Warriors – 10 Rabbitohs – 30 (Be sure to refresh your browser regularly)
FULLTIME - Dominant display from the Rabbitohs, controlled the contest throughout. Check out a few video highlights above.
78 mins - NZ have really lacked any attacking sting tonight, Hiku struggling in his injury-enforced start in the No. 6 jersey.
RTS with just a sprained ankle. Warriors fans breathe easy.
76 mins - TRY WARRIORS - A litte consolation for the hosts as Kata finds some space out wide, holds off his defender and does well to get the ball down as he's dragged into touch. Conversion wide. (Rabbitohs 30-10)
76 mins - Third sinbinning of the game is awarded to Souths forward Sam Burgess.
75 mins - Look away now if you're squeamish......36 missed tackles for the Warriors.
73 mins - Uh oh. RTS to the bench and it's straight for the icepack. here's hoping it's precautionary. Looks to be a calf issue.
69 mins - Set play opens up a hole on the final play but RTS is just a fraction late on the ball, comes up a metre short of the line and the Bunnies defence holds yet again.
67 mins - Penalty NZ, RTS goes quickly and they're 5m out...
64 mins - Souths opt to take the shot at goal, and Reynolds sends it over the black dot to make it 30 straight points for the visitors (Rabbitohs 30-6).
63 mins - Sutton sneaks through a hole then drops a grubber in for himself, fumbles and falls over the line, but it seems like he lost control of the ball. The video ref agrees, but the penalty goes against NZ. Harris adjudged to have taken an attacking player out of the play, somewhat harshly, and he'll cop 10 minutes in the sinbin.
61 mins - Warriors manage to maintain some decent field position but the last tackle options are letting them down, Souths reading and reacting well to some unimaginative fifth tackle plays.
58 mins - Lawton looks to dart over from dummy half on the last tackle but he's well wrapped up. Bunnies ball.
57 mins - Gerard Beale touches the ball for what seems like the first time all game, slides a nice wee grubber into the in-goal to force the first repeat set of the match for the Warriors.
54 mins - Tevaga hot-foots it through the line and he's snared just short. RTS goes from dummy half and milks another penalty, only for Gavet to spill one on the ensuing play.
53 mins - NZ penalty for holding down in the tackle. Some rare attacking ball for the hosts now...
51 mins - Bunnies knock-on as another threatening movement had begun to build. NZ will pack another scrum on their own 10m.
48 mins - Souths' ruck speed is phenomenal, causing the NZ defence fits. Kata pinged for shielding on the cross-field kick. Souths with a fresh set just 20m out as the rain starts to pelt down in Penrose.
46 mins - Cody Walker beats one and works his way over the 50m. Reynolds places a kick right into the corner and it's into touch. NZ scrum at their own 10m.
44 mins - TRY RABBITOHS - Far too easy for Souths, just toying wth the NZ defence on the last tackle. Sutton runs a good angle into space and skips through with ease to dot down untouched under the bar. The conversion's slotted with ease. (Rabbitohs 28-8)
44 mins - Gagai almost breaks clear...
43 mins - Fusitua cleans up the Sutton grubber just a metres from his tryline. The defence swarms in as NZ try to escape the danger zone. Only 31m on that set, and Inglis crosses halfway on the first.
41 mins - Afoa takes the first hit-up and he's met by a wall of green. Just 35m on the opening set for NZ, and Souths will take tackle one near halfway.
Second half underway...
HALFTIME - Souths well in control here at Mt. Smart as the sides head to the sheds, looking likely to score everytime they cross halfway. The Warriors will need something special to pull this one back.
38 mins - RTS skips through and is pulled down just inches short. Tidy set-play, Satae back on the misdirection and he looks to be over....but he isn't. Knock on. Souths survive again.
37 mins - South defence holds firm. Green kicks for his winger again, Inglis leaps and inhales the ball but they've ruled a shepherd. Another chance for NZ before the half.
36 mins - Green bombs effectively, Hiku looks to have spilled it as he contests with Jennings but the refs rule it the other way. That's the break NZ needed. Attacking scrum 10m out...
35 mins - Souths storm back from the restart but a loose pass let's NZ off the hook. Afoa carries them into Souths territory. It's been a while.
33 mins - TRY RABBITOHS - Tom Burgess steps up and replicates his brother's earlier effort - too big and too strong on the crash ball and the Brit powers his way over. Souths are dictating play across the park at the moment. Conversion is over. (Rabbitohs 22-6)
31 mins - Wow. Campbell Graham stretches a foot out to the sidleine to force the restart out on the full, heady play. All of a sudden Souths are back inside the NZ redzone.
29 mins - TRY RABBITOHS - Players standing and offloading in the tackle at will, Reynolds delays a pass and uses the decoy to perfection, Crichton flicks a final pass out of the back of the hand to Greg Inglis who slides over to score. Reynolds comically sprays one from almost right in front. (Rabbitohs 16-6)
28 mins - Yet another penalty for Souths, more attacking ball for the vistors.
28 mins - Another powerful set of six for the Bunnies as they roll through their rucks at great pace, they're really controlling that area of the game. Penalty for offisde, and an easy two points for Reynolds. (Rabbitohs 12-6)
26 mins - Blair shows and goes, RTS beats one and makes another five. Afoa getting through a mountain of work. Green goes to the corner with his bomb, Fusitua takes off but can't quite reel it in for another of his trademark areial tries.
25 mins - Bunnies make their first mistake of the game and it's Kata who scurries back into enemy territory.
24 mins - Set building well but it's Luke who drops one cold. Rabbitohs work their way back to the 50m.
22 mins - Penalty NZ, and that's a welcome relief. Green takes play to halfway with the kick.
21 mins - Fuistua makes a critical spot tackle to shutdwon a threatening move. Souths scramble on the last and get the kick away, Maumalo forced to clean up right on his line.
20 mins - Tom Burgess back on the field after his stint in the bin, during which his side scored a point a minute. That's a stinger for NZ.
18 mins - TRY RABBITOHS - Beautifully-executed play with plenty of quick hands and capped by a deft over-the-top pass from Inglis to put Jennings over untouched. Reynolds hooks it from the sideline (Rabbitohs 10-6)
17 mins - Warriors immediately pinged for offside. Reynolds rips off a ton of metres with his kick and the Bunnies will launch another assault here.
15 mins - TRY RABBITOHS - George Burgess rampages his way to the line, looks to be wrapped up but does well to keep the ball-carrying arm off the deck, reaches out and scores. That's a soft one for the Warriors. Conversion an easy one. (NZ 6-6)
13 mins - Rabbitohs win a penalty, piggyback their way inside the NZ half.
12 mins - RTS soars to snare the bomb, then jinks through the defence to pick up another 15m. Penalty again for NZ. Tackle two inside the Bunnies 22m, but Blair's knocked on.
11 mins - Green looks to grubber on the last but it fails to breach the line, Bunnies hold out.
10 mins - Penalty NZ, and he's showing them the 10! Tom Burgess is on his way to the naughty chair for repeated offsides. NZ launch from the Bunnies 40m.
8 mins - Reynolds feints to kick on the last but tucks and runs, big overlap for the Bunnies but Tuivasa-Sheck steps in with a smothering try-saving tackle to end the set. Brilliant.
7 mins - Steady restarting set for NZ. Walker bounces off two tacklers and the Bunnies are already at the NZ 30m on just the 3rd tackle.
5 mins - TRY WARRIORS - Simple one-off the ruck into the pouch of Paasi and he burrows his way over next to the left-hand pos, his first Warriors try. Simple conversion. (NZ 6-0)
4 mins - Another penalty for NZ. Paasi hits it up with cruel intentions. Gavet up next. Two metres out...
3 mins - Blair hits a lovely short ball and carries defenders a metre short of the line. Luke pounces from dummy half and milks another penalty. Tap and away they go, no thought of a shot on goal.
2 mins - Penalty NZ, a great early chance to get on the board. Tackle two 20m out...
1 min - Burgess followed by Burgess to kick things off for the visitors. Settled set to start, ends with a Reynolds clearance and a stern return from RTS.
We're underway...
7:30pm - Out come the Bunnies onto the Mt. Smart turf, each sporting a beanie in support of brain cancer sufferers. The Warriors follow in turn. Here we go.
7:26pm - The Rabbitohs have been posting some scary statistics over the past few rounds, particularly at the attacking end of the field. They've arguably been the form side of the NRL since late April. It's a huge test to come for the undermanned Warriors.
7:20pm - It's a brisk and rather chilly evening at Mt Smart, but the rain has stayed away.
7:15pm - Great news for the Warriors faithful with captain Roger Tuivasa-Sheck confirmed to start, with no sign of baby just yet.
Another late change sees Karl Lawton joining the end of the bench, with Isaiah Papali'i dropping out of the gameday squad. Just to clarify, that's a gameplan-inspired move.
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Kia ora and welcome to live updates of the Warriors clash with the Rabbitohs from Mt. Smart Stadium.
It's third vs fifth on the NRL ladder in Auckland tonight as the Warriors look to repeat their season-opening dismantling of the lads from Redfern.
It will be a reshuffled backline for the hosts, with Mason Lino's absence forcing Blake Green into the No. 7, while Peta Hiku makes the shift from the outside backs into the other pivot position.
The Rabbitohs have recovered well from a slow start to their 2018 campaign, and will be riding high after the gutsy win over the Cowboys last weekend.
Commentary will start from around 7:20pm. In the meantime check out the video above for a preview of tonight's showdown.
Head to head:
Warriors - $1.95 Rabbitohs - $1.80
Line-ups:
Warriors: 1.Roger Tuivasa-Sheck (c) 2. David Fusitu’a, 18. Gerard Beale, 4. Solomone Kata, 5. Ken Maumalo, 6. Peta Hiku, 7. Blake Green, 8. James Gavet, 9. Issac Luke, 10. Agnatius Paasi, 11. Simon Mannering, 12. Tohu Harris, 13. Adam Blair
Interchange: 14. Jazz Tevaga, 15. Chris Satae, 16. Bunty Afoa, 17. Karl Lawton
Rabbitohs: 1 Greg Inglis (c), 2 Campbell Graham, 3 Adam Doueihi, 4 Dane Gagai, 5 Hymel Hunt, 6 Cody Walker, 7 Adam Reynolds, 8 Thomas Burgess, 9 Damien Cook, 10 George Burgess, 11 John Sutton, 12 Angus Crichton, 13 Sam Burgess
Interchange: 14 Cameron Murray, 15 Mark Nicholls, 16 Jason Clark, 17 Tevita Tatola
Pre-match banter
Rabbitohs to target Warriors playmaker Blake Green
South Sydney coach Anthony Seibold knows his players must contain halfback Blake Green if they are to beat the Warriors in Auckland on Saturday night.
The 31-year-old Green has been one of the reasons why the Warriors sit third on the NRL ladder heading into the round 12 fixture, and Seibold knows if his troops can shut down the playmaker, they will have a great chance of winning.
On Friday, the Warriors confirmed Green would switch from five-eighth to halfback after Mason Lino was ruled out with a leg injury. Peta Hiku will take Green's spot in the no 6 jersey.
"I think Blake Green's a real key for them in attack," Seibold said on Friday.
"He's very effective with his kicking game, particularly his short kicking game - I think he has the most repeat sets in the NRL this season, so he adds a lot of composure to their attack.
"If you have a look at his previous couple of seasons he's been a very consistent player. He added a lot to Manly last year, some of the players in the Manly side like Tom Trbojevic and Daly Cherry-Evans valued having Blake in their team.
"So far this season I think he's been outstanding for the Warriors. He's been very consistent. I coached Green down in Melbourne, so I know what he brings to a team. "
In this season's opening round, the Warriors beat the Rabbitohs 32-20 in Perth for the first time, and they also snapped a run of six losses against South Sydney dating back to 2013.
But South Sydney have drastically improved since then as they sit in fourth - one spot behind the Warriors on the standings.
If they Bunnies beat the Warriors, they will leapfrog them with a fourth-straight win.
"The Warriors have been very consistency this year, and I think we have built some over the last two months," Seibold added.
"We got off to a shaky start in the first two rounds, and the Warriors were far too good for us in round one in Perth.
"Where the Warriors are sitting on the table is a reflection of how good they have been on both sides of the football.
"We are expecting a tough contest."
It is still not known if captain Roger Tuivasa-Sheck will play in the match, as he baby watch with fiancée Ashley Walker is expecting the couple's first child - which is due today.
Tuivasa-Sheck said on Thursday that he has the club's support if he needs to leave to be with his fiancée before kickoff, but he is confident he will play.
Newshub.
