New No 8 bags hat-trick for Wellington
Wellington have had an up-anddown start to their season but they have found a shining light in new No 8 Peter Lakai, who grabbed three tries in the 31-25 win against Taranaki yesterday.
Lakai was a star for the New Zealand under-20s in the Oceania championship in July and proved too powerful for Taranaki, signalling that a Hurricanes contract won’t be too far away.
He grabbed three tries from close range with his strong running and displayed some nice touches from the back of the scrum.
Hooker Asafo Aumua was also strong with ball in hand for Wellington as he pushes for an All Blacks recall, but was lucky to avoid a red card for a clear shoulder to the head of Taranaki replacement Daniel Waite.
In Tauranga, Counties Manukau sharpshooter Riley Hohepa continued his strong campaign with six penalties against Bay of Plenty in a hard-fought 18-13 win.
The Steamers scored two tries to none but Hohepa’s accuracy from the kicking tee gave Counties a deserved win.
Northland’s 32-19 win against Southland was highlighted by one of the tries of the year by halfback Lisati Milo-harris.
After defending multiple Southland phases inside their own 22m, the Taniwha launched a superb counterattack that went through several pairs of hands before MiloHarris dotted down.
In this form, Northland – with three wins from four games – are heading towards the quarterfinals, although a late red card to Dan Hawkins won’t help their cause.
Waikato, meanwhile, are showing that they belong in any list of genuine contenders for the NPC title.
Last year’s Premiership champions have been flying under the radar but after a 53-6 thumping of the Turbos they remain the only unbeaten side in the competition.
Auckland also flexed their muscle with a dominant 35-17 win against Otago that featured some fine counterattacking play and a powerful scrummaging display from Alex Hodgman, Soane Vikena and Marcel Renata.
The Ranfurly Shield challenge between Hawke’s Bay and North Harbour in front of a healthy crowd in Napier was a 25-23 thriller, with Tevita Li somehow finishing on the losing side despite scoring three tries for the visitors.
However, the Magpies are now stacked with Super Rugby nous and there were shades of Ash Dixon in how hooker Kianu Kereru-symes powered over for the matchwinning try.
Canterbury’s impressive start to the campaign continued with a convincing 52-20 win against Tasman, but their night was soured due to a worrying injury to in-form No 8 Cullen Grace.
The 22-year-old looked in serious discomfort as he left Lansdowne Park in Blenheim clutching his left arm in his jersey, which is never a good sign.
Grace’s injury could slow Canterbury’s momentum but they are still in far better shape than the Mako, who are struggling under first-year coaches Dan Perrin and Gray Cornelius.