Canterbury start with easy win
Reigning champions Canterbury made an early-season statement as they eye a Farah Palmer Cup three-peat.
The red-and-blacks pasted Wellington 57-19 in Christchurch on Saturday, flexing their muscles ahead of next weekend’s match against arch-rivals Auckland at Eden Park.
Canterbury lock Cindy Nelles, a Canadian national, scored a brace on debut for the hosts, who kicked clear of Wellington after a tight opening half hour.
Wellington, who conceded a third-minute try to a typical sniping run by outstanding Canterbury halfback Kendra Cocksedge, were right in the thick of it after 30 minutes, trailing 21-14.
However, Nelles’ second flicked the switch as the ruthless hosts ran in an impressive assortment of tries, including one by No 8 Angie Sisifa, who has moved north from the Otago Spirit.
Auckland, who rolled Waikato 41-23 in Hamilton, will certainly be doing their homework in the coming days.
Led by two tries to wing Princess Elliot, they were impressive against Waikato in their season opener.
Elliot opened the scoring in the 15th minute and capped the night with a superb 65m solo effort after the fulltime hooter, in the bonus point win.
Like the first match of the day in Christchurch, it was a tight match after half an hour, with the scores tied at 10-10 after Waikato midfielder Chelsea Alley crashed over the line.
But the visitors dealt the hosts a blow after the halftime hooter had sounded, when Charmaine Mcmenamin took a nice inside pass from pivot Patricia Maliepo to power the Storm to a 22-13 lead.
Natahlia Moors then touched down shortly after play resumed and the writing was on the wall.
With the championship section of the competition not kicking off until next weekend, Counties Manukau recorded a bonus-point 37-24 win against Bay of Plenty in Tauranga.