Town Blues win in thrilling series opener

The opening match of the Cook Islands Rugby Union Interstate Origin Series at the weekend was a brilliant display of skill and determination.

The match kicked off at 2.30pm at Nukupre Park in Ngatangia, with the women’s teams competing fiercely for the Conan Cup.

From the outset, the Town Whites dominated, thanks in large part to the efforts of forward Julz Westrupp, whose excellent penetration ability played a major role in her team taking the lead.

Although the country black team launched a timely and fierce counterattack, the town white team still maintained the lead throughout the game.

The Village team displayed many moments that highlighted their quality and skill. However, the final score of 14-26 marked a decisive victory for the Town team, securing their first win of the series.

The men’s game between the Town Blues and Country Maroons kicked off at 3:30 pm and lasted 80 minutes of intense action. From start to finish, both teams capitalized on the other’s mistakes and built strong defense on both ends.

The game went into overtime and both teams were tied at 16-16 at full time. The half was extended for 10 minutes with the score still tied. However, a late break by the powerful Oswell Tunupopo allowed Tama Nicholas to break through the Maroons defence and Nathan Nabou passed the ball across the goal line, giving the Town Blues a 20-16 victory at full time.

Country Maroons coach Dion Nepia said: “For our guys, this game was about building up the lineup and confidence since it had been over a month since our last game. I was proud of the defense of our guys, especially against a strong Town team.”

“Although the Blues’ late fightback was not ideal, both teams missed chances throughout the game. It was a high-quality match. Special recognition must be given to Rob Heather, Usa Sivo, Tom Daniel, Sailosi Ratuvukivuki and William Rani for their outstanding performances on the pitch.”

“Darren and I just told the boys that mistakes and execution are killing us,” said winning co-coach Clive Nicholas. “We failed three easy tries and didn’t execute any moves.”

“Our forwards, the Panthers trio of Eric, Ozzie and Tua, and Eels captain Josh Motu, played extremely well and worked tirelessly to put us in the lead, but our backline didn’t perform as well as it should have. These were just minor issues that can be easily fixed in the second game.

“As one of the main sponsors, I’m proud of both teams, proud of the hosts and the organizing committee, and proud of the work done by CIRL. It’s a beautiful and exciting day of football.”

The most valuable player of the game was Tamar Nicholas, who broke through the defense, broke through interceptions, made steals and assists many times, and participated in many key areas to help the Blues defeat a strong opponent.