Tudreu triple does the trick

Nathan Tudreu has dispelled fears that he is still hampered by his knee injury by turning on an impressive hat-trick for the Manawatu Development XV in their 62-31 win against the Hawke’s Bay Saracens in Napier on Saturday.

The Turbos wing was playing his first match since he was injured in the club semifinals in June.

Coach Fusi Feaunati said Tudreu came off the bench in the second half and ran freely in his 40 minutes of action.

‘‘All three of his tries were absolute blinders,’’ he said. ‘‘He did not just run down the sideline and run into the corner, he came into the midfield and was looking for work.’’

Manawatu dominated the breakdown, which set up some quality ball for the backs.

‘‘The breakdowns were good for us and that meant the continuity was good,’’ he said.

‘‘The pleasing thing was the high level of skill execution because there was high winds up there which made it hard going

whether you were playing into it or against it.’’

The teams play under the standard breakdown laws rather than the trial laws used in the NPC, so the team has been putting in extra work in the area, focusing on getting low.

Flanker Doug Juszcyzk was back in his element being able to jackel over the ball.

No 8 Kirk Tufuga put in a man of the match effort, while fullback Matt Feaunati, wing Cyrus Baker and first five-eighth Ben Wyness were others to impress.

Turbos hooker Travis Taylor played 50 minutes and showed good his work rate and solid execution in core roles.

He did a good job connecting with fellow contracted Turbo Liam Hallam-eames at the lineouts.

Manawatu have a week off, before starting the Hurricanes competition against Wellington on September 10.

Meanwhile, the Manawatu Under 19s also found Napier to be a happy hunting ground as they escaped with a 56-7 win on Saturday against the Hawke’s Bay Under 19s.

The win helped them get off to the best possible start in the Hurricanes Under 19 competition which will decide where they are seeded for the national tournament.

Coach Aaron Good said his team’s line speed had Hawke’s Bay under pressure which forced plenty of errors.

With the ball, the Manawatu midfield of Cam Black and Ueta Tufuga created plenty of space for the outside backs.

Tyla Mcneil had a strong game in the No 10 jersey, while up front Rhodes Featherston, Sam Tufuga and James Jenkins were strong.