NRL: Canberra Raiders get season back on track by smashing Warriors in NZ

• As it happened

In recent years the Canberra Raiders haven't been known for their strong defence across the ditch.

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Warriors thumped at home

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Warriors thumped at home

New Zealand have been embarrassed by Canberra in Taranaki. Josh Hodgson stars for the visitors after being demoted to the bench.

But while they piled on six tries in a thorough 38-12 win over New Zealand Warriors on Saturday, their harder defensive edge was the major highlight in ending a two-game losing streak. 

Canberra was forced to defend a number of sets on their own line early in, but refused to yield against a Warriors side which had outscored them 134-36 in their three most recent clashes in New Zealand. 

The Raiders romped to a 22-0 half-time lead, effectively putting the game to bed.  

The loss will mount more pressure on under-siege Warriors coach Andrew McFadden. In the first NRL game at New Plymouth they were listless with the ball and star halfback Shaun Johnson had another night to forget.

And the majority of the tries they conceded were soft by NRL standard, the defeat condemning them to 14th spot on the ladder. 

The win puts the Raiders back into the top eight after bouncing back from consecutive tight road defeats to Penrith and St George Illawarra. 

"Travelling all the way over here and in pretty trying conditions was always going to be a test of character, and I think we did a pretty good job," Raiders coach Ricky Stuart said.  

"I was impressed with the defence the whole 80 minutes, especially against a team that can attack.

"It was quite resilient and in the first 15 minutes we turned the ball over a couple of times pretty cheaply and the way we defended our goal line was a big improvement on some of our defence at the start of the season."

McFadden savaged his team's sloppy display, taking aim at their inept defensive effort and attitude. 

"We showed some real softness tonight, obviously our defence gave up too many soft points, we had half a dozen blokes who didn't show the urgency you need to play first grade," he said. 

"It's embarrassing. We're leaking points and it's not good enough, to be a good defensive team you need trust and we're lacking trust in our side. 

"I need to find people willing to put their body on the line."

After a slow start to the season due to injury, Raiders five-eighth Blake Austin rediscovered his dynamic running game which had him rated a potential State of Origin bolter last year. 

He used his trademark right foot step to score the first try of the game midway through the first half, and the Raiders dominated from there. 

Canberra skipper Jarrod Croker praised the effort of Austin and halves partner Aidan Sezer, who have come under some scrutiny in recent weeks. 

"We didn't go out there to play football, we knew it was going to be a grinding win," Croker told Fox Sports.  

"The two halves [Austin and Aidan Sezer] have probably been criticised unfairly, they've been trying really hard and playing well."

Stuart pulled a surprise by naming hooker and Dally M Medal leader Josh Hodgson on the bench, promoting his deputy Kurt Baptiste. 

But the move paid off with the Raiders dominating the middle part of the match when the crafty Englishman came on. 

"I just wanted to give Kurt some [more] game time," Stuart said. 

"I've only been putting him on in the back end of games and it allowed Josh to have a spell too, he doesn't get bashed up [early in matches].

"Blake and Aidan and our nines, it's been a disturbed start to the season [through injury] and the more time they get to play together, the more fluency and cohesion we'll get in those combinations."

In tough conditions the Raiders showed more patience with the ball than in previous weeks, and first half-tries to Austin, centre Joey Leilua and Croker ensured a fifth win of the year. 

Five minutes into the second half Canberra finally cracked when Johnson exposed a lack of numbers on Canberra's left edge by scoring out wide.

But in the 56th minute the Raiders snuffed out any chance of a Warriors comeback when Josh Papalii, set to be named for his fifth Origin for Queensland on Tuesday, spun over off a Hodgson dummy half pass.

Further tries to Hodgson and Edrick Lee blew the score out to reflect the Raiders' dominance.  

CANBERRA RAIDERS 38 (Blake Austin, Joey Leilua, Jarrod Croker, Josh Papalii, Josh Hodgson, Edrick Lee tries; Croker 7 goals) def NEW ZEALAND WARRIORS 12 (Shaun Johnson, Blake Ayshford tries; Johnson 2 goals) at Yarrow Stadium, New Plymouth on Saturday. Crowd: 12,833. Referees: Grant Atkins and Matt Noyen.