Church hat-trick leads Spirit to victory
Wellington Pride were hot on attack when first five Arelene Landon-Lane went to chip it over.
But the Otago Spirit lock was one step ahead, timing her jump perfectly to snaffle the ball and took off.
She stormed nearly 50m down the park and popped it inside to centre Naomi Sopoaga, who finished off for the Spirit.
It was one of six exciting tries the Spirit scored in their 32-26 Farah Palmer Cup Championship win against the Pride in Porirua this afternoon.
Captain Greer Muir and Sarah Jones were instrumental in the loose forwards, and Jamie Church showed her electric pace out wide with a hat-trick.
The Spirit put in a massive shift defensively to keep the Pride at bay.
Abigail Paton – playing at first five with Georgia Cormick out injured - came up with some individual brilliance to start them off.
She showed her class stepped three defenders and it took three more to bring her down.
But she released the ball got to her feet and banged down to score the opener just shy of the 20 minute mark.
Muir was not far behind with her own.
After keeping the Pride out yet again, the Spirit shifted up the park when Muir started her 50m effort.
The flanker stormed ahead after breaking the line, threw a dummy between two Wellington defenders who barely touched Muir as she slipped through to score under the posts.
It gave the Spirit a 12-0 lead.
The Spirit's defence stood stall yet again when No 8 Jackie Patea-Fereti was held up.
They refused to go away when centre Litia Bulicakau put a grubber through for Su'a-Smith to finish.
The Spirit held a 12-7 lead at halftime.
It took the Spirit all of two minutes to get on the board in the second half.
The Pride spilled the ball on attack when Naomi Sopaga snaffled it and took off.
She spotted the space wide and pushed it to Church who was taken down 10m out. The ball was recycled before Sopoaga found Church wide again to finish off and extend the Spirit's lead 17-7.
Wellington were brought down 5m out from the line and set up to pick-and-go.
Muir came over the top for Otago lock Leila Hill to steal the ball, but it was turned over yet again.
It landed with Bulicakau, who weaved through to score.
Otago looked really strong when they had ball in hand and their engine room player stepped up to keep offloading the ball.
Tegan Hollows made a robust carry and Sheree Hume made a mini break for the ball to go wide.
Church bowled through two defenders and stepped another to score her second try.
Sopoaga then scored her run away thanks to Hill's efforts but Wellington winger Harmony Kuatai scored from the kickoff.
Church put Madison Flutey, on debut, into space on the edge, and she dished it back to Church who finished off
Madison Flutey, on debut, showed her speed on the right edge and then gave it back to Church to score and lead 31-19.
Valini Vaka scored late for the Pride.
Prop Isla Pringle played her 50th game for Otago.
Otago Spirit 32 (Jamie Church 3, Abigail Paton, Greer Muir, Naomi Sopoaga, tries; Paton 1 con)
Wellington Pride 26 (Keira Su'a-Smith, Litia Bulicakau, Harmony Kautai, tries; Arene Landon-Lane 2 con)
Halftime: Otago 12-7.
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