Shaun Johnson put on an attacking clinic as the Warriors thumped the Rabbitohs 34-4 in Roger Tuivasa-Sheck's 200th NRL game, playing a direct role in four of his side's six tries.
Aside from a brief period at the beginning of the contest at Accor Stadium on Saturday, it was a completely dominant performance from the Warriors which included sending Tuivasa-Sheck over for a try in the second half as he brought up his latest milestone.
As well as Johnson, who set up his side's first two tries with crisp flat passes close to the line and then scored the next two by backing up line breaks from teammates, several players stood out with strong performances.
Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad was excellent in his injury return at fullback, Wayde Egan was at his crafty best at dummy-half, while in the centres Rocco Berry dominated his match-up with Jack Wighton.
Shaun Johnson Try
An early teething issue saw a breakdown on the new-look right edge – which saw Tuivasa-Sheck switch from left centre to right wing prior to kick-off – which allowed the Rabbitohs first points through Izaac Tu’itupou Thompson, but that was to be the end of the South Sydney joy.
That same side of the field for the Warriors got it just right minutes later when Johnson sent Berry over with a flat ball from close range.
After a long period of dominating field position but not scoring points, the floodgates opened for the visitors in the final six minutes of the half.
Johnson sent Jackson Ford through for his third try in five games, before getting in on the action himself after backing up a Nicoll-Klokstad line break, with his third conversion making it 18-4 at the break.
Jackson Ford Try
In the second half SJ did it again with another support run, this time off Te Maire Martin's break, before RTS squeezed over in the corner for the most cheered try of the day.
Martin then got over in his first NRL game of the year before the Warriors put on a late defensive stand to cap off a huge win.
This article contains content that is only available on NRL.com
Match Snapshot
- The Rabbitohs made 15 errors and completed just 63 percent of their sets.
- The Warriors registered six line breaks and 32 tackle breaks.
- Latrell Mitchell was placed on report twice in the first half, first on 19 minutes for raising his elbow at a tackler and then again in the 32nd minute for a lifting tackle.
Latrell Mitchell charged with dangerous contact
- Warriors fullback Roger Tuivasa-Sheck marked his 200th NRL game with a try and 162 run metres from the wing.
- Warriors forward Jacob Laban made his NRL debut off the bench,
- Warriors prop Bunty Afoa left the field with a hamstring injury on the hour mark and didn't return.
Play of the Game
A try in game number 200 for Roger! Took a late switch to the wing in his stride, which included this neat try in the corner that got a huge cheer from the Warriors fans in attendance at Accor Stadium.
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck Try
What They Said
"The first five minutes the ball was in play was a big arm wrestle, and we kind of lost that battle and they scored. We regathered ourselves really well and executed the first time we went down there [South Sydney's end]. We have had three tough games [in a row]... there's a lot of sore bodies." – Warriors coach Andrew Webster.
Warriors: Round 5
"The two tries before half-time really deflated us, you could feel that. We addressed that at half-time and just didn't come out. Physically they were better than us and running through us, we just weren't meeting the physicality of the game and the scoreboard got away in the end." Rabbitohs coach Jason Demetriou.
Rabbitohs: Round 5
What's Next
The Rabbitohs are at home again next Saturday to take on the Sharks at Accor Stadium, while the Warriors head back across the Tasman to host the Sea Eagles. Warriors coach Andrew Webster will be hopeful of having Dylan walker (ankle) and Dallin Watene-Zelezniak (hamstring) back on deck.