Tigers dominate to claw back trophy

The Hamilton City Tigers have reclaimed the Waikato club rugby league title after a splendid display in the final against Taniwharau at the weekend.

The Tigers, who are also the defending Waicoa Bays champions, proved too good for Taniwharau at Davies Park in Huntly on Saturday, taking the match 32-4.

Some solid forward play up the middle, along with powerful and slick efforts in the backline, helped the visitors rack up six tries, while they gave Taniwharau few chances to get on the scoreboard in what was a very dominant display.

Davies Park was being celebrated for its 75th year of being a rugby league venue, but the team that plays there most wasn’t able to enjoy the festivities, as they were completely outplayed by a rampant Tigers side.

The visitors suffered an injury blow in just the second minute when prop Jackson Mahara was forced off for the match with a leg injury, but that didn’t deter his side, as they opened the scoring two minutes later, when, on the back of a penalty, the ball was moved right and winger Renata Leilua bumped off defenders in a strong finish.

Vaughan Calcinai added the extras to make it 6-0.

After a great kick from Tigers halfback and captain Hayden Karena, and a very good chase from Leilua, Taniwharau winger Moses Tuivoavoa ran around everyone but then was dragged into touch, setting the Tigers up for their second four-pointer.

A big overlap on the left saw centre Namu Puru finish off in the 14th minute.

With the home side not mounting any serious pressure on attack, the Tigers were able to get into good field position and capitalise on their chances.

Their third try came in the 31st minute through winger Ray Wallace, who received a nice offload from Puru, coming after a break from fullback Calcinai who turned the ball inside for replacement halfback Jamal Tamaiva to make a good dart.

For the majority of the first half, both sides’ ball control was great on the dryish paddock and under the misty skies, but a few mistakes began to creep in before halftime.

One minute before the break it looked like the Tigers had crossed again after