An electric outing from Highlanders winger Caleb Tangitau lit up Friday night as the visitors stormed to a 39–19 win over Moana Pasifika in a match that veered from dominance to downright chaos.
Tangitau set the tone early, scorching past his defender in just the seventh minute to open the scoring. It was a sign of things to come. The winger was sharp, aggressive, and constantly probing, eventually grabbing a well-earned double despite an earlier handling error that briefly denied him a second.
The Highlanders were ruthless in the opening half. Tangitau’s wing partner Jona Nareki joined the party, while Jack Taylor’s contribution helped stretch the lead to a commanding 27–0 at the break. Moana Pasifika were left reeling, unable to contain the visitors’ pace and precision out wide.
The second half brought some response. Scrumhalf Nic Shearer marked his debut with a try, but Moana finally got on the board through Niko Jones shortly after the restart. Any hopes of a comeback, however, were quickly undermined by indiscipline.
Within a frantic five-minute spell, William Havili and Glen Vaihu were both sent to the sin bin, reducing the hosts to 13 men. Highlanders flanker Veveni Lusaka wasted no time capitalizing, crashing over to extend the lead.
Even with the numerical disadvantage, Moana Pasifika showed flashes of fight. Millennium Sanerivi finished off a slick move sparked by quick hands from Patrick Pellegrini, and Allan Craig later crossed to trim the deficit. But just as the game threatened to find rhythm, it was thrown into disarray.
A power outage in the 60th minute knocked out the broadcast, leaving the remainder of the match to be followed either inside the stadium or via Moana Pasifika’s social media channels. With one of the light towers also affected, play continued in unusual conditions as both sides tried to regroup.
Debutant Paula Latu made an impact off the bench for Moana, winning key penalties and injecting energy into the contest. Still, the Highlanders remained composed, managing the closing stages with discipline and control.
In the end, Tangitau’s brilliance and a dominant first half proved decisive, lifting the Highlanders to a crucial win that briefly pushed them into the top six.
Highlanders 39 (Tries: Tanigtau 2, Nareki, Taylor, Lasaqa, Shearer; Cons: Pasitoa 3; Pens: Pasiota) def Moana Pasifika 19 (Tries: Jones, Saniveri, Craig; Cons: Garden-Bachop 2)
Teams
Moana Pasifika: 15 William Havili, 14 Solomon Alaimalo, 13 Tevita Latu, 12 Lalomilo Lalomilo, 11 Glen Vaihu, 10 Jackson Garden-Bachop, 9 Joel Lam, 8 Dominic Ropeti, 7 Niko Jones, 6 Miracle Faiilagi (captain), 5 Allan Craig, 4 Veikoso Poloniati, 3 Feleti Sae Ta’ufo’ou, 2 Millennium Sanerivi, 1 Abraham Pole
Replacements: 16 Samiuela Moli, 17 Malakai Hala-Ngatai, 18 Paula Latu, 19 Alefosio Aho, 20 Ola Tauelangi, 21 Siaosi Nginingini, 22 Patrick Pellegrini, 23 Tevita Ofa
Highlanders: 15. Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens, 14 Caleb Tangitau, 13 Jonah Lowe, 12 Tanielu Tele’a, 11 Jona Nareki, 10 Reesjan Pasitoa, 9 Nic Shearer, 8 Hugh Renton (co-captain), 7 Veveni Lasaqa, 6 Te Kamaka Howden, 5 Tomas Lavanini, 4 Oliver Haig, 3 Angus Ta’avao, 2 Jack Taylor, 1 Ethan de Groot
Replacements: 16 Henry Bell, 17 Daniel Lienert-Brown, 18 Rohan Wingham, 19 Will Stodart, 20 Sean Withy, 21 Adam Lennox, 22 Andrew Knewstubb, 23 Timoci Tavatavanawai (co-captain)
Referee: Damon Murphy
Assistant referees: Jordan Way, Jeremy Markey
TMO: Brett Cronan
English