Sopoaga played a major role in big win

Hooker Hannah Lithgow scored a hat trick.

Backup defender Naomi Sopoaga beat at least a few thousand defenders to score late in the game.

Georgia Cormick scored 20 points in another great game starting from the back of the scrimmage.

Otago scored six first-half points to cruise to a 60-17 win over Taranaki in the Farah Palmer Cup tournament in New Plymouth on Saturday.

Spirit center Cheyenne Cunningham left the game early with a cut near her eye.

Her replacement, Sopoaga, launched the first attempt.

She sprinted through a hole, stepped over a defender and nearly jumped over the final line of defense but ultimately passed the ball to Cormick, who scored.

Moments later, the talented centre-back was back again.

She scooped up the ball from the faceoff area 5 meters from the goal, took a step with her right foot, and walked over.

Taranaki had the ball in Otago’s half for much of the time but they kept making mistakes and the Spirit were able to get out of trouble.

But midway through the first half, they built up pressure and scored down the wing through defender Eve Martin.

Otago shook off the disappointment with a brilliant fightback.

Of course, Sopoaga made the breakthrough and passed the ball to Sheree Hume, and the experienced front five player used his speed and strength to score from more than 40 meters.

Sopoaga also played a major role in Lithgow’s first try.

Moments later, Spirit scored their fifth five-pointer. Lithgow scored his second five-pointer after dribbling from the 5-meter sideline.

Substitute No.8 Tegan Hollows usually acts as hooker, but just before half-time he suddenly collected the ball and ran into the net from 20 metres out to give Otago a 40-5 lead.

Sopoaga at the start of the second half
The first one.

She ran at full speed to get Otago back into the red zone.

Lithgow collapsed dead on another shot near the goal line to complete his hat trick.

In the second half, players from both teams were sent off for flagrant fouls.

Despite receiving two yellow cards, Taranaki still managed to cross the line in the second half and had two chances to score.

In this round, the scores of the two teams were very different: Manawatu defeated Tasman 55-17, Waikato defeated Auckland 65-17, Bay of Plenty defeated Hawke’s Bay 47-26, Wellington defeated North Harbour 36-21, and Counties-Manukau defeated Northland 35-26.

Farrah Palmer Cup

score

Otago Spirit 60
Hannah Lithgow 3, Georgia Cormick 2, Sheree Hume, Tegan Hollows, Jamie Church, Naomi Sopoaga, Kayley Johnson tried; Cormick 5 won.

Taranaki Waiau 17
Hayley Gabriel 2, Eve Martin tried; Laura Claridge cheated.

Halftime: Otago 40-5.