The Wrap
Ben Herring, the new Otago assistant coach, is winless after three rounds with his AU side so the club expectation and pressure continue to mount.
To be fair, it put on a far better show against the Eels but still lost by 16. Varsity, after a stinging rebuke ringing in its ears midweek by the "Auburn Terror'', Shayne Flanagan (assistant coach), thrashed the Magpies to emphasise it wins this comp.
Kaik slaughtered Pirates because Kaik was playing tackle and Pirates was playing touch - they should have agreed on the rules prior to the game.
The Sharks and Zingers had the same issue with the Zingers boys not reading the fine print on the tackling option.
Harbour, with half its team in Hong Kong with coach T Pole (was this OKed by the committee?) still beat GI by nearly 40 at the Toolbox.
Issue in "Banjo'' Country
The Strath Taieri boys, who are the odds-on favourites to win the open grade comp, are less than amused with the result of a game against Kaik a week ago.
The Kaik boys arrived up at Middlemarch with 30-plus players but couldn't field a front row - it wouldn't have happened if "Doc'' was still club captain.
So the game was played with Golden Oldie scrums.
Now Kaik won the game, but at this level if you can't field a front row at the commencement you forfeit the game but this hasn't happened as yet.
The emails are flying (they must have found someone who can write!) but justice hasn't been done as yet.
Bevan Dowling and Barry Williams, who fight over who is in charge up at "Strath'', have promised to keep me posted.
Nobody Sent Us The Memo
I see we had a big photo and caption in the "Old Girl'' (ODT) on Wednesday proclaiming we have fixed the bad behaviour on the sidelines by putting up flash banners (sponsored by Harcourts).
The banners tell the spectators (or at least those who can read) to act responsibly, encourage the combatants and don't abuse the officials.
From what I'm hearing, the Arrowtown Bulls and their fans didn't get the message last weekend.
They have transferred their home games to the Queenstown Events Centre this year as the new clubrooms are being built at "Jack Reid'' at Arrowtown.
They were playing the old enemy, Wakatipu, at the weekend.
They had given up home ground advantage so this may have tipped them over the edge.
There is no love lost between these clubs this year, especially after the appointment of a certain coach, but there are no excuses for some of the reprehensible sideline behaviour and comments.
James Grubb (ex Met ref) was doing the game but fractured a "toenail'' early on and had to be replaced by one of the TJs who unbelievably was an Arrowtown guy!
If this story is to be believed, the surviving TJ and the ref were slated unmercifully for the rest of the game.
The touchie is considering after this game of giving up completely.
This rubbish has got to stop. It's hard enough getting refs now.
"Harty'', the Otago ref supremo, needs to take action with Arrowtown heavies immediately and stamp this out.
I'll keep an eye on this.
Trouble at Eel Pond?
There are a few disturbing rumours emanating out of the Eel Pond and PJ Park on the Taieri.
Now the word is big Eric Vaafusaga, the coach, has no assistant backing him up out there.
Yoda reincarnated, Murray Roulston, was listed as the assistant by the ODT at the start of the year but is this the case?
Big "V'' cut a lonely figure at the Oval last weekend but then again the Eels still won.
When the "Godfather'' (Mike Casey) was in charge, everybody's role was laid out in triplicate.
The questions are: Is Roulston the assistant coach?
If not, what is his role?
Who is the assistant?
Has Eric got BO?
The new head honcho out there, John Freeland with his new permed hairdo, needs to step up and put this matter to bed!
Watch this space.
Mind you they are leading the comp, but from small cracks come big crevasses.
Speaking of Harty
Chris Hart was in Central reffing at the weekend but unfortunately not at the above game.
He reffed the other local derby, Clyde v Alex, which Clyde duly won to remain unbeaten.
Harty felt Alex, which is winless this year, was right in it and if it hadn't dropped the ball over the line four times in the game would have won - did they have a run on fingers at the local butchery??
The wonder is Harty was close enough to play to know this as my spies tell me at the 60th minute and in 28degC heat he hit the wall and did the rest of the game from a wheelchair!
If you know Harty, his body is a temple, a very big temple and the good news is he has shed 10kg!
Speaking of Super Coaches
I called for new Super Coaches last week and have had a couple of nominations for the "Auburn Leprechaun'' himself, Shayne Flanagan.
Well he certainly has the pedigree.
He's won at least five banners with Sharks and Varsity and, if you go right back, he took the Broncos to a final.
But based on that he would have to go straight to the No1 so I will take it under advisement as to whether I can place him in this auspicious group - more soon.
The Form XV
After another long and painstaking search I have made a few changes to the Form XV (and yes I actually watched club rugby for the first time last weekend!). This week's team is: (15) Mitchell Scott (T), (14) Gavin Stark (V), (11) Henry Scott (D), (13) Danny Van der Vort (K), (12) Aleki Morris (H), (10) Fletcher Smith (V), (9) Caleb Gray (AU), (8) Mika Mafi (S), (7) James Lentjes (T), (6) Hame Toma (D), (5) Harry Dodds (D), (4) Charles Eton (H), (3) Aki Seuili (T), (2) Aiden Spence (H), (1) Shaun Stodart (S).
This Weekend
Destroyed "Red'' from the Spannerheads last week so the streak is alive.
On to the Roman Ibramovich challenge in the form of his alter ego Lance Spence from the Hawks this week and unbelievably I'm predicting a derailment!
But here goes.
The Eels (12-) you would think would win at home over the Magpies but the Mastodon pack may have the say - so Eels just! Kaik (13+) back on the High Veldt will win as the Spanners will be lucky to make the climb.
The Hawks (13+) at the Craypot too big, too strong for the Ponies.
Varsity will roll on like an inexorable wave over the Sharks (12-) but I'd rather shout Burkey out to Bacchus than pick them.
In the battle of the cardboard spoon, Zingers is at home at Boot Hill to Pirates (12-) and too close to call but Pirates just - a draw wouldn't surprise.
The Late Mail
The rumour is Jayden Spence (the Dogroll) actually played club rugby for Kaik at weekend.
Has he hit double figures for them yet in his five-year stint?
At Highlanders headquarters, John Plumtree is the favourite at this stage to take over from Big Jake but there is a long way to go yet - I'll keep you in the loop.
- Paul Dwyer
