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Wellington’s Teariki Ben-Nicholas ran away to count attempts on either side of halftime against the Bay of Plenty.
Wellington’s fantastic captain Du’Plessis Kirifi and the province’s fourth-choice hooker combined for an impressive and decisive play to secure their second straight win on Friday.
Tyrone Thompson, who made a first start in the absence of Asafo Aumua (All Blacks rest), Dane Coles (injured) and James O’Reilly (suspended), galloped 50 meters to score an impressive try at Sky Stadium when the Lions they beat the Bay of Plenty. 32-10 at Miter 10 Cup round three.
It was badly needed for Wellington, who led by 10 with 18 minutes to go, but couldn’t shake off the BOP after a messy and buggy first hour.
SKY SPORTS
An impressive attempt by Wellington’s new prostitute helped achieve the victory.
A quick pitch to the standout Kirifi who dived for the front was returned to Thompson, who charged past flailing arms and would-be tacklers to slide into the unbridled joy of his teammates. He just kept running, and it soon became clear that no one would stop Tyrone, who will have to compete with O’Reilly and possibly Coles for a spot next weekend.
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The game ended from there, especially after Bay winger Fa’asui Fuatai turned Kirifi’s head in a ruck and received a red card in the 68th minute. New kid Ruben Love was threw into the left corner with the siren to win the victory in spectacular style.
Wellington scored five attempts to one, including a double from No. 8 Teariki Ben-Nicholas on either side of halftime. It was their second win in a row and sets up a major clash with Canterbury next Saturday, while BOP lost their second of three in 2020, and will host Auckland next Friday.
Hagen Hopkins / Getty Images
Billy Proctor from Wellington takes BOP runner Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi for the ride.
Kirifi was the star of the show, dragging his teammates and popping up all over the place with a superb captain’s punch, while All Blacks hopeful Peter Umaga-Jensen was a constant threat in midfield.
After a star-studded opening fortnight, he returned to the provincial reality of rugby with the All Blacks eliminated from the third round.
That hurt Wellington more than its visitors, with Aumua, TJ Perenara and Ardie Savea offside along with older brother Julian Savea, ruled out with a groin injury when their capital comeback hit another hurdle.
The Bay of Plenty was only missing All Blacks captain Sam Cane after his tight 17-14 over Southland.
Wellington was in the five-day reserve of a memorable 39-21 victory over Auckland and was shown in a terrifying first quarter.
Hagen Hopkins / Getty Images
Center Peter Umaga-Jensen was one of Wellington’s best in his victory.
Just 34 seconds later, Bay’s hooker Nathan Vella galloped 15 meters with almost no touch to score after the hosts dropped the cold kick and failed to clear their red zone.
Bay’s group had an early lead and the Lions were frustrated when their 15-minute attempt with Thompson was ruled out due to obstruction in a trademark Umaga-Jensen attack.
Captain Kirifi had steam leaking from his ears as he forced turnovers and then produced a massive tackle that generated a penalty.
He raised the troops, finally. Wes Goosen ducked and weaved in a telltale flurry, then Ben-Nicholas stepped in to score without touching from a ruck.
With a first-half penalty count of 9-4, Bay’s Dan Hollinshead had a chance to lead them in the lead, but missed twice from useful positions when Wellington somehow led 12-10 at the break.
They ignited with a clever kick and a meet and fast ball for the impressive Goosen to score from an overlay.
Ben-Nicholas had a second in the 46th minute when the Lions started rolling; Umaga-Jensen made the incision again and deftly unloaded his midfield partner Vince Aso.
Still, the final pass continued to disappoint Wellington, despite Kirifi’s energizing bunny performance, and gave the visitors hope as they struggled and forced turnovers.
It took a big play to put things to bed for the Lions, and Thompson and his captain delivered when the sparse crowd rose and they were finally able to breathe a little easier.
Take a look
Wellington 32 (Teariki Ben-Nicholas 2, Wes Goosen, Tyrone Thompson, Ruben Love tries; Jackson Garden-Bachop 2 with, pen) Bay of Plenty 10 (Nathan Vella test; Dan Hollinshead scam, pen). HT: 12-10.
MVP: 3 Du’Plessis Kirifi, 2 Peter Umaga-Jensen, 1 Wes Goosen.
