NPC: Taranaki keep up unbeaten start with victory over Wellington in Inglewood stuff.co.nz - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from stuff.co.nz Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Maraku, 21, spent a chunk of the Super Rugby season with the Blues and he said he learnt a lot with them. It showed when he returned for club games with Feilding, where he was a standout back. Manawatū, again sporting Linton Army jerseys, showed heart on defence this week and looked a lot more competitive. Maraku was happy with how they improved from a week ago, but still felt they could get better. “We’ve got quite a few work ons in that game where we could improve. Definitely more confidence going into next week.” He said they looked sharp on attack, but needed to improve their defence, while they also needed to hold on to the ball longer and build phases.
Their points haul at the Sydney Cricket Ground is fifth on Super Rugby s list for most points scored in a match since its inception in 1996. Second, on 118, is the Sharks 75-43 demolition of the Highlanders in Durban in 1997; third, on 115, is the Crusaders 96-19 rout of the Waratahs in Christchurch in 2002; and fourth, on 114, is the Bulls’ 62-52 win over the Cats in Pretoria in 2005. The Hurricanes also scored 10 tries to the Waratahs seven, falling one short of the record for most tries scored by both teams in a Super Rugby match. There were 18 shared between the Chiefs and the Lions in their record-breaking 2010 clash.