Harlequins beat Corinthians in Waikato trial match
3rd June 2011 04:15PM
By Hamish Forsman
Harlequins have outscored Corinthians three tries to none to win 19-3 in a scrappy but hard fought trial match between the two Waikato kindred clubs.
With a lot of talent on display both teams tried hard to play expansively, but the greasy conditions under lights contributed to a game marred by a large number of handling errors and a lack of continuity.
Harlequins got off to a flying start when loose forward Adrian Hall scored the opening try after just two minutes from a forward drive. First five Sam Christie converted.
Corinthians then replied with a penalty from their first five Joe Reynolds after they were finally able to get some decent territory.
But the Harlequins lead was extended when wing Navi Sikivou broke clear from a ruck to score.
A late first half surge from Corinthians saw them nearly cross the line twice but the Harlequins defence held them out.
The second half was more of the same as a lack of execution from both teams saw the game turn into a stop start affair.
A number of changes did not help team cohesion either, and there was a lot of aimless kicking as neither team could nail down territory.
There were bright patches of play amidst the errors and the game became more entertaining towards the end when it opened up and backs began to find more space.
But there was no more change to the score until right on full time when Harlequins took advantage of some tired Corinthians defence to score a smart try through prop Jamie Vette, with Christie adding the conversion.
