Crunch time has arrived in the Southern Schools Rugby Championship. The final round of the regular season on Saturday gave teams one last chance to fine-tune for the semifinals. Three divisions will now become four for the playoff stage. Defending champions Southland Boys’ will host John McGlashan in one division 1 (SSRC Cup) semifinal, and the other will be another cracking Dunedin derby between King’s and Otago Boys’. South Otago and St Kevin’s will appreciate a return to a more balanced competition after a few tough weeks with the heavyweight boys schools and will play in the division 2 (SSRC Trophy) semifinals. Divison 2 has a slightly different seeding system. The fifth team from the old division 1 host the second team from the old division 2, while the top team from the old division 2 host the sixth team from the old division 1. South Otago will therefore host Wakatipu, while St Kevin’s will have to travel to play the Southland Boys’ 2nds. Division 3 (SSRC Plate) semifinals feature Waitaki Boys’ v Otago Boys’ 2nds and Dunstan v Central Southland. Both Waitaki and Central Southland ended up having to default games that could not be rescheduled, leading to Waitaki dropping down a division. One division 4 (SSRC Bowl) semifinal is between Hokonui and Timaru Boys’ 2nds, while the other is a an immediate rematch between Taieri College and Mt Aspiring. There is no provision for extra time in schools rugby so any draws will leave the higher-seeded team progressing to their respective final. King’s 2nds and Cromwell will play a one-off game for 17th and 18th. Southland Boys’ 1sts finished another dominant regular season with a 76-7 win over St Kevin’s on Saturday. Winger Charlie Byrne scored four tries for Southland Boys’ and fullback Jack Brock added 24 points. King’s 1sts fought hard to overcome a much-improved John McGlashan 25-22, while Otago Boys’ 1sts beat South Otago 57-5. Central Southland beat Otago Boys’ 2nds 36-14, Waitaki Boys’ beat Southland Boys’ 2nds 40-32, Wakatipu beat Dunstan 24-5, Timaru Boys’ 2nds beat King’s 2nds 36-27, Hokonui beat Cromwell 21-7, and Taieri College beat Mt Aspiring 43-14.
