It was Wednesday night lights for the premiers in their first official hit out of the season, hosting Eden for the first round of the Waka Nathan Cup.

Premier coaches Cole Mooney, Grant Hensen and Brodyn Bevan selected a squad of 25 for the match, played last night at Bell Park.

It was great to have the Under 13 Bruins have a solid run as the curtain raiser, they secured a good pre season victory over College Rifles.

The Waka Nathan match was a low scoring affair, atypical of pre-season rugby as both teams trialled combinations and structures, resulting in a lack of continuity at times and a heavy penalty count.

Pakuranga supporters would be pleased with the dominance at scrum time, the starting front row of Lepani Tuifagalele, Gafatasi Su’a and Sam Crichton very powerful at set piece, and their efforts continued by the front rowers adding impact from the bench.

Carter Hackett was industrious as always, with a strong running game and one of many players to show big heart on defence. Blindside flanker Sione Takai was another pillar on defence, where Pakuranga spent a lot of the match. 

It was Hackett that was the recipient of Pakuranga’s only try, a move that started beyond halfway.

A great set play from a line out saw recent Super Rugby debutant Dwayne Polataivao slice through the Eden defence on a 30 metre run before a precise offload put Hackett away for the try.

There was a late opportunity to steal the match from Eden but a dropped pass with the try line in the sights meant the final score was 10-5 in Eden’s favour.

The coaching group will no doubt be pleased with the effort and intention from the match but will take plenty of lessons as they build into the season.

The premier squad will be named in the next two weeks, before the Premier Jersey auction on April 29th. That will be your opportunity to put your support behind the team in 2022, as the club auctions every premier jersey with company logos printed on the brand-new Dynasty kit.

The season officially kicks off at Bell Park on April 30 against Otahuhu.

Article added: Thursday 14 April 2022