Without a doubt, grass roots rugby is alive and well in Dunedin.
All three of Saturday's quarterfinal matches were played before large congregations of club faithful, this despite competition for affection at both representative and international level.
University A led the charge into the semifinal stage with a resounding 52-12 victory over Harbour at the University Oval.
The John Leslie-coached side outplayed Harbour in all facets, running in 8-tries, one of which was to co-coach and ex-All Black Josh Kronfeld, who ran on for the final 20 minutes, as a replacement to lock and namesake Josh Townsend.
Home-ground advantage accounted for little as Dunedin turned the tables on pre-match favourites through a solid forward display, overcoming Kaikorai 21-11, at Bishopscourt, and Alhambra-Union blitzed Southern 31-3
Next weekend's semifinal matches will see University A play Dunedin and Alhambra-Union play Kaikorai. Kaikorai has made it into the semifinals through being the highest-ranked losing side, while the other two losing sides, Southern and Harbour, will play-off for fifth and sixth places.
