Game 1 was played against a Te Rarawa selection from players based in Auckland that are playing either Senior or Reserve grade football. It was played in warm conditions at Western Springs College with unlimited interchange in front of approximately 150 people. Spartakiade scored first but the first quarter ended with the score close.

The first quarter defence was tight with some good front on hits coming from both sides. The second quarter saw Spartakiade run in multiple tries from short and long range and this continued for the rest of the game. For the first hit out of the year the game produced a number of areas for improvement from the Spartakiade side.

Some of those areas identified for improvement were the attacking structure on the fringes, body position going into the tackle on attack, and ground work in the defensive play the ball. On the other side of the coin, overall fitness was outstanding which contributed heavily to up tempo d-line speed and ruck pressure.

In general the game was a good starting point and provided some outstanding feedback for all Spartakiade players and excellent teaching moments for the coaching staff. Spartakiade would like to extend a thank you to all those players who participated for Te Rarawa and look forward to seeing you next February.

Spartakiade was hosted by the mighty Mangere East U18 Nesian Hawks at Grays Ave park in game 2. Even though the game started at 10 am it was played in extremely hot conditions on a hard and fast track that made for a fast free flowing game. It was played with unlimited interchange over 4, 20 minute quarters and was seen by approximately 200 people. As with most developmental games the score was not evident at the conclusion of the game but after a review of the game video Spartakiade scored 9 tries to Mangere East’s 3.

The 1st quarter was highlighted by some hard hitting defence from both sides. Mangere East had Spartakiade pinned in their own half for a majority of the 1st quarter and scored two of their three tries but were unlucky not to score two more when twice they dropped the ball with an open line in front of the attacking player. Spartakiade, with very limited possession did manage to answer with one try in the 1st quarter. The 2nd quarter was an even affair. Spartakiade managed to hold the ball and complete more sets than the 1st  quarter and produced one try. In the 3rd quarter Spartakiade managed to complete nine of its eleven sets which enabled a fast paced quarter with plenty of attack and multiple tries. Mangere East upped their tempo in the 4th quarter to score another try after some tiring Spartakiade defence allowed them to make multiple quick play the balls. Spartakides 4th quarter tries came from some good dummy half running in the middle and some expansive play from their halves.

By in large this contest was very hard fought; exactly what was expected from an Alec Brown coached side. Mangere East produced some devastating defensive hits, hard attacking running and showed excellent structure for this early in the year. Spartakiade, in comparison to their previous game, showed a much more organised attack on the edges as the halves made good adjustments from the Te Rarawa game. The ground work and wrestle in the tackle was a major step up for a team with an average age of 16.3 years, a summer of hard work paying big dividends. Conditioning proved again to be another source of competitive advantage allowing Spartakiade to push the pace of the game and increase the amount of defensive and offensive pressure on opponents.

The Spartakiade staff and players would like wish the Mangere East U18 Nesian Hawks, Coach Alec Brown and his staff good luck for their upcoming season and look forward to playing future contests against teams from the Mighty Mangere East Hawks.