Rugby: Wanganui Development win open friendly with Wanganui Samoa

Short of a RDO Shield game on Saturday, the Wanganui Toyota Development XV got a good hitout as a willing Wanganui Samoa fronted for a open-style match – Development pulling away for a 43-12 win at the Kaierau Country Club.

A couple of players swapped sides so that there was a little bit of parity, with both teams emphasising strong carries and spreading the ball, rather than working off the set piece on a very warm early afternoon for footy.

Wearing Kaierau club colours, Samoa struck first as Development's goal-kicking first-five Nick Harding fired a wide ball too far ahead of his line and winger Joe Leitupo gratefully accepted the intercept and ran off to score.

Samoa were up for trying most things, including both their props using chip-and-chase kicks at different times, while lock Alex Mulipola and the midfielders Anaru Haerewa and Te Kepa Grindlay, who had swapped sides, looked dangerous.

However, playing against his old team, Development winger CJ Stowers did some good cover defence and would increasingly gain more territory running the ball back from his half as the game went on.

An accurate spread with offloads by locks Brad O'Leary and Jack Hodges allowed Development centre Tawera Puohotaua to free up Stowers to dash off from halfway to score his first try.

The locks also got together on Development's next try as Hodges busted the line and two phases later, O'Leary took the ruck pass and bashed through one tackler to score for 12-5.

A Stowers midfield run put Development back on attack, and after working the ball around, Puohotaua dived low to go under the posts for another seven-pointer right on halftime.

Grindlay rejoined the Development XV for the second half with winger Peni Vui moving over to the Samoans, so Puohotaua shifted out and set up the next try with a strong step and dash towards the posts, falling through the last tackle but not before freeing the ball up to Kaierau clubmate Cameron Davies for the halfback to go under the posts.

Yet Kaierau men also got together for Samoa's reply try as flanker Joe Edwards burst through the midfield and went back towards the posts to beat a defender before finally being taken down, and then from the ruck, player-coach Ace Malo took the pass and turned to feed lock Matt Ashworth, who reached down under defenders to plant the ball beside the post's padding.

But Samoa got no closer than 26-12, making errors when close to the tryline, before play became very scrappy in the final quarter, with both team's throwing the ball around, making mistakes and intercepts.

Grindlay made a powerful run out of his half to put Development on attack, and when the ball was spread back to the left after a couple of phases, the centre put his fullback Sheldon Pakinga-Manhire away to score in the corner.

Getting an attacking lineout, the Development spread wide with the wingers working together, as Puohotaua opened up space for Stowers, who bumped out of a tackle and then dashed off to score.

After some more helter-skelter play from both teams, Development second-five Ethan Robinson made a chip ahead and Puohotaua raced up to collect the ball for his double in the far corner, with Grindlay making a good conversion out wide on fulltime.

Wanganui Development XV 43 (C Stowers 2, T Puohotaua 2, B O'Leary, C Davies, S Pakinga-Manhire tries; N Harding 3 con, T Grindlay con) bt Wanganui Samoa 12 (J Leitupo, M Ashworth tries; con). HT: 19-5.