Southland Club Rugby slips back into the regular Saturday slot for round seven of the Galbraith Shield premier grade this weekend.
Easter weekend, Anzac Day and duck-shooting took priority over the three weeks which had the games being played midweek.
Pirates Old Boys will host Eastern Northern Barbarians at Surrey Park this weekend. It is a special day for four POB players who are celebrating their milestone games.
Lock forward Craig Smith will be playing his 250th game, while utility back Jaye Thompson and loose forward Ben Keenan are running out for their 150th.
First five Greg Dyer is captain of the side this year and is celebrating his 100th premier game for the club.
Smith, Thompson and Dyer have each represented the Southland Stags.
The POB Rugby Club appreciates the resilience and loyalty of these men over their careers.
"These men have been the backbone of our premier side for a significant number of years. They’re club stalwarts and leaders on and off the field," vice-president Andrew Moreton said.
POB fielded their strongest lineup of the season in their last match resulting in a 33-10 win over Blues.
It is a busy day at Surrey Park on Saturday, kicking off with the first morning of SBS Small Blacks and Junior Rugby.
Later in the evening, the club is hosting its "back-to-school party".
Blues will host Marist at Balmoral Dr on Saturday, while Star hosts Woodlands at Waverly Park.
Woodlands lost the first game of the competition to the Barbarians 7-6, but have now won four of their six games to sit on top of the points table alongside POB.
The Eastern Southland clubs had another good week in the division one competition. Albion earned their third win from five games this season when they tipped up the Riversdale Waikaka Vikings 24-14. Front-rower Jim Bulitavu scored two of Albion’s three converted tries on the night.
After five rounds of the division two competition, the 17 teams have split into two separate divisions. The top nine teams will compete for the CJ Soper Shield: Riverton, Midlands, Waikiwi, Mossburn, Otautau Ohai Nightcaps, Drummond Limehills Star and the Senior B teams from Blues, Marist and Woodlands.
The eight teams that had limited success during the first five weeks are looking forward to the second half of the season competing for the Gerald Dermody Trophy. The division three teams are Mataura, Waiau Star, Collegiate, Central Pirates, Wrights Bush and the senior B teams from Wakatipu, Star and POB.
