Athies ramp it up in second half to romp to 46-18 win
Savenaca Rabaka. PHOTO: NIC DUFF
Athletic Marist turned up the heat in the second half to romp to a 46-18 victory in a top-of-the-table Citizens Shield clash on Saturday.
They were in second place on the ladder heading into the weekend with their opponents, Old Boys, in first place.
The first half certainly lived up to the hype of a clash of titans.
Both sides defended well and also showed some attacking flair.
Athies were ahead just 10-6 at the break but the floodgates opened in the second half.
They scored their first in the opening five minutes of the half.
They chewed off metres with strong carry after strong carry, and eventually it was Paia Fifita who bashed his way over.
Old Boys won the ball back from the restart and looked to spin it wide. However, Aitauangaa Osamu intercepted the ball and sprinted 60m to score.
Athies extended their lead further after a messy lineout in the Old Boys 22m resulted in a breakdown turnover and Savenaca Rabaka pounced on it to score.
Epeineri Logavatu was the next to get his name on the scoresheet when halfback Seru Cavuilati spied some space down the blind side and gave it to the big lock.
Logavatu stepped out of one tackle and had enough to pace to score.
He completed a double not too long after.
First five Alfie Coop kicked a 50-22 to give Athies another attacking opportunity.
From the ensuing lineout, Logavatu was left alone and ran through a gap. He bust through the final defender and scored.
Two late tries to Old Boys prop Sione Tukala off the bench helped close the gap but Athies ran in one more through Saia Fifita to end the match with authority.
Despite Athies scoring nearly 50 points, the most impressive part of their win was their defence.
Old Boys had numerous attacking opportunities in Athies' 22m but they stood strong each time.
There was no secret ingredient, either — they just fronted up and made their tackles.
Captain Rabaka was again outstanding and is arguably the form player of the entire competition.
The other two games were played on Thursday night to allow the country teams to head away duck-shooting.
Excelsior blitzed Maheno 66-23, scoring 40 points in the second half.
Valley kept pace with the top teams after an impressive 34-14 win over Kurow.
The Red Devils led 14-12 at halftime but the home side could not score another point as Valley turned up the pressure.
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