Lions beat Magpies in Napier in NPC opener

The scoring

Wellington Lions 36 (Alex Fidow, Jackson Garden-Bachop, Galu Taufale, Joe Hill, Greg Foe tries; Jason Woodward con, Garden-Bachop 2 con, pen) Hawke's Bay 26 (Billy Rohipa, Fa'alemiga Selesele, Geoff Cridge, Ryan Tongia tries; Ihaia West 2 con) HT: 7-12.

The round-up

The Wellington Lions have avenged their heart-breaking Championship final loss in 2015 to beat the Hawke's Bay Magpies at McLean Park in Napier 36-26.

The second half was played at a frantic pace, with a combined 43 points being scored between the two teams, though it was Wellington who scored 29 of those to record a bonus point victory in their first competitive hit-out of the season.

Down 12-7 at half time, the Lions took the lead six minutes into the second spell through a try to Jackson Garden-Bachop (Northern United), before the Lions raced out to a 36-19 lead.

The fatal blow was landed by the visitors in the 67th minute thanks to some patient forward play and the nifty feet of wing Joe Hil (Old Boys University). Parked just metres out from the Magpies' goal line, the Lions showed good discipline, keeping the ball within the forwards for 11 phases before shifting the ball to Hill's right wing who jinked past his man to put Wellington up 29-12 while also securing the bonus point.

The Lions who roared

Throughout the 2016 club season there were major questions around who would play first five-eighth for Wellington in 2016 following Jonny Bentley's (Hutt Old Boys Marist) departure. Jackson Garden-Bachop tonight proved that he is the answer to those questions. Composed, lethal and tidy, Garden-Bachop sparked a great second half for the Lions and led his troops well around the field, eventually being rewarded with a try.

Then there were the nine debutants. Forwards Galu Taufale (Poneke) and Chris Baumann got through a heap of work, with Taufale scoring on his first appearance, while Pakai Turia (Poneke) performed well when being inserted into first five-eighth off the bench.

Greg Foe (Poneke) was also a standout. Making a handful of trademark line breaks, Foe was also busy on defence as he got through a heap of tackles with his fellow loose forwards.

By the numbers

The win is Wellington's 61st over Hawke's Bay in the union’s history. The two sides have met 99 times, with Hawke's Bay having won 32 matches, with six ties.

The last meeting between the two sides was last year's Championship final where Hawke's Bay won 26-25 thanks to a late try to wing Mason Emerson.

Wellington hadn't beaten Hawke's Bay since 2012 - 30-15 at Westpac Stadium.

Where to next

The Lions will be desperate for promotion to the National Provincial Championship’s top flight next season and a bonus point win is the perfect start to that mission. The Lions next match comes on Thursday versus Otago at Forsyth Barr Stadium.