The Clutha Steamers are unbeaten after two rounds after they picked up a strong 47-12 win over Lawrence at Simpson Park in Lawrence.
The score did not reflect how much pressure was piled on to the visitors by the home side who really put their best foot forward for 65 minutes.
Clutha led 27-6 at halftime after forging their way up the middle of the field.
Lawrence’s scrum was dominant, but Clutha managed to hold on to possession long enough to score points.
A double to Clutha lock Tate Colley was a scoring highlight, as Clutha finished the match well and blew the score out. Lawrence was dominant in patches but could not turn it into points.
Lawrence skipper Jake Lyders and prop Jack Robinson were huge in the tight.
Owaka beat Toko 24-23 at Swamp Hen Park to take back the Dean Miller Memorial Trophy and the Reg Phillips Memorial Trophy, with Miller’s son, Daniel, scoring the winning try for the home side with 10 minutes left.
The teams traded blows early, but it was Toko who made the most of the ball and went into halftime 16-10 ahead.
Owaka treasured possession more in the second half and played in the right areas of the field.
Toko led 23-17 with 10 minutes remaining before Miller barged over from close range to narrow the gap.
A Josh Huddleston conversion gave the home side a confidence boosting win.
West Taieri kept their unbeaten start to the season alive with a 32-8 win over Heriot at Outram.
West Taieri’s defence once again proved a hard nut to crack and forced Heriot into making plenty of mistakes when hot on attack.
When West Taieri found possession, they were clinical and scored four tries to grab a handy bonus point.
Forwards Nick Casey and Hunter Thomson were strong up front, while Pat Hamer and Renata Sweeney were the pick of the backs
George Whyte was Heriot’s best in a frustrating display by the visitors.
Clutha Valley got their hands on the John Cross Cup with a 23-21 win over Crescent at Kaitangata in a close and physical encounter.
The first half was an even contest on the scoreboard despite Valley having more territory and possession.
Valley took easy points when on offer and went into halftime 9-8 ahead.
The match opened up in the second half, largely thanks to four yellow cards, with the teams receiving two each.
Valley was slightly more clinical despite coming up against a determined Crescent defensive line.
Crescent scored more tries than the visitors, but goal kicking proved to be an issue with at least nine points missed from the tee.
Clutha Valley to celebrated Brayden Wilson and Jordy Willocks’ 150th matches, with the former grabbing a try for his troubles.
- By Francis Parker
