore 3 con, pen) Taranaki 26 (Stephen Perofeta 17’, Kini Naholo 32’, Teihorangi Walden 37’, Michael Bent 81’ tries; Perofeta 3 con) HT: 19-19
Yellow card: Lalomilo Lalomilo (Bay of Plenty) 60’
All Black Stephen Perofeta missed an important penalty in the last 10 minutes as Taranaki lost their unbeaten record to a combative Bay of Plenty.
Trailing 26-19, Perofeta had the chance to bring Taranaki to within four points but he surprisingly missed a relatively simple opportunity.
Andy Jackson/Getty Images
Taranaki midfielder Teihorangi Walden tries to evade Bay of Plenty No 8 Nikora Broughton on Saturday.
The Steamers promptly worked their way into Taranaki territory to force a penalty of their own, and young No 10 Lucas Cashmore didn’t miss.
Taranaki scored after the buzzer through veteran prop Michael bent to give them a losing bonus point.
But, the real stars of the show were Bay of Plenty wingers Ngarohi McGarvey-Black and Leroy Carter.
After a see-sawing first half that featured three tries apiece, the game was tightening up in the second spell before Carter scored a brilliant individual try.
With apparently little on, Carter kicked ahead and chased hard, and was rewarded for his industry when he got a kind bounce to dive over in the corner.
Fellow Sevens star McGarvey-Black had already scored twice in the first half, and he terrorised Taranaki on the edge with his pace and power.
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