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NZ Herald
4 days ago
- Sport
- NZ Herald
Warriors v Titans result: Gold Coast silence Go Media Stadium again with shock victory
Now, a week after producing one of the greatest finishes in the club's history through solo heroics from Leka Halasima in the final play of the game, the Warriors have been humbled – again – by the bottom-of-the-table Titans with a 24-16 scoreline in front of a sold-out home crowd. The Warriors had a chance to further cement themselves in the NRL's top four after the Brisbane Broncos' shock loss to the Paramatta Eels on Friday, but that well and truly went begging. It was a game with no shortage of significant milestones – being the first time Warriors half Boyd played against his old club, Warriors second-rower Marata Niukore's 150th NRL appearance and Titans coach Des Hasler's 500th game at the helm of an NRL side. It may also have been the last time Kiwis half Kieran Foran takes the field on New Zealand soil after the Titans five-eighth opted to call time on his career at the end of the season. Strong sets from the Warriors set the momentum early for the home side, and a set restart saw them with their first real attacking chance of the game in the opening minutes. It was Boyd's game management and vision that saw the ball spread to centre Adam Pompey, who put on his trademark left-foot step to crash over in the fifth minute of the game. The Warriors were awarded a penalty late in the set after the subsequent kickoff, allowing them to work their way down the field again and force a goal-line dropout. If he couldn't be stopped from 45m out in the final play of the game last week, in no world were the Titans stopping Warriors second rower Leka Halasima from 10m after he crashed onto a short ball from Chanel Harris-Tavita and powered his way over the line. Boyd's conversion struck the left upright and sailed away to retain a 10-point lead. It looked as though the Warriors would put a cricket score on the Titans after scoring twice in the opening 10 minutes. But it would only take a line-break for a major momentum swing. Titans fullback AJ Brimson took on the line, freed up his arms and got an offload away to half Jayden Campbell, who strode down the field and delivered the final pass to centre Jojo Fifita, diving over in the corner untouched. Campbell slotted the sideline conversion. It went from bad to worse for the Warriors after hooker Wayde Egan suffered a head knock while tackling in the lead-up to the Titans try, forcing him to leave the field in the 12th minute. Egan later failed his HIA (head injury assessment), meaning he'll also be unavailable next week. The Titans crossed over for the fourth try in the opening 15 minutes after a set restart saw them work their way up the field. Warriors centre Kurt Capewell rushed out of the line and Brimson delivered a pinpoint cut-out pass to winger Phillip Sami, who dove over in the corner to tie the score up 10-10. A Campbell penalty was all that could separate the sides at halftime after Harris-Tavita was pinged for a crusher tackle. The Titans threatened in the opening minutes of the second half and finally crossed over for their third try in the 48th minute after a major overlap on the left edge saw Warriors winger Dallin Watene-Zelezniak caught in no man's land, watching as a long cut-out ball from Foran sailed into the arms of Sami for his second of the night. Campbell again nailed the conversion from wide to extend their lead to eight. Watene-Zelezniak shortly after found himself sent to the sin bin for a professional foul after tackling a man without the ball near the tryline. The Titans took full advantage, crashing over through Fifita once again. Now a 14-point margin, the Warriors needed something, anything. Sharp hands and a strong run from Te Maire Martin, who dished a long pass to Roger Tuivasa-Sheck saw the Warriors cross over in the 62nd minute and peg back six points. Fighting against the clock and an eight-point comeback, the Warriors couldn't produce yet another last-minute masterclass, falling to perhaps their toughest loss of the season. It will take a lot of soul searching to recover from that against the Dolphins next week. Warriors 16 (Adam Pompey, Leka Halasima, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck tries; Tanah Boyd 2 cons) Titans 24 (Jojo Fifita 2, Phillip Sami 2 tries; Jayden Campbell 3 cons, pen) HT: 10-12
RNZ News
20-07-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
How did Leka Halasima snatch NRL victory for Warriors over Newcastle?
Warriors celebrate Leka Halasima's gamewinning try against Newcastle Knights. Photo: David Neilson/Photosport In 2025, NZ Warriors have made a habit of pulling victory out of the jaws of defeat. Their comfortable position in the playoff race is based on a handful of early-season performances, where they either made key offensive plays near the end or defensively repelled torrid comebacks over the final stages. Their 20-15 win over Newcastle Knights was something else again, as they leaked three first-half tries and had to claw their way back into the contest after the break. In the end, the result came down to an incredible play from a young star that has made a habit of stamping his presence on games in his breakout season. Hard to go past the final seconds, when Boyd's desperate field-goal attempt was charged down, but the ball fell to second-rower Leka Halasima, who rumbled 40 metres to the tryline to save his team's blushes. "I'll take it," Warriors coach Andrew Webster said. "I've been on the end of a few of those - I think every team has at some stage. "I liked the way we kept fighting, we kept going after the moment. It wasn't happening for us. "We just came up with a freakish play from a young guy that's got heaps of talent - that's what he's got in his toolkit." Boyd had a solid enough second outing for the Warriors, replacing Luke Metcalf in the No.7 jersey , after his predecessor suffered a season-ending knee injury last month. He was on target off the tee to convert all three tries and added a penalty, but he'd love to have those last hectic minutes back. His first field goal attempt was the closest, but sliced right. Two others never really had a chance, while his 35-metre penalty attempt - the result of an offside defender rushing at him - was also pushed wide. "Lots of halves will have those big moments at the end," Webster said. "He just wanted to keep having a crack at it - he didn't hide. "He's just going to improve every week and the team will get better as they get used to him." At that moment, victory seemed to have slipped through the Warriors' fingers, but the rugby league gods had one last opportunity in store for them. Last week, against Wests Tigers, Halasima produced two moments of brilliance for two late tries, chasing a high kick to the goal area, where five-eighth Chanel Harris-Tavita swooped on a loose ball to score, before outmuscling his markers to score himself. Still a teenager, his teammates have been in awe of Halasima this season, with co-captain Mitch Barnett describing him as a "freak". He has now scored eight tries, equalling Metcalf for the club lead, and the move to extend his current contract through 2029 looks a very smart piece of business by the Warriors. Halasima also made a crucial trysaving tackle on Knights centre Fletcher Hunt in the first half, after fullback Taine Tuaupiki ran down Bradman Best over the length of the field. "He's his toughest critic around his defence and he works really hard at it," Webster said. "He's still got a long way to go, but I thought that was an inspirational passage of play. "We all celebrate the one at the end, but he's got some other brilliant stuff in him." In a week when rumours of his departure swirled , veteran winger Roger Tuivasa-Sheck was again sharp, running for a game-high 265 metres, while hooker Wayde Egan led his team with 37 tackles. The Warriors were first to score and seemed to have another try soon after, when Egan reached out and planted the ball over the line in a tackle. The try was ruled out for a double movement, with Egan's elbow touching the ground before he stretched the extra few centimetres. Webster wasn't happy about that call or the later one that allowed tackled Knights winger Greg Marzhew to offload from the ground to fullback Dane Gagai for a try. Webster insisted Egan's movement was a continuation, rather than another action, arguing the elbow never lifted off the ground, while Marzhew's pass "looked like rugby union, not rugby league". "At the same time, I thought the Knights were very good," he said. "I don't want to take anything away from their effort tonight, but I thought those two calls were very tough." Returning from Origin duty and a week off to recover, Kurt Capewell lined up at centre , but failed to go the distance with what seemed like a knee injury, suffered just before halftime. He went another 25 minutes after the break, but finished the contest on the bench, so his status for next week must be in doubt. Next option would be Ali Leiataua, who actually played fullback, as the reserves extended their winning streak to 13 games in NSW Cup. Tuaupiki had to leave for a head check, but returned to the game. He's taken a beating in recent weeks, concussed in cup play last month, missing a week, then taking another big hit against Wests last week. He was more subdued than usual this week on attack, but incumbent Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad will likely return from his knee injury next week. Traditionally, at this time of the season, Warriors fans are left hanging by their fingernails, clinging to 'mathematical chances' of reaching the playoffs. This season, they get to enjoy the opposite countdown, with a post-season spot looming large. This result gives them 12 wins from 17 games for fourth on the NRL table. They're four points behind leaders Canberra Raiders, who still have a bye to come, and four points clear of their nearest pursuers, Brisbane Broncos. Four-time defending champions Penrith Panthers are another point behind, after their terrible start. Most importantly, the Warriors are eight points ahead of the ninth-placed Dolphins, who have their last bye next week, with seven games remaining. They face each other at Mt Smart the following week. A disastrous run of losses could still hijack their campaign, but five of the Warriors' last seven games are against teams currently outside the top eight. Next Saturday, the Warriors return home on a short turnaround to face bottom-of-the-table Gold Coast Titans, who lost a heartbreak to Wests Tigers this week. This could be a banana-skin game for the home side, who lost twice to their rivals last season - an Anzac Day game at home and a 66-6 horror show across the ditch. On both occasions, the Titans were bottom of the pile, but managed to avoid the wooden spoon, thanks largely to these two valuable and somewhat unexpected victories. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
20-07-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
NRL live updates: Knights v Warriors
Leka Halasima of the Warriors eludes Bradman Best of the Knights during the NRL Telstra Premiership, Warriors Vs Knights. Photo: The Warriors got their campaign back on track with a win over the Tigers last weekend, can they make it two from two against the struggling Knights? Kickoff is at 6.05pm NZT. Follow all the action with RNZ's live blog:
RNZ News
13-07-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
NZ Warriors put NRL season back on track with victory over Wests Tigers
Demitric Vaimauga and Leka Halasima celebrate a try against Wests Tigers. Photo: Brett Phibbs/ Analysis: On a weekend when all four NZ Warriors teams produced extraordinary winning performances, the first-grade team set aside some mid-season wobbles to consolidate their top-four position on the NRL table. On Saturday, the club's Jersey Flegg (U21) side rallied from 20 points down with 10 minutes remaining to prevail 44-42 over Wests Tigers. On Sunday, the reserves stretched their unbeaten NSW Cup streak to 12 games against West Magpies, before the wahine RELATED] secured their first-ever home NRLW victory] 14-0 over Parramatta Eels. In some ways, the premiers' achievement - the 34-14 triumph over the Tigers - was the least of the four, but important nevertheless, as they took another step towards clinching a playoff position. Here are some of the key talking points: With the loss of Luke Metcalf to injury for the season , much of the pre-game attention focused on replacement half Tanah Boyd , who was making his Warriors debut, but had logged 69 first-grade games for Gold Coast Titans in the previous six seasons. The transition seemed seamless and, if anything, Boyd may actually improve the Warriors' kicking potency, both from the tee and in general play. For all his strengths, Metcalf was arguably the least-accurate fulltime goalkicker in the competition, with a conversion success rate of 67 percent. By contrast, Boyd brought an 81 percent return from NSW Cup and immediately took over the duties from centre Adam Pompey and fullback Taine Tuaupiki, probably the other leading candidates for the role, slotting five of six attempts. Elsewhere, he immediately took over the kicking load from halves partner Chanel Harris-Tavita to the tune of 14-4 and his seven bombs were the most by a Warriors player this season. That kicking split was eerily similar to the 18-5 ratio between Metcalf and CHT in consecutive wins over South Sydney Rabbitohs and Cronulla Sharks - perhaps their best performance of the season. Taking that responsibility seemed to free up Harris-Tavita, who responded with a try double, a try assist, a linebreak and two linebreak assists. Fittingly, he scored his second try, when he chased a high kick from Boyd that went loose behind the goal-line. "He talks really well," coach Andrew Webster reflected. "I think everyone was clear on their roles and where they needed to be - that's his strength, and he kicks the ball really high and far. Tanah Boyd kicks skyward against Wests Tigers. Photo: Brett Phibbs/ "The big thing is they were looking to fade outside his right shoulder a couple of times and he came up with some big tackles by himself. His focus was to defend well and he did that tonight." Many to choose from, including Boyd and Harris-Tavita. Winger Roger Tuivasa-Sheck (271) and fullback Taine Tuaupiki (223) - deputising for injured Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad - both exceeded 200 running metres for the game, while prop Terrell May could only manage 137 to lead the Tigers in this regard. Hooker Wayde Egan had 54 tackles, while prop Jackson Ford, promoted to the starting line-up, made 48. "A lot of people had their individual best games for a long time," Webster said. "They focused on their jobs and executed their roles, and that helped each other. "We were just talking about who played well and I think we listed just about every player - that's always a good feeling." If you put any stock in Fantasy NRL, the most points (67) went to teenage second-rower Leka Halasima, who also produced… With seven minutes remaining, the Tigers only trailled 22-14 and a try then would have made for another nervous finish for the Warriors. When Boyd kicked skywards towards the tryline, Halasima bore down on winger Corey Staines, pressuring him into error. The ball went loose behind the line, somehow Te Maire Martin resisted the temptation to reach out and Harris-Tavita was next to arrive for the try that finally put the result to bed. Moments later, Halasima put the cherry on the performance, shrugging off two tacklers on the left sideline to score in the corner - his seventh try of the season. Chanel Harris-Tavita scores a try against Wests Tigers. Photo: Brett Phibbs/ "The last one just showed how brilliant he is," Webster said. "The best part about Leka's game tonight was he was trying to be aggressive in his collision - he got one wrong unfortunately. "We know how flashy he can be in those big plays, but it's the work ethic and toughness that we want him to get better at, and I thought there were signs tonight he was chasing that." Centre Rocco Berry continued his cursed season of injury, leaving the game just before halftime with what seemed like a dislocated shoulder. Depending on severity, that could spell the end of his campaign, which has never really reached full flight, after undergoing shoulder surgery in the off-season. He missed the opening four rounds of the regular season and a hamstring strain delayed his return, then he copped a one-game suspension in his first game, tweaked the hammy two games later and only returned against Brisbane Broncos two weeks ago, before the bye. Berry has managed just five appearances this season, but didn't finish two of them. "Sometimes that's a season, sometimes you can rehab them," Webster said. "We'll just wait and see on that one." Only a couple of weeks after suffering concussion in reserve grade, Tuaupiki was on the receiving end of another big hit from opposition winger Jeral Skelton, but bounced back to his feet and responded with a long run down the right sideline to set up Halasima's try in the final minute. Victory at this juncture of the season was absolutely crucial, especially against a team that seemed a fairly safe two points in the offering. After their first back-to-back losses of the season against Penrith Panthers and Brisbane Broncos, the Warriors needed to nip their mini-slide in the bud, but against the context of a shaky record emerging from bye weeks. Both those obstacles were safely overcome and the result consolidates a spot in the top four for at least another couple of weeks. The Warriors ended the game six points clear of their nearest pursuers, but both Penrith and Brisbane cut into that buffer with subsequent wins over Parramatta Eels and Gold Coast Titans. Both are now riding five-game winning streaks, so they have momentum on their sides. The Broncos also have another bye up their sleeves, while the Panthers have recovered, after a disastrous start to their pursuit of a fifth straight NRL crown. While the Warriors now have eight more games in their run home - hopefully - to the playoffs, six are against opponents currently outside the top eight. The two exceptions - against Canterbury Bulldogs and Manly Sea Eagles - are both across the Tasman. Four of them are home games and winning those would be enough to see them into the post-season. They probably need a fifth win to remain in the top four. The Warriors travel to Newcastle, where they face a Knights team languishing in 13th place on the table and missing star fullback Kalyn Ponga indefinitely to a foot injury. They lost forward Dylan Lucas to a foot injury in this week's loss to Melbourne Storm and Fletcher Sharpe - one of their best performers this season - to a lacerated kidney. Kiwis hooker Phoenix Crossland was also charged with his third dangerous contact offence this season against the Storm, but will escape with a fine, if he takes the early guilty plea. For the Warriors, Berry seems likely to miss time with his latest shoulder complaint, but Webster will presumably have Kurt Capewell back from Origin recovery and centre Ali Leiataua available, after testing his dodgy knee in reserve grade this weekend. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
13-07-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
NRL live updates: NZ Warriors v Wests Tigers
Leka Halasima side steps on his way to scoring. Wests Tigers v One NZ Warriors. Photo: David Neilson/Photosport NZ Warriors are looking to bounce back, after a disappointing loss to Brisbane Broncos, but the bye week has seen them retain their spot in the top four. The under-pressure Wests Tigers had a much-needed win over Sydney Roosters last weekend, kickoff is at 4pm NZT. Follow all the action with RNZ's live blog: Warriors: 1. Taine Tuaupiki, 2. Dallin Watene‑Zelezniak, 3. Adam Pompey, 4. Rocco Berry, 5. Roger Tuivasa‑Sheck, 6. Chanel Harris‑Tavita, 7. Tanah Boyd, 8. James Fisher‑Harris, 9. Wayde Egan, 10. Jackson Ford, 11. Leka Halasima, 12. Marata Niukore, 13. Erin Clark Interchange14. Te Maire Martin, 15. Jacob Laban, 16. Demitric Vaimauga, 17. Tanner Stowers‑Smith Tigers: 1. Sunia Turuva, 2. Charlie Staines, 3. Adam Doueihi, 4. Starford To'a, 5. Jeral Skelton, 6. Jarome Luai (c), 7. Latu Fainu, 8. Terrell May, 9. Api Koroisau (c), 10. Fonua Pole, 11. Samuela Fainu, 12. Tony Sukkar, 13. Alex Twal Interchange: 14. Tristan Hope, 15. Alex Seyfarth, 16. Sione Fainu, 17. Jack Bird
