Hawke’s Bay Magpies thumped by 40-plus points for second time in two weeks as Taranaki put them to the sword

The Magpies have some soul-searching to do after two surprisingly heavy defeats in a row. Photo / Bruce Lim - Photosport

• The Magpies suffered their third consecutive defeat, losing 63-19 to Taranaki at McLean Park.
• Taranaki dominated the match, with Kini Naholo scoring a hat-trick and Bradley Slater adding two tries.
• The Magpies need to regain their earlier form to stay in contention for the home finals.

A dream start for the Magpies has quickly turned into a nightmare as they tasted defeat for the third time in as many weeks to Taranaki.

The 63-19 thumping was almost exactly the same deficit as last week’s 50-5 away loss to Waikato, but this time it came in front of a home McLean Park crowd on Friday night.

Taranaki put the foot on the throat early, not giving the Magpies an inch throughout the match. They struck early, with two tries in quick succession to Bradley Slater and Vereniki Tikoisolomone putting them up 14-0 early.

The Magpies’ best play throughout the game came during the next 10 minutes, scoring two quick tries of their own to Tom Parsons and Sam Smith, both off lineout drives inside the 22.

However, the rest of the game was all one-way traffic for the visitors. Their next try went to Kini Naholo after 20 phases of possession, as he reached out in the corner to score.

At the back end of the first half, Slater scored his double, driving low from a lineout maul and barrelling over the line. That would be the final score of the first half as Taranaki went into the sheds leading 28-12.

The second half didn’t see improvement from the Magpies. Resolute defence from the visitors, coupled with some sloppy play from the hosts, allowed Taranaki to dominate from start to finish.

The second-half onslaught started early, with Naholo securing his double in the 47th minute. He then completed his hat-trick minutes later as Taranaki split through the middle, with Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkins keeping the play alive down the left edge to send him scoring in the corner.

Taranaki continued to make easy metres down the left edge through Naholo, who kept the ball alive after a try-saving tackle, before Tikoisolomone soon added his double.

The woes would continue for the Magpies, with Kianu Kererū-Symes being sent to the bin in the 64th minute after a high shot. More ill-discipline cost the Magpies field position and, off a lineout drive, Ricky Riccitelli drove over to score.

Taranaki’s final try came from some sloppy Hawke’s Bay handling - Taranaki counter-attacked with finesse, making easy metres up the field. They swung it right where they had an overlap, allowing Adam Lennox to cross for a score.

The Magpies managed a consolation try late in the game to Lolani Faleiva but it was too little, too late.

In a rematch of last year’s final, spectators at the ground would have been expecting a tightly contested encounter.

The Magpies must rediscover the form that propelled them earlier in the season, after suffering two heavy defeats following the heartbreaking final-minute loss to the Tasman Mako two weeks ago.

They’ll need to light a fire and find the drive to push forward in next week’s final home game against Auckland to keep their hopes of home finals footy alive.