PRC - Narrow win for Crusader Knights

It took an 82nd minute sideline conversion for the Crusaders development side to tame Samoa A 22-21 in Timaru.

The game was part of the International Rugby Board's new-look Pacific Rugby Cup, which gives international A sides from Fiji, Samoa and Tonga a chance to match their skills against development teams from the Chiefs, Hurricanes and Crusaders.

It was an entertaining encounter from the start with Samoa giving the ball plenty of air from the first minute in an expansive game and probably on balance deserved to win the game.

Tom Taylor, however, snatched the victory with an excellent kick after Samoa blew the chance to score a likely match winner with 10 minutes to go.

There were several highlights that kept the crowd of around 400 cheering at Alpine Energy Stadium.

Samoa's two metre-plus lock Maselino Paulino was everywhere and the excitement mounted whenever he was near the ball, while fullback Titi Esau chimed in with a massive 55m drop goal.

He took the ball on his own 10m line, took a couple of steps and unleashed a beauty, which put his side out to 21-15.

With 27 minutes left to play it always seemed likely that the Crusaders Knights would wear down their opposition but Samoa doggedly defended.

A yellow card to prop Heroshi Tea for a professional foul, after several warnings from the referee, with five minutes to go did not help their cause.

After sustained pressure wing Rhys Llewellyn sneaked across in the corner and Taylor calmly slotted the winning conversion.

The game started with both sides landing a penalty before Paulino looked to have scored an intercept from 40m but was called back for an earlier infringement.

Roger Warren then landed his second penalty for Samoa A to to put them ahead 6-3 before Paulino scored on the end of a move that included a dummy from prop Reupena Leilu, after halfback Morgan Salesa made a decisive break from 40m out.

With 35 minutes gone Knights first-five Tyler Bleyendaal ghosted through a gap after the Samoans fell off tackles for the first time, to close the gap to 11-10.

Just before halftime some fast thinking from Samoa saw a quick lineout taken and Leiluna scored after two other forwards made ground.

Warren's conversion then gave Samoa a deserved 18-10 halftime lead.

Just after the restart Knights hooker Francis Smith crashed over to narrow the gap.

Both sides put together strong attacks but there was no further scoring until Esau's audacious drop goal.

Samoa had the chance to win it when Warren made a great break with 10 minutes to go but chose the wrong option when he tried to float a pass out wide when Paulino had appeared beside him.

The narrow loss will be heartening for the Samoan A side when they return to the islands for their home and away series against Tonga and Fiji.

Others to shine in blue were their halfback Salesa and loose forwards Masked Timoteo and Iosefa Timusa.

For the Knights, Taylor was a standout at second-five while Sam Monaghan tried to inject himself into the game from fullback.

Halfback Steve Alfeld had a tidy game while locks Dominic Bird and Luke Romano worked hard as did No7 Brendan O'Connor and No8 and Ash Parker.

- The Timaru Herald