Auckland Development side prove too strong for Waikato

A spirited early showing from Waikato wasn’t enough to get them over the line in their representative match against Auckland Development in Huntly on Saturday.

The hosts lost 38-16 at Davies Park, having gone to halftime down 18-10 and pulling the score back to 18-16 early in the second half. But after that the visitors ran away, with a converted try on fulltime blowing the margin further.

Second-rower Nick Read scored Waikato’s first try, before halfback Jonty McBeth added to the tally and centre Namu Puru got on the board in the second stanza, while five-eighth Travis Bartels kicked two from three off the tee.

Bartels’ kicking game impressed Waikato coach Morgan Kutia, who also praised the work of prop Simon Beale.

Auckland Development are coached by former Warriors Under-20 mentor John Ackland and they brought a welldrilled, fast game with them to Huntly.

‘‘Auckland are the benchmark of rugby league in this country, so any team they bring down, even though it was a development team, was going to be good,’’ said Kutia, who was happy with his players. ‘‘For the small time we’ve been together, they did well.’’

Waikato last weekend hammered Bay of Plenty 54-10 in their first hitout, while their last match is this Saturday against Coastline in Tauranga.

‘‘We just need to get down to training, have more time together and I guess work for each other,’’ Kutia said, adding that the fixtures were a good step for players in between club football and representing the WaiCoa Bay Stallions.

‘‘We’re trying to have them experience representative football so they can appreciate the level that they need to be playing at,’’ he said.

‘‘It’s good that some of our younger players that have come into the team get to mix with the likes of the Simon Beales and the Namu Purus, the Vaughan Calcinais . . . those boys have been playing rep football for years.’’