The Lae Snax Tigers have so far managed to maintain their dominant streak, securing a 26-14 victory over the JPG Waghi Tumbe.
Just five minutes into the second match of Digicel Cup’s round 2 in Lae, and Tigers’ newbie, Kitron Laka, recorded the opening try.
Joshua Lau was not able to find the posts, with the score remaining at 4 until teammate, Cassey Dickson, slotted one in 10 minutes later.
Lau converted for a 10-point lead and 19 minutes into the first half and Junior Rop grounded the ball with two Tumbe defenders hitting the ground with him.
With the points now at 16-0, the Jiwaka outfit fought tooth and nail to make a mark on the scoreboard.
Their head-on advances were continuously thwarted by an alert line of Tigers defenders.
With tempers flaring, a few confrontations started on field.
With only four minutes left before halftime, the frustrated Tumbes finally managed to outsmart the hosts by swiftly passing the ball from a crowded right field to the left wing. Jojo Kundala firmly caught captain Joe Frank’s pass and promptly grounded it behind the Tigers’ try line.
The unconverted try placed the points at 16-4 as the teams went for break.
A return from second half once again saw the Tigers leap off the scoreboard with two tries, where one was unconverted, leaving the scores at 26 points to 4.
Tumbe responded with two tries of their own, the final one with only two minutes left before fulltime. With one converted, the points stood at 26-14 as the final hooter went off.