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Nick Markham | Rugbyleaguelive.cor | 29/06/08 | 0
AUDIO - Brett Hodgson: 'We didn't have enough energy'
AUDIO - Ruben Wiki: '300 games and still loving it'
AUDIO - Post match with Tim Sheens and Brett Hodgson
AUDIO - Post match with Ruben Wiki and Ivan Cleary
The Warriors have pulled off a monumental upset at Leichhardt Oval – and produced one of the tries of the season into the bargain – downing a spirited but disjointed Tigers outfit 28-26.
The Kiwis were on song in the opening stanza, taking a 16-6 lead to the halftime break, but the Tigers rallied with two unanswered tries in the second half to draw level in the 56th minute before a dazzling piece of skill steadied the ship for the visitors.
The Warriors hadn't looked like scoring in the opening 25 minutes of the second half, but they came up with the play of the match in the 67th minute to set up the boilover victory.
A breathaking 80-metre move that included a Mark Gasnier-style flick pass from Simon Mannering was finished off by Lance Hohaia to put the Warriors in front, and the diminutive fullback then added the extras from adjacent to the posts to give the visitors a 22-16 lead.
The Kiwis stretched their lead two minutes later when Sam Rapira went over for a soft try next to the posts, with Hohaia's conversion giving the New Zealanders a 12-point buffer.
But the Tigers weren't done yet, crossing in the 77th minute through Taniela Tuiaki to set up a nailbiting finish.
The Warriors looked set to hang on for a thrilling win but a 79th minute knock-on from the visitors gave the home side one last throw of the dice, and they made it count.
A Benji Marshall cutout ball hit Tuiaki on the chest, and the big man powered his way over for his third try of the afternoon with just 13 seconds left on the clock.
But Hodgson hooked his sideline conversion attempt and it was waved away, giving the Warriors a pulsating two point win.
The home side had the run of play in the opening stages, but it was the Warriors who drew first blood, in somewhat bizarre circumstances.
New Zealand got a chance to attack the Tigers line courtesy of a Ben Te'o high tackle, and in a slice of pure bad luck for the home side Liam Fulton lost his footing in the defensive line and presented Ian Henderson with the easiest try he'll score in his first grade career.
The Tigers looked flat in attack and lethargic in defence and it wasn't long before the Warriors were further in front, though the Tigers looked extremely harshly done by.
Aidan Kirk made an impressive line break to put the visitors into Tiger territory, and Sonny Fai was in the corner shortly after, albeit courtesy of a blatant forward pass.
The Warriors couldn't do a thing wrong and the Tigers defence was just abysmal, the home side falling for a simple runaround before Nathan Fien crashed over to extend the Warriors' lead.
Hohaia had no trouble with the extras and the Kiwis were up by 16 on the half hour mark.
But Marshall sparked Wests in attack, ghosting across field and conjuring a magical flick pass reminiscent of his effort in the 2005 grand final to put Tuiaki into space.
From there, the man they call 'The Tank' did the rest, sprinting 40 metres to go over and put the home side back into the match, with Hodgson adding the extras to make it 16-6 after 34 minutes.
The Tigers looked almost certain to go over early in the second half when Marshall release Fulton down the left-hand touchline, but Hohaia came up with a brilliant covering tackle to force Fulton over the touchline.
But the home side's weight of possession eventually told on the Warriors, and when Roobie Farah crashed over in the 50th minute, the Tigers were coming home with a wet sail.
Chris Lawrence hit a hole at speed and touched down to level the scores in the 57th minute, but Hodgson's conversion attempt hit the upright and was waved away, setting up a tense final 20 minutes.
NZ WARRIORS 28 (I Henderson, S Fia, S Rapira, N Fien, L Hohaia tries; L Hohaia 2, M Witt 2 goals) bt WESTS TIGERS 26 (T Tuiaki 3, R Farah, C Lawrence tries; B Hodgson 3 goals) at Leichhardt Oval.
Referee: S Lyons. Crowd: 15,027.
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