EYES UP: Whakataki Cunningham produced a superb piece of play for Te Waiariki's first try against Western Bay of Plenty on Saturday. PHOTO/BEN FRASER
EYES UP: Whakataki Cunningham produced a superb piece of play for Te Waiariki's first try against Western Bay of Plenty on Saturday. PHOTO/BEN FRASER
Western Bay of Plenty halfback Te Aihe Toma and winger Luke Masirewa have proven they know their way to the try line.
The pair scored a hat-trick of tries each in Western Bay of Plenty's 37-15 win over Te Waiariki Maori in the first round of the Baywide Pro 4 series.
There was plenty of attacking talent on display in the game at Matata on Saturday, including a handful of Bay of Plenty Steamers wider squad members looking to make a case for future selection.
Toma's first try came in the first five minutes after Western made a break down the right - he was rewarded for some great support play when he received the ball in field and raced in for the first try of the game.
They extended their lead after 20 minutes when flanker Josh Tye crashed over in the left-hand corner.
Te Waiariki had their own opportunities and after 25 minutes managed to score an opportunistic try. Western had the ball in their own 22 when Te Waiariki first five Whakataki Cunningham stripped the ball from an opposition player before putting his halfback Akira Mako in to score.
Te Waiariki took the lead for the first time on the back of a scrum just outside the Western 22. Jesse Parete broke off the back of the scrum, charged up the middle and offloaded to second five Tute Grant who scored under the posts.
Western came out firing in the second half and Masiwera, who looked dangerous every time he touched the ball, scored after starting the move with a scintillating run up the middle of the field. They had retaken the lead 17-15.
X-FACTOR: Western Bay of Plenty winger Luke Masirewa had a standout game against Te Waiariki. PHOTO/BEN FRASER
With 20 minutes left to play Toma scored his second after a period of pressure inside the Te Waiariki 22.
Masiwera had his second when he skipped out of a tackle just outside the 22 and blitzed his way to the try line, before adding a third thanks to a pinpoint cross-field kick from first five Reece Macdonald.
Masiwera also had a hand in Toma's hat-trick try when he put a chip over the defensive line, regathered the ball and offloaded to Toma, who sold a dummy and scored to make it 37-15.
Western coach Kyle McLean said he knew Te Waiariki would front up physically and play with a lot of pride.
"We moved the ball around, we've got guys with a good skill set and we played pretty direct. We had three injuries in our warm up and had to re-shuffle a bit but it went well," said McLean.
In the other game Bay of Plenty Samoa beat Eastern Bay of Plenty 29-23.
Meanwhile, in the Stan Meads Cup, Central Bay of Plenty are still chasing their first win after an 81-5 hammering at the hands of Te Awamutu.
