The Raiders went down 26-15 against the Titans in their second match of the Auckland Nines.
It was a frustrating first half for the Raiders, who had a chance to secure their place in the quarter-finals with a win. Having made four changes to the side that beat the Dragons, it was a youthful Raiders side who took to the field.
Paul Vaughan opened the scoring for the Raiders with a powerful effort from close range. Two consecutive kick offs out on the full gifted the Titans field position deep in the Raiders half. The Titans produced a strong attacking performance, twice being held up in the try zone by strong defence. Following a Greg Bird try the Raiders went into the half-time break 9-4 down.
Sisa Waqa got the Raiders off to a great start in the second half, sliding through the Titans defence to close the margin to one point. The Titans never let the Raiders take the lead, reeling off three consecutive tries, with Raiders errors not helping their cause.
Lachlan Croker scored a late consolation try off a brillant Sam Williams kick to close the final margin.
The Raiders final pool match is tomorrow morning against the Sharks at 11.30am. The Raiders will need a win to have a chance of making the quarter-finals.
Stay tuned to the Canberra Raiders Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages for live updates, photos and videos from the tournament!
