Wellington start season with 41-29 win over Turbos

Six tries, five points and the Coronation Cup back in the cabinet for the first time since 2013 - Chris Gibbes' tenure as Wellington Lions head coach is off to a good start.

The Wellington Lions opened their 2017 Mitre 10 Cup Championship campaign with a 41-29 win over the Manawatu Turbos in Palmerston North.

Gibbes' first match in charge was most notable for the way his young team stuck to their task for the full 80 minutes and rode out some difficult moments to secure the win.

Led by loose forward Brad Shields Wellington's young pack grew in confidence as the match progressed with hooker Asafo Aumua and prop Alex Fidow and openside Du'Plessis Kirifi all getting through a mountain of work.

In the backs, the experienced hands of first five Jackson Garden-Bachop, wings Julian Savea and Ben Lam, and steady fullback Trent Renata kept the ship steady through the tough times.

The Lions mad ea perfect start when Aumua and Savea combined to put halfback Sheridan Rangihuna in under the posts in the first minute.

From there it was tit for tat with a Fidow try cancelled out by a long range Curtis Reid try from a Lions error, and a sharp Nehe Milner-Skudder effort down the blindside.

Milner-Skudder's try was the first of three to the Turbos in five minutes as the home side suddenly sailed out to a 22-12 leads on the half hour mark.

Gibbes' Lions didn't panic.

Aumua burst into the clear then found Garden-Bachop to close the gap before the latter produced an impressive fend on opposite Otere Black to put Renata over for a 26-22 halftime lead.

Manawatu struck back after the break through replacement Jade Te Rure to regain the lead 29-26 before Wellington slowly, but surely took control.

Savea scored in the corner after slick hands from Shields punished a poor Manawatu clearance and replacement first five Dan Kirkpatrick, in his first match for Wellington since 2012, edged his team out to 36-29.

Replacement wing Malo Tuitama delivered the final blow when he scored in the final minute.

Wellington's next match is against Taranaki at Westpac Stadium next Saturday.

Scorers:

Wellington 41 (Sheridan Rangihuna, Alex Fidow, Jackson Garden-Bachop, Trent Renata, Julian Savea, Malo Tuitama tries; Jackson Garden-Bachop 4 con, Dan Kirkpatrick pen) Manawatu 29 (Willy Ambaka, Curtis Reid, Nehe Milner-Skudder, Jackson Hemopo, Jade Te Rure tries; Otere Black 2 con). HT 26-22