Sparks fly in tense draw

Sparks are always going to fly when the two top-rated teams go head to head and spectators at the Hokianga-Takahiwai rugby league match weren't disappointed on Saturday.
The match had it all, with the sides swapping the lead, controversy in the form of a penalty try and excitement throughout as the match ended in a 20-20 draw.
Both teams' coaches were satisfied with the result in the even encounter.
They may yet get a chance to settle who is the better team if they meet in next week's semifinal, depending on what happens in the competition's committee meeting on Tuesday.
Hokianga coach Phil Marsh said although he thought the penalty try was a bit dubious, it was a tough match.
"Overall I thought it was a fair result ... it was good to finish on top by one point so it was a good result for us," he said.
Hokianga will take the number-one ranking into the semifinal series that starts next week, earning the team a measure of revenge for the loss against Takahiwai in the first round.
Takahiwai must now wait until the committee meets to see if it qualifies in second place or third place.
The other contender for the number-two spot, Moerewa, lost its opening match against Kaikohe but protested, believing that Kaikohe made illegal substitutions during the match.
The Whangarei City and Districts Rugby League board that administers the competition will deliver its ruling and the semifinal draw early this week.
Takahiwai coach Dane Rata-Ronayne said he was proud of the way his team bounced back from their unexpected loss to Moerewa last week.
"We played very well indeed and it was a tit-for-tat game all the way and in the end 20-all was a fair indication of how the game went," he said.
"It was a great game to watch. They dropped the ball, we dropped the ball, they scored a try and then we did - it was two good teams playing near their best which resulted in one of the best games of football I've seen this year."
Hokianga centre Jalal Beckham scored two tries, while Troy Pomare, Harley Mei and Jason Grey also scored.
Takahiwai's points came from tries to Patrick Taki, captain Steve Johnston, Kahu Henare and the penalty try, with Anthony Clyde kicking the rest of the points.
Dane-Ronayne said there was some confusion surrounding whether the penalty try was a six or eight-point score but in the end only one kick was taken.
Marist proved it isn't out of the running in the competition by flogging Kaikohe 54-0 in miserable conditions at Jubilee Park in the other first division match.
Kaikohe had no reserves for the match which weakened their chances of beating the full strength Marist side but the Whangarei side dominated from the first whistle.
The Marist forwards soon began to dominate as their opposition tired, allowing them to make big yards up the middle and create gaps for their speedy outside backs.
Johneen Fagavao, Buddy Grey and Tevita Jorgensen scored the majority of tries between them, with Jason Witanga providing the spark for many of them with some excellent jinking runs.
Doug Makiri was another who played well, with forwards Shane Tihema and James Harris also standing out.
The only second division match played provided a big upset with Coastliners beating Portland 38-28, also at Jubilee Park.