Cronulla forward Sam Tagataese scored rugby league’s first five-point try as the inaugural Auckland Nines began on Saturday.

Tagataese crashed over under the posts for the bonus try in the seventh minute of the opening game between the Sharks and Newcastle.

At a sold out Eden Park in sunny conditions, Cronulla came from behind to win the match 15-12 with a late Nathan Stapleton try securing the victory.

Knights playmaker Tyrone Roberts had scored the tournament’s opening try in the fifth minute when he picked up a loose Sharks pass and sprinted 55m to score.

In the second fixture, Gold Coast showed why they were rated as one of the pre-tournament favourites with a 22-7 defeat of the Wests Tigers.