Waikato too good for BOP

A comfortable win over Bay of Plenty in Rotorua on Saturday has set the Waikato rugby league team up for a decider against Northland in Whangarei next weekend.

After their opening match of the regional championship against Coastline was won by default, Waikato were clunky, but clinical enough, to sweep aside Bay of Plenty 32-14 at Puketawhero Park.

With Coastline now withdrawing from the competition, and Northland having beaten Bay of Plenty first-up, it sets up a winner-takes-all clash at Whangarei’s Toll Stadium next Saturday, with the victor to advance to the national championship.

Waikato coach Morgan Kutia lamented a pretty average completion rate in his side’s win, but saw some decent signs and felt his team would be better for the hitout, having got to a 20-0 lead, then seeing off a Bay of Plenty fightback.

The visitors opened the scoring after 20 minutes, with five-eighth Malcolme Noda chipping over the top from around halfway. Bay of Plenty were unable to clean up, and centre Jordan Tai-Rakena kicked ahead and regathered to score.

Five minutes later, halfback Te Puhi Rudolph crossed, and Waikato went to halftime ahead 10-0.

Waikato then again managed two tries in quick succession, with centre Teina Ngahiwi going over in the 50th minute, and prop Eru Keepa in the 57th, to stretch their lead to more than three converted tries.

But just as it seemed the hosts

were out of it, centre Dylan Clark went over on the hour mark, before five-eighth Percy King followed suit, to make it 20-10 with 15 minutes to play.

Waikato immediately hit back through livewire fullback Aaron Jolley, to seemingly make the game safe, though winger Scott Evans replied for the home side to make it a 12-point margin going into the final 10 minutes.

But Bay of Plenty weren’t able to strike again, and Jolley had the final say, after the fulltime hooter, with Noda breaking the line from inside his team’s half, then giving inside for Jolley to sprint 30 metres.

Kutia acknowledged there was still a bit to work on, but was happy that at least the victory was notched, and that it keeps them in the hunt.

‘‘We played like it was our first game,’’ he said.

‘‘I think we tried too hard and we tried to be a bit flash, so we didn’t complete as much as we’d like to.

‘‘We took things for granted, and we tried to play catchup football when we didn’t have to. Were a little bit too flash, and that invited them to come back into the game.’’

Kutia labelled captain and lock Nick Read as a standout, leading the way on both attack and defence.