LEAGUE - Saints guarding reputation as opposition defaults

The cracks may be beginning to show in the Ngawha Saints inaugural season as a part of the Whangarei and Districts competition.
The team was to host fellow debutant the Bay Slayers at the Ngawha Corrections Facility on Saturday but the Slayers decided to stay outside the prison's walls and default the match.
The main reason for them defaulting was the unavailability of players, who weren't allowed to enter the prison, the Slayers' Justin Webster said.
"Two or three of our main players wouldn't have been allowed in to play because they've got charges pending and we decided that there was no point in going into play unless we had a full strength team.
"We're disappointed for sure and we're going to bring it up at the next delegate's meeting because it seems the prisoners are getting all the advantages while we're copping the disadvantages but that's how it goes at the moment," he said.
Webster said that the club has to share some of the blame for the default with one of the committee members leaving the paperwork until the last moment, allowing them little time to find alternative solutions.
"It was too late by then to do much about it and they've (the Saints) have been running pretty good, so there wasn't much point in going in there without our main players because we've got the rest of the season to think about," Webster said.
Takahiwai Warriors defaulted their opening match of the season against the prison team as a protest against their involvement in the league. They will make a decision whether to play the remaining scheduled games against the Saints on a case-by-case basis. Portland will travel to Ngawha next week after they retained the Villi Salase Trophy with an entertaining 54-32 win over the Northern Wairoa Bulls.
Portland won the battle up front to set up a platform for the win.
Hikurangi returned to their winning ways with a 38-12 win over Marist at Blue Goose, with Charles Wakefield scoring two tries in the match. Halfback Bevan Hati and backs Moko Turner and Ian Hendricks were the other standouts in the win.
In the remaining match, Takahiwai moved into first place on the league table, ahead of Ngawha by goal difference only, by beating defending champions Moerewa 26-10 at Takahiwai.