Rugby: Taranaki downed by Waikato in NPC outing

Photo by John Velvin

Taranaki have suffered their first loss of the NPC season, going down 38-32 to unbeaten Waikato in New Plymouth on Friday night.

The Bulls came off a 20-5 win against Counties Manukau in the opening round.

On Friday, Taranaki traile d 26-12 at halftime, with Jesse Parete scoring two tries in his 50th match for Taranaki.

Number eight Kaylum Boshier’s night ended early after he failed an HIA, while Waikato were reduced to 14 men late for a high tackle.

Taranaki mounted a late comeback, with tries to Sage Walters-Hansen and Meihana Grindlay closing the gap, but Waikato held on for the six-point victory.

The Bulls now turn their attention to Northland, who they face in Whangarei on Friday night, their next home game against Canterbury on August 29.

Read more on the Taranaki match via Rugby Pass here. https://www.rugbypass.com/live/taranaki-bulls-vs-waikato/

Taranaki Whio lost to Waikato B 36-12 in a pre-season fixture at Mokau. They play East Coast in the opening round of the Northern Regions development competition on Saturday.