The Kia Toa Tigers are through to the grand final after a strong 36-12 victory over the South Pacific Raiders on Saturday.
The Raiders have a second-chance semifinal this weekend against the East Coast Eagles, who earned their spot with a 22-12 win that ended University’s season.
University got off to a strong start, defending with grit and determination to repel the Eagles’ attacks at the try-line. Standoff Jordan Stuart’s return to the University side was crucial. He scored two tries and directed play to establish the early dominance. Second rower Josh McKenzie made countless tackles on the Eagles’ strong forwards, and in combination with Stuart was an attacking threat on the right edge.
Against the run of play, the Eagles managed to score in the last minute of the first half to narrow the score line to 12-6. University’s early dominance disappeared when the Eagles scored again in the opening minutes of the second half to bring the score to 12-10. In just 10 minutes, the Eagles had completely shifted the momentum, largely due to the efforts of hooker Sam Johnstone, who tore the opposition line apart with his direction of play around the ruck.
Johnstone found support in Terrence Reid and Cameron Brown. Both players tucked the ball under their arm and took strong carries into the line, laying a platform to attack.
Captain Kieran Fitzgerald capitalised and put his players into gaps, creating havoc for the University side. The Eagles’ strong bench and set completion rates ultimately paved the way for their success. In the dying stages it was the simple, but effective, style of play that allowed them to close the game out.
The South Pacific Raiders got off to a slow start against the Tigers, giving away possession at times to allow them to dominate from the outset. The Tigers’ strong-running forwards laid the platform, particularly Paraia Tuarekura, who was named man of the match for the impact he had coming from the bench with several powerful hit-ups.
The Tigers were able to score seven tries as Joel Taniora, Shane Unahi and Lamen Pere all scored two tries each.
The Raiders were on the wrong side of a lopsided penalty count, which eventually led to a player being sin-binned. This proved to be a turning point for them, as they immediately lifted and started to play some good footy. Key players were both centres: Chris Talauta, who made numerous line breaks, and Willie Time, who scored three tries. Prop Steven Campbell-Paniona had another strong showing as well, but unfortunately for the Raiders, their efforts were in vain.
The Tigers closed the game out with real precision to become deserved finalists.
- Ricki Allan
