PAPAKURA POUNDING: Whanganui Boxon's Haze Reweti (left) and Gordon Karaitiana in action during the loss to the Wellington Orcas. It didn't get any better against the Counties Manukau Stingrays on Saturday.PHOTO/FILE A-060915WCSMVIPERS2
PAPAKURA POUNDING: Whanganui Boxon's Haze Reweti (left) and Gordon Karaitiana in action during the loss to the Wellington Orcas. It didn't get any better against the Counties Manukau Stingrays on Saturday.PHOTO/FILE A-060915WCSMVIPERS2
It will be a hard slog for the Mid Central Vipers in the remainder of the NZRL National Premiership after a 84-20 hammering from the Counties Manukau Stingrays at Papakura's Massey Park on Saturday.
After beating the Northland Swords 38-4 on the same ground two weeks ago, the Vipers weretrying to regather following a 66-14 defeat to the Wellington Orcas in Wanganui last Sunday.
Instead, the South Auckland team, who had a 70-point win over the Swords, kept rolling with 15 tries, 12 of which were converted by halfback Mikaere Beattie.
Wing Raymond Talimalie secured a hat-trick, while teammates Rory Marshall-Barton, Zaccheus Chong Nee and Sione Feao each got a double.
The Vipers would have been encouraged when their prop Tamu Mausii (Manawatu) opened the scoring after the home team made some lapses, but by halftime they were trailing 40-12.
The Vipers had closed to 16-12 at one point, but the 50 minutes either side of halftime was one-way traffic, before they scored a couple of late consolation tries.
Centre Vaiola Kereti (Hawke's Bay), halfback Matt Murtha (Hawke's Bay), and reserve Rakai Tuheke (Manawatu) scored the Vipers' other four-pointers, with Murtha converting two of them.
The Vipers head south to play the Canterbury Bulls this weekend.
