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🏉 WFR TV — WFR XXXI CONFERENCE ONE ROUND TWO REVIEW VIKINGS RUN RIOT — GRIZZLIES STRIKE — BORDEAUX STEAL A THRILLER! Round Two of WFR XXXI Conference One delivered just about everything — a 62-point demolition, a two-point heart-stopper in Bordeaux, a cracking battle in Taupo, a clinical Tokyo victory and a statement road win from the Californian Grizzlies. And under the lights in Buenos Aires, the Bombers produced one of the defensive performances of the young season, shutting Paris out 22–0. 🇦🇷 BUENOS AIRES BOMBERS 22–0 PARIS TITANS BOMBERS DROP THE HAMMER — PARIS BLANKED IN BUENOS AIRES This was a serious statement from the Buenos Aires Bombers. They controlled the opening half, taking a 14–0 advantage into halftime after dominating possession 63–37% and territory 67–33%. Paris simply could not find a way onto the scoreboard. The Bombers eventually crossed three times through Mendy, Santiago Castro and De La Vega Mendia, with De La Vega Mendia also adding a conversion and penalty while Barla landed the other conversion. The final numbers tell the story: Buenos Aires finished with 61% possession and 58% territory, while both teams recorded five line breaks. But where Paris couldn't turn their opportunities into points, the Bombers did. WFR TV TAKE: A clean sheet in Conference One is never something to dismiss. Buenos Aires combined control with defensive steel and sent Paris home without a single point. FULL TIME: BUENOS AIRES BOMBERS 22–0 PARIS TITANS ------------------ ⚔️ CENTRAL VIKINGS 62–7 EDINBURGH CANNON VIKINGS UNLEASH HELL — SLATER SCORES FOUR! Good grief. The Central Vikings didn't just beat Edinburgh — they overwhelmed them. By halftime it was already 34–0, with Central scoring through Bradley Slater, AJ Lam, Sam Smith and Ethan de Groot while Damian McKenzie relentlessly added the extras. And the punishment continued after the break. The star was hooker Bradley Slater, who finished with an extraordinary FOUR tries. Central ultimately ran in eight tries, with Ethan de Groot, Sam Smith, AJ Lam and Emoni Narawa joining Slater on the scoresheet. Damian McKenzie was virtually flawless from the tee: 8/8 conversions plus two penalty goals. Edinburgh finally broke through through Josh Taylor, converted by Nathan Chamberlain, but by then the result had long since disappeared over the horizon. Central finished with a staggering 75% possession, won the scrum count 6–3 and the lineouts 18–9. WFR TV TAKE: This is the result everybody in Conference One will notice. 62–7. Eight tries. Bradley Slater with four. Central have just announced themselves in enormous letters. FULL TIME: CENTRAL VIKINGS 62–7 EDINBURGH CANNON ------------------ 🐻 HAWKES BAY MAGPIES 25–31 CALIFORNIAN GRIZZLIES GRIZZLIES HOLD THEIR NERVE IN NAPIER One of Round Two's best contests. Folau Fakatava gave Hawkes Bay the perfect start with a sixth-minute try, before Line Latu answered for California. Handre Pollard's penalty briefly pushed the Grizzlies ahead 10–8, only for Cam Millar to respond and give Hawkes Bay an 11–10 advantage. Then Christian Poidevin took over. His two second-half tries helped California surge to 24–11 before Fakatava's second dragged Hawkes Bay back to 24–18. But the killer blow arrived through Mark Telea, whose converted try made it 31–18. Hawkes Bay refused to die, with Drew Wild scoring at the death to reduce the final margin to six. California's scorers were Poidevin x2, Telea and Latu, while Pollard was perfect with 4/4 conversions and 1/1 penalty. There was also some damage from the contest: Isi Tu'ungafasi and Mark O'Keeffe were both listed among the injuries. WFR TV TAKE: Hawkes Bay kept coming, but California had answers every time the Magpies threatened. Poidevin's double and Pollard's perfect boot made the difference. FULL TIME: HAWKES BAY MAGPIES 25–31 CALIFORNIAN GRIZZLIES ------------------ 🇫🇷 BORDEAUX LES DAMIERS 22–20 PENINSULA PIONEERS BORDEAUX STEAL IT AT THE DEATH! What a finish! The Pioneers led 10–7 at halftime, with Jake Shearer's converted try helping them take the advantage into the sheds. Bordeaux responded after the break through Emilien Sergues, before Mathis Castro Ferreira crossed to stretch the French side to a 19–10 lead. But the Pioneers weren't finished. Captain Quinten Strange scored in the 67th minute, Alex Harford converted, and then Harford's 75th-minute penalty suddenly put Peninsula in front: Bordeaux 19–20 Peninsula. Then came the final twist. At the 79-minute mark, Emilien Gailleton stepped up and nailed the penalty. 22–20 Bordeaux. That was enough. Bordeaux had earlier lost Mathis Castro Ferreira to injury, while Jules Coulon spent ten minutes in the bin, yet somehow Les Damiers survived. WFR TV TAKE: Peninsula had 60% possession and led with five minutes remaining — but Bordeaux found the one scoring opportunity that mattered most. Gailleton's late penalty may already be one of the defining moments of the opening rounds. FULL TIME: BORDEAUX LES DAMIERS 22–20 PENINSULA PIONEERS ------------------ 🇯🇵 TOKYO SHOGUNS 24–7 SANTIAGO CONDORS SHOGUNS SHUT THE DOOR Tokyo produced a composed, controlled victory over Santiago. The Condors were in trouble almost immediately when Max Schlesinger was yellow-carded in the second minute. Tokyo eventually converted their pressure into points through a Ben Donaldson penalty and Craig Millar try, taking a 10–0 lead into halftime. The Shoguns then struck again after the break. So Kinoshita crossed after the TMO confirmed his try, before Santiago finally replied through Inaki Ayarza. But Donaldson himself delivered the decisive blow, scoring Tokyo's third try and converting it to establish a commanding 24–7 lead. Tokyo finished with three tries — Millar, Kinoshita and Donaldson — while Donaldson also kicked all three conversions and a penalty. WFR TV TAKE: Not spectacular for 80 minutes, but extremely effective. Tokyo defended their line repeatedly and took their chances. That's the sort of performance that wins competition points. FULL TIME: TOKYO SHOGUNS 24–7 SANTIAGO CONDORS ------------------ 🌋 TAUPO TOA 38–29 BC LUMBERJACKS TOA SURVIVE THE LUMBERJACK COMEBACK This one was a beauty. Taupo exploded out of the blocks. Levi Aumua, Etene Nanai-Seturo and Bryn Hall all crossed inside the opening 20 minutes as Taupo established a 21–3 advantage. BC finally answered through Jack Shaw, but a Rivez Reihana penalty left Taupo ahead 24–10 at halftime. Then came the Lumberjacks. And specifically — Jack Shaw. Shaw scored again after halftime and completed his hat-trick in the 54th minute, suddenly reducing Taupo's lead to just: 24–22. Game on. But Taupo found another gear. Codemeru “Cody” Vai scored twice in quick succession, including a TMO-confirmed second, blowing the margin back out to 38–22. Andrew Coe grabbed a late converted try for BC, but the comeback had finally run out of road. Taupo finished with five tries, while Rivez Reihana landed all five conversions plus a penalty. BC's Shaw finished with the individual highlight of the match — three tries. Taupo also suffered an injury blow with Evan Roos ruled out for 1–2 games. WFR TV TAKE: Taupo looked like they had it won, nearly let BC all the way back into it, and then emphatically wrestled control back. Cody Vai's second-half double was enormous. FULL TIME: TAUPO TOA 38–29 BC LUMBERJACKS ------------------ 📺 WFR TV — ROUND TWO HEADLINE GRABBERS - 🔥 Bradley Slater — Central Vikings: FOUR TRIES in the 62–7 demolition of Edinburgh. - 🎯 Damian McKenzie — Central Vikings: 8/8 conversions and two penalties. - 🐻 Christian Poidevin — Californian Grizzlies: two tries in the road victory over Hawkes Bay. - 🧊 Handre Pollard — Californian Grizzlies: perfect from the tee — 4/4 conversions and 1/1 penalty. - 🇫🇷 Emilien Gailleton — Bordeaux: the 79th-minute penalty that turned 19–20 into a 22–20 victory. - 🪓 Jack Shaw — BC Lumberjacks: a brilliant hat-trick that nearly inspired an extraordinary comeback. - 🌋 Cody Vai — Taupo Toa: two crucial second-half tries when BC had closed to 24–22. - 🇯🇵 Ben Donaldson — Tokyo Shoguns: try, three conversions and a penalty — 14 points. - 💣 Buenos Aires defence: Paris held to ZERO. - 🏉 Folau Fakatava — Hawkes Bay: two tries despite the Magpies' defeat. ------------------ 📊 ROUND TWO SCOREBOARD Home Score Away Buenos Aires Bombers 22–0 Paris Titans Central Vikings 62–7 Edinburgh Cannon Hawkes Bay Magpies 25–31 Californian Grizzlies Bordeaux Les Damiers 22–20 Peninsula Pioneers Tokyo Shoguns 24–7 Santiago Condors Taupo Toa 38–29 BC Lumberjacks That's six matches and 287 points across Round Two. ------------------ 🎙️ WFR TV FINAL WORD Round Two has thrown the Conference One race wide open. Central Vikings have fired the biggest warning shot. A 62–7 demolition is impossible to ignore, and Bradley Slater's four-try afternoon gives the Vikings the individual performance of the round. California went into Hawkes Bay and came away with an excellent six-point victory. Tokyo were disciplined and clinical. Taupo showed they can score heavily — but also showed tremendous character when BC came storming back. Then there is Bordeaux. They were five minutes from defeat before stealing it 22–20 with Gailleton's late penalty. And perhaps the most intriguing result belongs to Buenos Aires. 22–0 against Paris. Not merely a victory. A shutout. Conference One is only two rounds old — and already it looks like nobody is going to be allowed to settle comfortably. WFR TV HEADLINE VIKINGS UNLEASH THE STORM — ROUND TWO BLOWS CONFERENCE ONE WIDE OPEN!