Perofeta bags 22 points as Taranaki keep up unbeaten start against Lions

Taranaki have picked up where they left off, making it three from three in the NPC with victory over Wellington in Inglewood.

Championship leaders going into the Covid-enforced hiatus, the amber-and-blacks claimed a second Premiership scalp in their return to action yesterday, outclassing the Lions 32-26 at TET Stadium.

The two sides hadn’t played one another for 35 months, and, with a 22-point haul from Stephen Perofeta leading the cause in a three-tries-apiece contest, this was a first home win for the Bulls over the Lions since 2009.

Along with the fullback’s crucial five penalty goals, the victory was built on an outstanding lineout platform, and the home side’s superiority at the breakdown, where openside flanker Tom Florence made a menace of himself.

First five-eighth Jayson Potroz pulled the strings magnificently, setting up one try and scoring one himself, as Taranaki put Wellington in the unfamiliar position of playing catch-up, with the Lions having led by 21 and 26 at halftime in their first two games of the competition.

However, down not just a man, but their captain – Teihorangi Walden – for the first six minutes of the second spell after his sinbinning late in the first half, which led to a claw-back Lions try, Taranaki had to hold their

nerve to not undo all their earlier good work.

They did just that, though, with Perofeta knocking over two penalty goals – the second after a monster scrum shunt – to put the

hosts 10 points up. With 10 minutes to go, Wellington gave themselves a shot, with a Ruben Love chip over the top into the 22m seeing replacement loose forward Sam Smith surge, collect, spin and score, however Taranaki were good enough to close things out in and around the breakdown.

Earlier on, Ireland international prop Michael Bent – back with his old province after almost a decade in Europe – profited from a pick-and-go close to the line, then, after a pinpoint 50/22 kick down the left touch from Kini Naholo, Potroz waltzed in.