Vipers lack sting before scant crowd

Two major disappointments came from yesterday's effort to showcase rugby league in Wanganui.

One, the Central Vipers had very little sting and took a real thrashing, 50-16, at the hands of a Southern Scorpions team that was level with the Vipers on the National league table.

Two, only 250 people came and went during the three-match event, organised by the NZRL to try to get the game going in Wanganui again.

True it became a little wet, but it wasn't cold and there was good entertainment.

But very few came to see.

What they missed were good early matches, where the Vikings and Scorpions drew 18-all in the U- 15s, and a Vikings win in the very final seconds in the U-17s, with Wanganui's Dylan Ruki-Fowlie charging across for the winning try.

But there was no such luck for the locals in the main game, where the Scorpions were much superior and had a match-winner in their lively little hooker Josh Ka, who scored two tries in each half.

Altogether the Scorpions scored nine tries, with wing Tyrone Edwards getting a double. James Baxendale kicked seven of nine conversion attempts and hit the crossbar with another.

The charging Jaye Pukepuke was outstanding in the forwards.

The Vipers were down 38-0 at one stage but kept fighting to score three tries, two of them to Wanganui-based fullback Lenny Brider, and the other to winger Aaron Iti.

Best of the Vipers was torpedo-like tackler Sione Sifa, with Dom Bartels heavily involved in his time on the park and Regan Verney a bristling playmaker with some skill.

Scores:

U15s: Vipers 18 Scorpions 18.

U17s: Vipers 16 (Dylan Ruki-Fowlie, Jarrod Kumeroa-McKenna, Piki Te Ora Rogers tries, Jeniero Smallman 2con) bt Scorpions 12 (Quade Dearman, Cody Te Awa, Tevin Arona tries).

Premier: Scorpions 50 (Josh Ka 4, Tyrome Edmonds 2, Byron Curtis, Thoren Fidow-Kele, Jaye Pukepuke tries; James Baxendale 7 con).