It was a constant bombardment that a shell-shocked University A side was not able to withstand.
Taieri scored five tries and outplayed the students in all phases to win the Dunedin premier final in front of 3500 fans at Forsyth Barr Stadium on Saturday.
It was a third championship in four years for Taieri, but this was the most convincing performance.
''Charlie was captain fantastic. He epitomises what club footy is all about,'' Taieri coach Jason Macdonald said.
''It was good to see him carried off in triumph at the end. He is everything you want in a skipper. You don't put 51 points on a Varsity side in a final without a full squad effort. Charlie led the way.''
A feature of Taieri's game was its strong defence that did not let in any tries in the semifinal or final.
A key was the speed with which the Taieri defence got up on the University line when it had the ball.
The key players in this were the loose forward trio of O'Connell, James Lentjes and Willis Scott, and hooker Henry Parker. They were backed by midfielders Michael Collins and Kieran Moffat.
Scott was a tackling machine and was the outstanding forward on the paddock. He hunted the ball throughout the game and was a menace to the students.
The speedy University backline was starved of ball by a Taieri pack that was aggressive at the breakdown, took ball off opposition lineout throws and pushed the students back in the scrum.
The speedy recycling of ball by the Taieri forwards and their push up the centre kept the students on the back foot.
Collins and Moffat were effective on attack and both tested the student defence with half-breaks up the centre. They both scored tries when play loosened up in the last 15 minutes.
Another key back was first five-eighth Hayden Parker, with his long passes, probing punts and accurate goal-kicking. He landed nine goals from his 10 attempts to score 24 points.
Parker demonstrated his temperament by kicking six goals in the first half to take the sting out of the students.
University A led 6-3 after 10 minutes, when first five-eighth Stephen Fenemor kicked his second penalty goal.
But that was the signal for Taieri to go on the attack and score 48 unanswered points. The game was virtually over when Taieri led 29-6 at halftime, and the Eels added three more tries and 22 points in the second spell.
There were two key moments in the first half that turned the game Taieri's way. The score was 6-6 after 14 minutes when Collins stopped the student attack with a strong tackle.
The ball was picked up by lock Mike McKee, who burst forward at halfway. O'Connell scored the first try of the game after two more phases to give Taieri the lead.
The students were attacking on the Taieri 22m after 27 minutes when fullback Kori Rupene intercepted a loose pass and ran 80m for the second try, and Taieri extended the margin to 23-6.
Taieri sustained the pressure throughout the second spell and did not let the students back into the game.
Dunedin club rugby final
The scores
Taieri 51
Kori Rupene, Kieran Moffat, Michael Collins, Charlie O'Connell, James Lentjes tries; Hayden Parker 3 con, 6 pen, Kurt Schrader con
University A 6
Stephen Fenemor 2 pen
Halftime: Taieri 29-6
Crowd: 3500
