Fullback Sean Conner showed his class when Kaikorai beat Alhambra-Union 38-23 in an entertaining game at the North Ground.
He had the ability to open up gaps when he entered the line with angled runs. He scored a try himself and used his skills to create three other Kaikorai tries.
The most crucial of these came in the last 15 minutes when he created opportunities for the strong-finishing wing Bryce Morgan to score two tries.
The other key Kaikorai players were first five-eighth Cam Rutherford, who kicked five goals, and aggressive No 8 Simon Grant.
The steady hand and strong tackling by midfield back Matt Direen helped Kaikorai to a commanding 25-3 lead at halftime. But it lost its defensive structure when he left the field after 40 minutes.
The game changed after the break when Alhambra-Union scored 20 points in 23 minutes to close the gap to five points, 28-23, before Morgan scored his late tries.
The best Alhambra-Union forwards were No 8 Graeme Cashmore, who made eight clean lineout takes and was aggressive with the ball in hand, and loosehead prop Tom Viggo, who was playing his 50th and blazer game for the club.
Kaikorai 38 (Sean Conner, Dan Hyndman, Bryce Morgan 2, Matt Cowie tries; Cam Rutherford 2 con, 3 pen), Alhambra-Union 23 (Noah Cooper, Graeme Cashmore; Peter Breen 2 con, 3 pen). Halftime: Kaikorai 25-3.
