Women’s final The scores Dunedin Ururoa 52 Te Atawhai Campbell 3, Oceana Campbell 2, Naomi Sopoaga 2, Hannah Norris 2, Charli Taituha tries; Sheree Hume con Big River Country 27 Tegan Hollows 2, Leila Hill, Lulu Marshall, Ella Gomez tries; Neave Rowland con Halftime: Dunedin 30-0. A first-half scoring spree set the Dunedin Ururoa up for a commanding 52-27 victory in the premier women’s club final at Tahuna Park on Saturday. Their nickname refers to the shark that never stops fighting, and that was the case for the Ururoa this season. The year started in the absence of any team management, in fact. When co-captain Oceana Campbell’s father, Ricky Campbell, and Louis Tili took the reins, little would they have dreamed they would be guiding a team to an Otago premier championship title. “Our season was up in the air at the start,” co-captain Oceana Campbell said. “I’m so proud of the girls. There has been a lot of hard work gone into achieving this.” The Dunedin team lost just one game during the regular season, to Alhambra-Union. They had redemption over AU in the semifinal and earned the right to a home final against Big River Country. Oceana Campbell set the scoring wheels in motion in the final as she and sister Te Atawhai ran coast to coast from under the shadows of their posts in a spectacular break up the left flank. Oceana scored the first of her two tries in combination with Te Atawhai, who bagged three herself. This spurred a scoring spree for the Ururoa, centre Naomi Sopoaga breaking out soon after the restart to score the first of her own brace. ©Allied MediaDunedin winger Te Atawhai Campbell scores one of her three tries while held by Big River Country defender Aniva Gouman at Tahuna Park on Saturday. Photo: Peter McIntosh Minutes later, Big River Country succumbed to the danger posed by Te Atawhai on the left wing when she went back-to-back with the first two of her hat-trick. Banking six tries to lead 30-0 at the break, Dunedin wasted little time in adding to their scoring tally. Fullback Hannah Norris set the second half alight in the opening minute with a blistering 70m run through a sea of blue and red jerseys to score under the crossbar. Big River Country hit the scoreboard soon after, scoring through lock Leila Hill. But Norris carved them apart again to score her second try, and winger Charli Taituha capped a solid game to score and stretch the lead to 47-7. Big River Country took ownership of the final quarter, scoring through halfback Lulu Marshall, second five Tegan Hollows and No 8 Ella Gomez. That was a boost for the South Otago women but Te Atawhai Campbell sealed the Dunedin win with her third try. Front-rowers Rawinia Moana, Nadia Koni and Rebekah Wairau helped set a solid platform up front for Dunedin that allowed their backs to score 10 tries. Big River Country co-captains Isla Pringle and Kayley Johnson, along with lock Leila Hill, were tireless workers in a forward pack that kept Dunedin honest. Marshall impressed with her workload and clearances under pressure. Three-try star Te Atawhai Campbell was full of praise for all the work done by those inside her on the left flank. “I was just scared I’d drop the ball after all the hard work done before it got to me.” Pringle was proud of the way her Big River Country team never relented and came back strongly in the second half.
