COACH Scott Coleman set "making records" as the theme for the Hunter Wildfires leading into the Shute Shield battle against Warringah at Pittwater park.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
The Wildfires delivered in spades.
Not only did they beat the Rats for the first time in club history, the 52-20 scoreline was their biggest winning margin since returning to the Sydney competition in 2020.
It also ensured the Wildfires stay on top of the table and set up a blockbuster against Northern Suburbs at No.2 Sportsground on Saturday.
"We played to everything we planned and executed really well," Coleman said. "It is by far the biggest winning margin and it was the first time that we have beaten Warringah. We had the theme of making records. Everyone was dialled in and executed."
Captain Rob Puli'uvea, returning from a fractured cheekbone, crashed over from a shot pass inside five minutes.
From there, the first half was one-way traffic.
The Wildfires scored three tries from mauls, one which started 38 metres out, on the way to a 33-10 lead at half-time.
"We smoked them in the set piece and executed our kicking game really well," Coleman said. "We didn't allow them to counter attack. When we kicked long we chased well.
"We didn't want to shut up shop, we wanted to keep playing. We knew Warringah were capable of scoring tries in quick succession. We never switched off."
The Wildfires ran in eight tries in total.
Hamish Moore, in his run-on debut at hooker, was outstanding, fly-half Connor Winchester controlled the game and fullback Nate De thierry kicked well. Puli'uvea got through 48 minutes and was strong.
The only downside was an elbow injury to Chayton Frans.
Meanwhile, the NSW Waratahs breathed life into their Super Rugby Pacific finals hopes with a 32-24 win over Queensland in Townsville on Saturday night.
James Gardiner
James Gardiner, chief football and rugby writer at the Newcastle Herald.
James Gardiner, chief football and rugby writer at the Newcastle Herald.
