Taranaki beat Bay of Plenty 21-3 in New Plymouth on Saturday evening, scoring two well taken tries in wet conditions. Here’s a look at one of the tries and one of the moments of the match, a massive tackle by Taranaki centre Isaia Tuifua.
There was a big shot in the lead up to the Kurt Baker try – which has now been added on page two of this post – but this hit by Tuifua was the biggest of the match, and perhaps even the season.
Opposite number 12 Nick Evemy was rocked in the powerful hit by Tuifua, who got in position early and dominated in the tackle. It looked brutal in real time, so questions were asked.
The referee requested that it be checked by the TMO, just to make sure there was use of the arms, but as everyone at home could see, that wasn’t a problem and the game carried on, with the big tackler being congratulated by his team mates and cheered by the crowd.
Earlier in the game Sevens star Baker had scored a very well taken try after he was put away down the wing from a pass that could well have been forward. It was also checked by the TMO, but they seemed to give the benefit of the doubt to Baker after a great chip and chase then finish.
The big tackle that caused the turnover, by Blade Thomson on Joe Tupe, didn’t really get the credit or focus it deserved because of the pass and finish, but it was a beauty. You can view a video of that on page two, and below is Tuifua’s huge tackle.
The Kurt Baker try that came about after a solid tackle by Blade Thomson
Sign In