Rugby: Five tries to Stratford-Eltham speedster

File photo by Pixl.

Stratford-Eltham’s Vereniki Tikoisolomone credits hunting for the ball on his wing for scoring five tries in Taranaki premier club rugby on Friday.

The 26-year-old Taranaki rep scored the tries during his team’s 47-36 win against United at Stadium Taranaki in the penultimate round.

Tikoisolomone said he originally eyed up a hat-trick after his second try in the match and never thought he would have crossed five times.

“I never thought about that,” the Fijian said. “I only thought about a hat trick, and I’ve never scored five tries before and after yesterday I was so happy.

“After a hat trick, I thought I can score more and pushed it to get some memories.”

While a rare achievement in premier club rugby, his efforts did not make the record books.

Tikoisolomone was one try off equaling the record of six tries in one match originally set by Tukapa’s Brent McAsey in 1984 against Rahotu. Eltham-Kaponga’s Shayne Austin then equaled the same record in 2002 before Tikoisolomone’s teammate Brendon Coupe scored six tries in May last year.

Tikoisolomone said he was not aware of the record until he was told about it after the match.  

“They talked about it, and I was like ‘holy, I could have kept doing it’. If I knew it, I would have kept pushing it.”  

During the heroics of Friday, he credited his team for setting up the tries in the first place.  

“I can’t do it alone,” he said.

Because of the weekend’s results, it will take next weekend’s final round to determine the top four.

Remarkably, because of Coastal’s 33-19 loss to Clifton at Tikorangi, they fell from first to fifth place and will need to rely on other results to fall in their favour to be granted a semi-final berth, with points differential likely to come into play.

In a physical and intense match at the Tikorangi Domain, Clifton ran in five tries to three.

Coastal had most of the possession in the second half, but Clifton defended well and held the visitors up over the line twice.

Clifton’s discipline will need to be addressed heading into the play-offs after they lost two players to the sin bin in the second half.

In Hāwera, New Plymouth Old Boys beat Southern 26-7 to move into second place on the ladder.

Halfback Shaan Waite scored twice for Old Boys.

Southern’s Thomas Bowers scored their only try and cannot make the play offs.

In the earlier round match under lights at TET Stadium on Friday, Tukapa beat Inglewood 45-10 in foggy conditions.

Tukapa back Waata Wharawhara scored a hat trick of tries.

Former Taranaki and Manawatu loose forward Heiden Bedwell-Curtis scored Inglewood’s only try.

In next weekend’s final round, Old Boys host Clifton in the top of the table match at Vogeltown Park, Stratford-Eltham is home to Southern at Victoria Park, Coastal plays Inglewood at Ōkato and Tukapa hosts neighbours United at Sanders Park.

The points table after 13 weeks is; Clifton 37, Old Boys 36, Stratford-Eltham 34, Tukapa 33, Coastal 32, United 16, Southern 14, Inglewood 7.