The mighty Arorangi Bears from the West proved too strong and swift for the Ngatangiia Matavera Sea Eagles winning the game 28 – 10 at Victoria Park in Tupapa on Saturday.

The Bears scored their first try in the 8^th minute followed by a successful conversion.

Six minutes before the final whistle the hulking Tua Tepai barged his way thought the Eagles defence to score.

Andre Iro also made an appearance for the team.

In a post-match interview with CIRL, the Bears captain Andrew Purua said it was good to close off the first round with a win.

“We’ve got a big squad so we’ve been trying to fine tune things and get everyone a turn on the field,” said Purua.

He said after the last couple of weeks in the first round the Bears wanted to start their championship run… “So this win is evidence we’re on the right track.”

Heading into the second round Purua said “I think for us the biggest thing is our attitude and our commitment to our training. We’ve got a big squad which is a good thing.

He said the boys are hoping to build on their foundations moving forward.

Purua acknowledged the great crowd of supporters who are always at the games.

“We can’t do this without the support of our families first and our community. To have the support for all our teams is really good, it’s god to feel the energy from the supporters at the venue’s giving the boys a lot of confidence and boosting their morale every week. Thank you to our Bears supporters and everyone.”

Ngatangiia Matavera Sea Eagles captain Daniel Toa said it is always sad to come out and not get the win.

Toa said they put a lot of effort into training, they fought well on Saturday but it just didn’t happen their way.

With the second round to the competition starting on Saturday, March 15, Toa hopes things will turn around for the Sea Eagles.

He said key points they need to work on are - discipline and just the basics and attitude.

“We’re giving away too many penalties and it’s killing us back to back sets on defence…  and just trusting the process in our structure,” said Toa.

The sleek Tupapa Maraerenga Panthers were too classy winning 68 – 14 against the courageous Takuvaine Warriors who battled on scoring three tries cheered on by the crowd.

The Women’s Exhibition match was a close one with the Red Team winning the game 26 – 22.

Captain Stephanie Nooroa who was pleased with their result said: “We did pretty good although it started off a bit rocky but in the second half we started picking up on our passing and tackling and ended up getting a few tries.

“It was really hot out there and with limited subs it was hard, but I’m glad the girls played through and actually we had a game today so that’s good enough I reckon.”

Purple Team captain Rima Browne said the game went really well especially with the format they have been running with for the last month where the girls show up and they put a team together on the day.

“In that regard the girls had a really good run today with the passing and communication.”