LEAGUE - Proctor's tackle saves the day for Moerewa

A stunning try-saving tackle by Moerewa's Taami Proctor proved to be the climax of the Tigers' thrilling 34-28 win over Marist on Saturday.
Proctor cut down Salua Vaaga a metre short of the line after the Marist fullback had cut a hole through the defence as the hooter sounded and looked certain to level the scores and force the game into overtime.
Moerewa captain Dennis Davis said the desperate tackle helped them to head off what might have been a gut-wrenching defeat. "We lost our way and we were fortunate not to lose it in those final seconds like so many teams do," he said.
Davis said that, with five players joining the team after completing their season with the Moerewa Rugby Club, the Tigers' numbers had been boosted to a point where they had a squad of 33 to pick from.
The Moerewa captain said they might be in trouble next week if they continued playing a touch-football style of game, instead of more structured league, against Takahiwai, with more experienced ball players.
Marist were in trouble early in the match after a Moerewa ran them ragged on the flanks, with Chic Prime and Proctor providing the finishing. Marist hung in there and were finally able to produce points - with two tries to Jack Walker and another to the near unstoppable Doug Makiri - and had drawn level by halftime.
Moerewa livewire David Norman crossed the tryline early on to spark the Tigers' best spell of the match as they dominated the third quarter - with Tawio Davis and Sam George running in a further two tries. None of the tries were converted though and when Kane Freeman scored under the posts midway through the second spell, Woody Maihi's kick saw them trail the Tigers by just six points.
Moerewa rose once more to the occasion with a fantastic - if touch football-like - try that saw the Tigers throw more than a dozen passes before George scored again.
But with eight minutes to go, Makiri once again proved too powerful to contain close to the line and the gap again narrowed to six. Vaaga's line break right on the hooter might have capped off a great comeback but instead Proctor was the hero and his tackle finished off Marist's title defence in 2007.
Moerewa 34 (C Prime, T Proctor 2, D Norman, T Davis, S George 2, R Mackey 3 kicks) Marist 28 (D Makiri 2, J Walker 2, K Freeman; W Maihi 4 kicks).