Taina Basiyalo 
[Source: Kaiviti Silktails Rugby League Football Club / Facebook ]
The Kaiviti Silktails have fallen just short of a third consecutive victory in the Jersey Flegg Cup, going down 28-18 to a resilient New Zealand Warriors outfit in a spirited round five clash in Lautoka this afternoon.
Playing in front of a vocal home crowd at Churchill Park, the Silktails looked sharp early and dominated the opening half.
Kaveni Roseru opened the scoring in the 15th minute after a slick pas-sage of play, with halfback Senivalati Vunibola adding the extras to give the hosts a 6-0 lead.
The Silktails continued to build pressure with smart ball movement and well-executed combinations.
They were rewarded again just before the break when centre Joseva Rateri crossed over and Vunibola made no mistake with the boot to ex-tend the lead to 12-0 at halftime.
But the Warriors, clearly rattled by the sweltering Fijian heat and early ball-handling errors, came out firing in the second stanza.
Makaia Tafua sparked the comeback with a try in the 38th minute, con-verted by Jeff Cleary to halve the deficit.
Momentum began to shift as the Warriors lifted their intensity and capital-ised on a string of Silktails mistakes.
Despite the return of skipper Gabriel Tunimakubu in the second half, the Fijian side struggled to regain control.
The Silktails showed plenty of heart, with Isoa Lakepa muscling his way over in the 60th minute.
Vunibola’s dependable boot brought the scores level at 18-all with 15 minutes to play, setting up a tense finish.
However, the Warriors held their nerve in the closing stages.
They took full advantage of the Silktails’ unforced errors, piling on two late tries and sealing the match with a composed and clinical finish.
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