There was a mixed bag of results to delve into as the Southern Region round robin phase was completed at the weekend.
Games were played in far better conditions than last weekend as teams battled for positioning in the top and bottom halves of the table.
Clutha did what they had to do against Toko. It was hardly the cleanest of performances by the round robin winners but the 38-21 scoreline was comfortable.
Toko looked strong in the opening stages and really had Clutha on the back foot.
The teams traded tries and were locked in a tight battle until Clutha snatched a late try to go into the sheds 19-7 ahead.
Toko started the second half in strong fashion, but Clutha finally woke up and got into their stride.
Clutha’s forwards, led by flanker Kael Merrett in his 50th game, began to make metres up the middle and their backline thrived on the front-foot ball they were finally receiving.
Toko pushed Clutha the whole way but could not keep up with the intensity of the game and were second best on the day.
The two teams will meet again next weekend in one of the top four semifinals.
West Taieri will face Crescent in the other top four semifinal after their clinical 36-12 win over Clutha Valley at Clydevale.
The first half was an old-fashioned slugfest with both sides embracing the swamp-like conditions.
The teams traded tries but neither could dominate after that, and handling errors and poor decision-making ensured there were plenty of scrums for the fatties to enjoy.
West Taieri led 12-7 at halftime, before they brought on some fresh legs and began to play with the structure required to break Valley down.
West Taieri scored four second-half tries and claimed a comfortable win.
Heriot produced the upset of the round with a 26-25 win over Crescent at Kaitangata in one of the tightest games of the season.
The first half was a back-and-forth affair. Crescent were perhaps slightly more clinical, and they went into halftime ahead 15-13.
The second half was equally as close with the sides trading blows as the match neared fulltime.
Crescent held a slim lead with the final whistle almost upon them. Heriot mounted one last attack and, like in the first round, scored a try on fulltime through winger Tom Blair.
Ryan Neill calmly slotted the conversion, giving Heriot a confidence-boosting win.
Owaka claimed their second consecutive win with a 27-17 win over Lawrence at Simpson Park.
Owaka were dominant in the first half with some strong carries that allowed their explosive backline to make metres, and they led 20-7 at the break.
Lawrence fought their way back into the match and put the pressure on the visitors. Backed by a hugely dominant scrum, Owaka managed to score a try to extend their lead, and they held on for the win.
By Francis Parker
