• Auckland with emphatic win over Tasman
• Ruahei Demant claimed a hattrick of tries and a personal haul of 31 points

The Storm have claimed their first win of the season in comprehensive fashion over a Tasman team that was ultimately outclassed by an Auckland side littered with Black Ferns.

Strong performances up front from the likes of Linda Itunu, Charmaine McMenamin and Fiao’o Fa’amausili laid the platform and set the tone early-on to ensure the Storm were never in danger.

Auckland centre Lauren Sa’u was the first to take advantage of this dominance, sliding over out wide in only the second minute of the match. Captain Charmaine McMenamin was rewarded soon after when a dominant display at scrum time afforded her acres of space to stroll over from close-range.

Tight-five members Margaret Vaiouga and Charmaine Smith grabbed two tries each before the halftime whistle with all four efforts being in remarkably similar fashion – wrestling through a number of Tasman defenders from within a few metres of the line to dot-down.

Winger Natahlia Moors and halfback Aeron Warbrooke added the icing on the first half cake and ensured the backs got their fair share of the try-scoring spoils with opportunistic efforts of their own.

The second stanza started off in similar fashion to the first with the Storm crossing the chalk early through Ruahei Demant who claimed a personal points haul of 31 throughout the course of the match.

Natahlia Moors and Demant were able to get on par with Vaiouga and Smith by claiming a second try each, courtesy of slick hands from both forwards and backs that afforded them plenty of space to cross almost untouched.

Demant was proving to almost be in a class of her own on the night, claiming a hattrick courtesy of a scything run through an increasingly porous Tasman defence.

Next to score was substitute Luti Sikoloni who was able to cling on to a pass after a couple of juggles and drag a number of would-be defenders over the line with her.

Fullback Hasting Leiataua rounded off a more than impressive display from the Storm, outgunning several covering defenders with a searing sprint to the line

The Storm will be pleased at being able to bounce-back in such emphatic fashion from last week’s defeat, but will know that the significant challenge of Counties Manukau awaits them in their next fixture.

Storm 86 (L Sa’u, C McMenamin, M Vaiouga 2, C Smith 2, N Moors 2, A Warbrooke, R Demant 3, L Sikoloni, H Leiataua tries; R Demant 8 conversions)

Tasman 0

(Halftime: 50 – 0)