The trophy was first contested 50 years ago in 1958 and over the years has become one of the most prestigious trophies contested annually between two clubs.
It honours the deeds of old and young Vic Cavanagh, the father and son mentors who coached Southern and University A before World War 2.
They have had a lasting influence on world rugby.
Other players to stand out for the students were the inside pairing of Sean Romans and Chris Noakes and the jet-propelled wing Phil Young who scored two brilliant tries.
Kaikorai had to work hard to beat Green Island 25-20 through a late try by captain Dan Joblin to hold on to its slender lead in the competition.
Kaikorai still leads the Gallaway Trophy after 10 rounds with 40 points and is followed by University A 39, Southern 34, Alhambra-Union 29, Dunedin 29, Pirates 25, Harbour 24, Zingari Richmond 21, Green Island 2 and University B 0.
Pirates, the improving team in the competition, moved into the top six by beating Alhambra-Union 28-18, with first five-eighth Glenn Dickson scoring 18 points.
A pep talk by Highlanders coach Glenn Moore inspired Zingari Richmond to lift its game and beat Harbour 12-8 to regain the Scoles Memorial Trophy and challenge for a place in the top six for the championship round.
Moore is a former coach of Zingari.
Dunedin scored 11 tries to beat the hapless University B, 71-0.
The students have conceded 684 points in 10 games and scored only 29.
Leading points-scorers: Lewis Hancock (Southern) 110, Glenn Dickson (Pirates) 80, Andrew Reid (Kaikorai) 62, Chris Noakes (University A) 56, Peter Breen (Zingari Richmond) 56, David Thompson (University A) 50, Luke Reihana (Alhambra-Union) 49, Josh Hamilton (Dunedin) 48, Ben Smith (Green Island) 41, Dan Snee (University A) 41, Jone Paumau (Alhambra-Union) 40, Richard Naylor (Dunedin) 40, Shaan Davis (University A) 39, Casey Stone (Alhambra-Union) 39, Hami Goldsmith (Pirates) 35, Ciaran Fenton (Harbour) 33, Craig Sneddon (Pirates) 32.
University A 30
Southern 23
The dynamic play of lock Hoani Matenga gave University A the edge and helped it to retain the Cavanagh Trophy when it beat Southern 30-23 at Bathgate Park.
The mobile Matenga was lively around the paddock, dangerous with the ball in hand and teamed with fellow lock Ash Johnson to give the students usable ball from the line-out.
The other two important ingredients in the student win were the inside back combination of Sean Romans and Chris Noakes and the lightning speed of wing Phil Young.
Romans has the quickest delivery of any halfback in the premier competition and he gave Noakes plenty of space to use his magic.
Noakes is a resourceful first five-eighth who used the tricky wind to his advantage with deft punts to the corners.
He also opened up play efficiently with wide passes to his outsides.
When Southern was closing the gap midway through the second spell he dropped a neat goal to stretch the margin to seven points.
Southern stung the students into action when it scored two early tries to lead 12-0 after just 14min.
Midfield back Luke Herden intercepted a ball 70m out, used his strength to fend off two tackles, and scored close to the posts after 6min.
Young led the student comeback midway through the first spell when he picked up the ball 80m out and dashed up the touchline for a magnificent solo try.
The students led 17-15 at the break and it was Young who gave the students the initiative early in the second spell with a 30m dash to the corner.
Prop Jeremy Aldworth always looked dangerous with the ball in hand and Paul Grant had a strong game at No 8.
Prop Dave Ogilvie and hooker Jed Vercoe had strong games in the Southern front row.
Vercoe used his strength to score a late try to give Southern the bonus point.
The best Southern forward was flanker Cam Goodhue who won good ball at the back of the line-out, tackled effectively and was dangerous with his driving runs.
The other back to enhance his reputation for Southern was halfback Lewis Hancock.
Hancock kicked three goals from five attempts for Southern and Noakes three goals from eight attempts for the students in the difficult wind conditions.
University A 30 (Phil Young 2, Hoani Matenga, Charlie Swart tries; Chris Noakes 2 conversions, penalty goal, dropped goal), Southern 23 (Greg Zampach, Luke Herden, Jed Vercoe tries; Lewis Hancock conversion, 2 penalty goals).
Half-time: 17-15.
Referee: Mike Woodhouse.
Kaikorai 25
Green Island 20
Kaikorai grabbed a late win when captain Dan Joblin crashed over in the corner for a try when the scores were locked together at 20-20.
Kaikorai had 10min of pressure rugby inside the Green Island 22m but its attempts at push-over tries from scrums and drives at the line were repulsed by the gutsy Green Island defence.
But the ball was eventually freed and sent wide to the big lock forward who was standing out wide waiting to score the winning try.
Joblin, with his skills in the line-out, was the standout member of the Kaikorai pack that had the edge over Green Island and led 20-7 at the break.
He was backed by the strong scrummaging prop Cam Ward with his ability on the drive and pick and go and No 8 Darren Klein who was able to break the advantage line.
Halfback Willie Lawson was on target with his goal kicking and landed four goals.
Green Island used the wind to its advantage to come back strongly in the second spell.
Lock Brett Campbell provided a plentiful supply of line-out ball and first five-eighth Marc Ellison was a points-scoring machine.
He scored a try, kicked a conversion and added two penalty goals to bring Green Island level at 20-20 midway through the second spell.
An upset looked possible.
Kaikorai rallied, tightened its game, and took control back in the final 15min to win the game.
Kaikorai 25 (Darren Klein, Dan Joblin, Cam Ward tries; Willie Lawson 2 conversions, 2 penalty goals), Green Island 20 (Jeremy Cave, Marc Ellison tries; Ellison 2 conversions, 2 penalty goals).
Half-time: 20-7.
Referee: Doug Rodgers.
Dunedin 71
University B 0
University B played a sound defensive game and the players tackled their hearts out to restrict Dunedin to a 15-0 lead in the first spell.
Players to stand out for the students in the first 40min were James Miller in the midfield, halfback Henry Holdway and No 8 Motu Hutch with strong defensive games.
The last 15min of the first spell belonged to the students when they held on to the ball for long periods.
But the writing was on the wall in the first spell when the student scrum was decimated by the Dunedin pack, and when a 30m driving maul led to an early try.
The floodgates opened in the second spell as the students tired and Dunedin ran in eight converted tries and scored 56 points to win comfortably.
The students did not have enough depth on its bench when some of the front line troops had done their dash.
Its dire position was epitomised when veteran Rea Cordtz came on in the midfield in the second spell.
Players to take advantage of the student frailties in the second spell were Dunedin No 8 Scott McKee, lock Tom Crowley and prop Bronson Ross who all took their pound of flesh.
Wing Tumua Ioane, who missed all his goal kicks in the first spell, converted all eight second-half tries.
Dunedin 71 (Sam Scown, Josh Hamilton 2, Scott McKee, John Crossan, Michael Gurran, Bronson Ross, Richard Naylor 2, Tom Halse, Sam Anderson-Heather tries; Tumua Ioane 8 conversions), University B 0.
Half-time: 15-0.
Referee: Jeff Grubb.
Zingari Richmond 12
Harbour 8
Zingari Richmond displayed guts and determination and kept to a simple game plan at Montecillo to beat Harbour 12-8 and regain the prized Scoles Memorial trophy.
Zingari led 6-3 at the break and used the wind to its advantage when it pinned Harbour within its own 22m for most of the second spell.
First five-eighth Peter Breen controlled play effectively with his punts to the corner.
This constant pressure forced Harbour into unforced errors that Zingari pounced on.
The Zingari forwards hunted as a pack with prop James Cooper and hooker Mason Pomare threatening on the drive and with the pick and go.
Lock Hamish Cooper, in his first premier game, won clean line-out ball.
The Zingari team was more hungry for the win and its strong tackling prevented Harbour from breaking out.
Mike Marshall was a busy halfback who worried Harbour around the fringes and Ben Kent provided an impenetrable wall with his strong tackling in the midfield.
Halfback Malcolm Grey scored after 6min in the second spell to take Harbour into the lead, 8-6, for the first time in the game.
Breen replied for Zingari with penalty goals after 15 and 25min.
Harbour finally broke out of Zingari's iron vice and attacked the line in the last 6min, but the strong defence kept it out.
Zingari Richmond 12 (Peter Breen 3 penalty goals, dropped goal), Harbour 8 (Malcolm Grey try; Ciaran Fenton penalty goal).
Half-time: 6-3.
Referee: Todd Pullar.
Pirates 28
Alhambra-Union 18
A committed forward effort combined with the skills of Glenn Dickson brought about the downfall of home-ground favourite Alhambra-Union 28-18 at the North Ground.
Despite conceding two early penalty goals, Pirates played some clever into-the-wind rugby in the first half.
It used its forwards to muscle the ball up and keep Alhambra-Union pinned deep within its 22m for the majority of the first quarter.
It paid off when winger Kieran Fowler scored to make it 7-6. But with the monotonous number of penalties interrupting play, it became hard for either team to put together any pattern.
The half coming to a merciful conclusion with Alhambra-Union an 18-10 leader, through an opportunist try to hooker Ben Pereira and adding to the penalty count, a penalty try.
But following the break the game was all Pirates, with skilful use of possession from the forward pack and the x-factor of Glenn Dickson.
Dickson used the tail wind with expertise.
His punishing touch finders enough to break the spirit of any opposition.
He scored a magnificent solo try with a 30m run through the Alhambra-Union defence, then 10min later featured when he gathering in a high ball from Jone Paumau.
He took the ball up to draw in the Alhambra-Union defence and off-loaded to flanker Josh Clark who, after a masterful 70m run, off-loaded close to the line for Craig Sneddon to score.
But the masterstrokes from Dickson came in the final 10min.
He hoisted a high-ball that took eternity to come down and was then spilt forward by Alhambra-Union.
The ball eventually found Dickson, who dropped kicked a goal from 40m.
Minutes later he landed a 50m penalty from the sideline to equal the 18 points scored by Alhambra-Union.
Other players for Pirates to stand out were Shane Parata, Craig Stanway, Ryan Martin and Quintin Edwards.
For Alhambra-Union it was really the one that got away with both Cowan Finch and Michael Petillo taking in some good line-out ball.
Pirates 28 (Craig Sneddon, Kieran Fowler, Glenn Dickson tries; Dickson 2 conversions, 2 penalty goals, dropped goal), Alhambra-Union 18 (Ben Pereira try, penalty try; Luke Reihana conversion, 2 penalty goals).
Half-time: 10-18.
Referee: Tim Baker.
PHOTO: PETER MCINTOSH
