Taieri on top in Spartans 10s 2019

A late intercept try by Taieri loose forward Brodie Hume enabled the club from the plains to go back-to-back at the Spartans 10s tournament at Miller Park on Saturday.

The Taieri club won the tournament in 2017.

It was not  held  last year, but got back on its feet on Saturday, with plenty of top players in action.

All up,  24 teams  took to  the Miller Park fields.

The senior grade featured some name players from the past, including former internationals and Highlanders coaching staff Riki Flutey and Aaron Mauger. The Spartans and Harry’s Heroes had a tough battle at the start of the day, with the game ending in a 7-7 draw. But in the final the Spartans did  it easily, winning 28-7. 

The Spartans had the likes of Kees Meeuws, Willie Walker and David Hall, while Aaron Mauger and Tom Donnelly strode out for Harry’s Heroes, although the substitution bench got a decent work-out.

Spartans player Damian Newell badly damaged his shoulder while playing in the only serious injury of the day.

In the final of the open grade, the Vikings side, consisting of a mixture of young players from various clubs around Dunedin, gave Taieri a good contest.

Josh Hill ran straight while Taylor Haugh and Gavin Stark looked for gaps out wide.

Taieri worked hard all game and stayed in the match through its tenacity. It looked like the Vikings would get the win but a Hume interception right on the stroke of fulltime gave Taieri victory 21-17.