The Kaiviti Silktails went down 16-6 in their Round Two Ron Massey Cup clash against the Glebe Dirty Reds under trying conditions on Saturday afternoon.
With both teams fighting for field position to begin the first half, it was the Reds who scored first points after the Silktails failed to execute their last tackle plays.
Winger Johnathan Tufuga touched down in the corner following slick hands from his inside men to give Glebe a six-point lead after 11 minutes.
The Reds capitalised on another opportunity when fellow winger Michael Pearsall scored a near identical try in the opposite corner. Halfback Manaia Rudolph converted again, taking the visitors’ halftime lead to 12-0.
It was a quiet start to the second half with both teams struggling to create any real chances, yet the Reds eventually extended their lead with Rudolph converting a penalty goal to improve the deficit to 14 points.
However, the Silktails refused to quit and their perseverance paid off when lock forward Manasa Kalou barged over to get his team back in the contest. A successful conversion from Mosese Qionimacawa cut the margin to eight with less than 10 minutes remaining.
For the majority of the game both teams struggled to find quality scoring opportunities in the difficult conditions, and a second penalty goal from Rudolph only one minute from full-time sealed the 10-point win for Glebe.
