Cowboys claw back Panthers

A hat trick to Dennis Rangi helped the Under-16 Arorangi Cowboys overcome a spirited Panthers team to secure a 31-21 victory to retain the Powerade Trophy for another week.

Leo Roa and Puna Tamarua also scored for the trophy holders.

After losing for the past two weeks, the Panthers were not expected to offer much resistance against the Cowboys.

However, the Panthers did their best to upset the high-fliers.

They took a 21-19 lead early in the second half thanks to two tries to Aitu Newbigging and one to Marouna Ioane but the pressure told as poor handling and a sin-binning meant the Cowboys were able to storm home and ensure the trophy stayed in Arorangi.

First-five Aitu Newbigging and big prop Marouna Ioane were standout players for the Panthers while their halves Dennis Rangi and Leo Roa certainly made their presence felt.

Post-match, CITC Liquor Manager Fraser Nooroa was on hand to congratulate both teams for a fine match and also hand out individual Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards.

In their next encounter, the Cowboys will play the Avatiu Eels next Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the Avatiu Eels are making strides in the CITC Rarotonga Club Sevens competition.

As predicted, the Eels look to be setting the pace in the six-team competition thanks to wins over the Takuvaine Reds (10-5) and the Tupapa Panthers (21-14).

In other Pool A action, the Panthers defeated the Reds 19-10 before going down to the Eels.

The Titikaveka Bulls also picked up two wins, with a 17-12 result over the Arorangi Cowboys and a default win over the Ngatangiia Dragons. The Cowboys also benefitted from the Dragons’ absence by picking up a default win.

Next week the finals of the Rarotonga Club Sevens will happen immediately after the Under-16 Cowboys’ third defence of the Powerade Trophy against the Eels.

The tournament is a buildup to the Constitution Sevens Tournament on August 1 and 2.