Hat-trick in debut season

HAT-TRICK: Tūranga Mana Wāhine centre Nikita Wharehinga scored three tries against the Thames Valley Vixens on Saturday. They played at the Oval and won the game 38-22, holding the Vixena pointless in the second half. MATCH REPORT ON PAGE 25.Picture by Paul Rickard

Containment was the call as Tūranga Mana Wāhine beat Thames Valley Vixens 38-22 in a women's rugby match at the Oval on Saturday.

The Wāhine ended their 2022 campaign on a high with a dominant second-half performance after trailing by eight points at halftime.

To add to their celebrations, rookie Wāhine centre Nikita Wharehinga scored a hat-trick of tries in her first-ever season of rugby.

Vixens head coach Brendan Clarke said they arrived here knowing the Wāhine had put up a big score against the Ngāti Porou East Coast women last weekend at Rugby Park — 58-3.

“We knew it was going to be tough, especially with their final game being at home,” Clarke said.

“It worked well when we were moving the ball from side to side, keeping Tūranga moving around. We probably didn't do that enough in the second half.”

Defence was key for the home side.

Wāhine coach Lenny Ferris recognised Vixens' second five Ryleigh Hayes and centre Hinemoana Collier as serious threats and put steps in place to contain them.

“We gave some girls some instructions to shoot up and put pressure on them, and they did that,” Ferris said.

Ferris knew it was going to be a challenge.

“We spoke about the first half and that it was going to be an unpredictable type of game before we got settled.”

The first 40 went the way of the Vixens with tries to fullback Shae Daley, hooker Hannah Gordon, replacement forward Killistina Veatupu McLaren-Harris and wing Cory Middleton, and a conversion to lock Kohine Taylor.

The Wāhine had scored first with a try to winger Amoe Wharehinga after a break from first five Princess Tomoana and great support play.

In between the Vixen tries, Nikita Wharehinga scored the first of her treble and prop Paku Hiko converted. The half ended with the Vixens ahead 22-14.

The second half was one-way traffic points-wise with the Wāhine keeping the Vixens tryless and scoring four tries of their own.

Nikita Wharehinga got the first two to complete her hat-trick and was followed over the line by replacement forward Terianna Watene and openside flanker Cheyenne Babbington Ngerengere just before the final whistle.

Hiko converted two of the five-pointers.

The Wāhine proved a force to be reckoned with over the season and their development augurs well for 2023.

They lost their opener 39-26 to King Country but bounced back with wins over Wairarapa Bush (10-0), East Coast and Thames Valley.