The Wrap
So finally, after a two-week hiatus, premier rugby was played last weekend. In the big game, Southern just held on over a fast-finishing Varsity side. The elephantine pack of the Magpies dominated possession for the first 60 minutes, but Varsity got some ball late and nearly got up. Dunedin, off the back of three tries from electric winger Mone Samate-Palu (late of Auckland B fame), got it done over the Eels at the Pit. Zingari looked the goods against Harbour but tried to take them on up front in the second spell and that’s all, they wrote! FINALLY AU got it done and got up in a cliffhanger with a late try to winger Casper Harvey to record its first win. Kaik looked like it had done enough but this was a richly deserved win to the Bronco boys. Dunedin leads the comp by three from Southern and Harbour, but has the bye this weekend. Varsity is four off it in fourth. AU is seven points back in fifth, but that is not insurmountable at this stage.
White Horse Cup weekend
As mentioned last week, I watched the White Horse Cup game between holder Arrowtown and defending premier Cromwell at the weekend at the Queenstown Events Centre. It was a beaut day with a goodish crowd which was dominated by Cromwell supporters, unbelievably. It was a tight, tense tussle and Cromwell led by three late into the game and if it had kicked some of the numerous penalty attempts in the second spell, it would have won comfortably. But Arrowtown was not to be denied and its winger crashed over late, much to the jubilation of coach Simon Spark and supporters to retain the treasured possession (the White Horse pictured here).
The fitness left a bit to be desired, but both sides hoed into everything and there were some nice tries scored. Both sides had a good number of players and the problem they have with only one competition now (senior reserve is gone) is how they get all the players game time. Cromwell has tried to get 10-a-side games going as curtain raisers, but has not met with a lot of success. There is no under-18 grade or colts, so all players play senior or nothing.
It is fast becoming a haves and have nots in Central rugby. Queenstown, Arrowtown, Upper Clutha and Cromwell have numbers while Clyde, Alex, Matak and Maniototo struggle. As witnessed, Roxburgh has already gone.
Matak is struggling to field a team and is a week-by-week proposition, due to an injury crisis and a defection of players from last year. I’ll keep you informed.
Spare a thought for Arrowtown — it is currently not allowed to play at Jack Reid Park, as supposedly it is building a new clubrooms out there in Arrowtown. Well, nothing has happened for 18 months that I can see and the word is the council has still to decide what trees it is going to take down! Isn’t Scotty Stevens your councillor? Picket his house, I say, till you get some action. Playing your games in the home town of your own sworn enemy, Wakatipu, is just not good enough! Perhaps big Jim Boult needs to step in.
More Country Stuff
As predicted, the Townies were too big, too strong for the Kai boys and "Crazy" has had to build a new trophy case for all the silverware at the Clutha clubrooms. Des Smith — president at large — ensures me the aftermatch was well attended and everybody played nicely together. I’ll take his word for it.
In the North, Old Boys just keep on winning and Maheno, the playing through champ, just keep on losing — yawn!
Is Metro Rugby in Crisis?
So we lost another junior colts side this week with Alhambra Union gone for the season. You could possibly argue it didn’t really have one, any way. Looking at some of the results in junior colts, the Southern side lost by 70 to Clutha and in prem colts the Ravens, the second Southern prem colts side, lost by 90 to the Blues. There has been some big defeats in prem II rugby and a lot of games are starting with uncontested scrums. I said a few weeks ago we were 200 players light on last year in town, but I suspect it could be a lot more. I know it’s early days, but could we see Varsity and Dunedin contesting finals in prem II’s, colts and junior colts? That would be great for those two clubs but disastrous for the comps as a whole — more soon!
A Motley Collection
There are a few Highlanders playing club footy over the weekend, but the bad news for those boys is they won’t be on the plane to Africa that flies out on Saturday morning. Harbour is the big winner, with Tevita Li and Sio Tomkinson turning out for it and Josh Renton turning out for Kaik.
The infamous Nigel Hodge, who was chairman of the "Metro Committee" before West Taieri did the "et tu Brute" on him, is back apparently as the Taieri delegate. Will he be looking to overthrow "Wheels" from AU as chairman? The plot thickens.I hear the Hawks have recruited a new flyhalf from Connacht in the form of Rory Parata — an Irish Maori by the sounds of it!
In the ODT/Speights tipping comp the early leaders are Barry Munro and Grant Anderson, so congrats, lads. Looking at the poor performers, the notorious "Pincrusher" (Keegan Branks), of Eels fame, is sitting dead last along with Jimmy Flanagan, son of the "Auburn terror", Shayne Flanagan. Lads, you need to pick up your game!
This weekend
Destroyed legendary beatnik and sponsor Bryan Morris, from Mitchells, last week, so, as you’d imagine, still unbeaten. Hamish Harvey, from RD Petroleum, gets another crack this week because the Easter round was cancelled, so chances are the streak continues. The Magpies (13+) are at home to the Spannerheads at Bathgate and just get it done, take it to the bank! The Onion hosts the Hawks (12-) at the Shetland Pony equestrian centre and even though it has been playing well I don’t think it will make it.Tomkinson and Li could be the difference for Harbour. Varsity (13+) hasn’t hit their straps yet and this could be its day against a similarly spluttering Kaik outfit. Zingers heads over the hill to Eelville to take on Taieri (12-) and is good enough to win it, but I’ll take the home team, just.The Lions late mailRumours abound that the Lions game is sold out — not true. There are still 3000 plus tickets to go, so get in now. We want to see a 28,000 sellout. There are stories flying that the Highlander All Blacks aren’t playing. Well I can let you into a little secret — Bender (Ben Smith) had a clause put into his latest AB’s contract that he be allowed to play in the Lions game. Much to "Shag’s" chagrin, as you can imagine! Good on ya mate — great work.paul.dwyer@alliedpress.co.nz
