13 May 2012

Warriors hold on to beat Roosters

7:15 am on 13 May 2012

The New Zealand Warriors picked up their second win on the trot by beating the Sydney Roosters 30-26 in Auckland last night but not without controversy.

Speaking after a spirited Roosters fightback fell short, coach Brian Smith blasted time-wasting late in matches as an "ugly" aspect of the National Rugby League competition that needs cleaning up.

An Anthony Minichiello try with three minutes helped to close the gap to within a converted try, setting up a grandstand finish.

However, Smith was upset Minichiello was later not allow to play the ball after being dazed in a tackle and also over the time taken to set a scrum that ended with the Roosters being penalised.

The Warriors fullback Jerome Ropati went off with a dislocated knee suffered in the tackle and faces six to eight weeks on the sidelines.