We have our semifinalists.
Kaikorai brushed aside Harbour and will host Dunedin in one Dunedin premier club semifinal, while Taieri will host Southern in the other. That game is a replay of last year’s final.
In the playoff for the minor placings, Alhambra-Union beat Zingari-Richmond 36-20 at Montecillo.
Kaikorai 54
Harbour 28
Winning is easy when you have all the ball and score all of the points.
That pretty much sums up Kaikorai’s first-half effort against Harbour at Bishopscourt on Saturday.
The competition frontrunners led 34-0 at halftime. The game was effectively over as a contest.
Harbour did manage to finish with a flourish. Four second-half tries took some ouch out of its humbling 54-28 defeat.
The home side were too slick, too polished, and too far ahead at halftime.
The Demons made very good use of all that ball they had in the opening 40 minutes.
First five Ben Miller shovelled it as wide as he could at every opportunity.
His passing and goal-kicking was a real feature. So was the hustle of openside Lucas Casey. He was a menace, while winger Mefiposeti Tupou hit the ball up with bad intentions.
Lock Oscar Graham has impressed all year and put in another quality shift. Centre Troy Anstiss played with courage.
You could easily list the whole team, really.
Perhaps the most pleasing aspect of the performance was the width with which Kaikorai were prepared to play the game. They recycled the ball rapidly as well.
Harbour often found themselves stretched and out of bodies.
Casey got the first try. Miller had got on the outside of the defence to help create the opportunity.
There was some good crisp passing in the move.
Tupou set up the second. He hit it up, bumped off one and got the offload to George Thomas to score.
Hooker Michael Strydom went over in the corner, after a quick tap caught the Hawks napping.
Just before the break, Graham barged through some weak lineout defence.
Taylor Dale had a strong game for Harbour at the back of the scrum and openside Toni Taufa gave it everything he had.
— Adrian Seconi
Taieri 36
Green Island 26
Second-half lapses proved costly for Green Island as Taieri cemented a semifinals berth with a 36-26 victory at Peter Johnstone Park.
The Grizzlies burst out of the blocks, scoring at a point a minute. Their forward pack dominated up front with strong driving play and they kept the home side on the back foot for an early 10-0 lead.
But soon after, flanker Atunaisa Katoa received the first of three yellow cards handed out to players in the green and gold jersey.
From that point, Taieri took control with the Green Island pack falling apart at the set piece.
The Eels took full advantage of a Green Island pack in disarray to turn the game in their favour, scoring through front-rowers Brady Robertson and Ben Fosita for a 15-10 lead.
Green Island rediscovered their mojo in the final minutes of the first half, converting three penalty goals for a 19-15 lead at the break.
The third quarter featured a torrid forward exchange.
But ill-discipline proved Green Island’s undoing. They lost captain and hooker Heath MacEwan to a yellow card and, in the following play, No8 Delaney McKenzie for a similar indiscretion.
With Green Island down to 13 men, Taieri went full noise at the green and gold defensive line.
The Eels scored through Cameron Allan-McNeill. Then, from a lineout on the Green Island 22m, lock Josh Hill went high for a clean take and burst through the thin Green Island midfield to offload to Robertson, who dotted down for his second try to give Taieri a 29-19 lead.
Green Island returned to 15 men for the final nine minutes. But a break through their midfield led to Taieri centre Josh Whaanga toeing the ball ahead for a sensational try.
Green Island’s try to wing Yuichiro Wada in the final minute was too little, too late for the visitors.
— Wayne Parsons
Southern 19
Dunedin 10
This game never reached any great heights because of the high error rate but the defence of both sides made it a compelling watch.
There was only one try apiece but the boot of Southern fullback Mackenzie Haugh was the difference, both at goal and in general play.
It was fitting the try that sealed the game was from a towering Haugh punt. It went to ground and — you guessed it — Haugh followed up his own kick to pounce and score the converted try to effectively win the game on his own.
Dunedin really only had themselves to blame as they controlled a lot of territory and possession.
However, the Sharks’ error rate was alarmingly high as passes did not stick and they could not control lineout possession.
Conversely, Southern’s lineout in the main was unchallenged, and even though the Magpies lost the scrum battle, they did enough in the loose to win it. Their backline defence was impenetrable and led well by centre James Simpson-Te Pairi.
Dunedin’s defence was also staunch and they conceded only one try. The Sharks have made it through to the semifinals as the highest qualifying losers but will have to improve markedly to have any chance against front-runner Kaikorai.
For Southern, Haugh and Simpson-Te Pairi were outstanding. Corban Agar dominated the lineouts and Harry Taylor and fellow loosie Mika Mafi had their moments.
Flanker Max Ratcliffe was Dunedin’s best, while No 8 Hame Toma never took a backward step and was rewarded with his side’s only try. Prop Sepa Vaka was powerful in the scrum and on the carry.
— Paul Dwyer
Dunedin playoffs
The scores
Kaikorai 54 (Jordan McEntee 2, Lucas Casey, George Thomas, Michael Strydom, Oscar Graham, Nic Proffit tries; Ben Miller 4 con, 3 pen, Proffit con).
Harbour 28 ( Tevita Pole, Solomon Pole, Taylor Dale, Joey Williams tries; Mason James 3 con, Obey Samate con).
Halftime: 34-0.
Taieri 36 (Brady Robertson 2, Ben Fosita, Cam Allan-McNeill, Josh Whaanga tries; Bob Martin 4 con, pen).
Green Island 26 (Atunaisa Katoa, Yuichiro Wada tries; Caleb Williams 2 con, 4 pen).
Halftime: 19-15.
Southern 19 (Mackenzie Haugh try; Haugh con, 4 pen).
Dunedin 10 (Hame Toma try; Ryan Watterston con, Benjamin Paku pen).
Halftime: 6-0.
