Pretty much everything points to an Upper Clutha win when they confront Wakatipu in the Central Otago premier club rugby competition final in Wānaka on Saturday. It is a fourth consecutive final for Upper Clutha, who were upset by Alexandra in 2023 before overwhelming Alexandra 46-10 in the 2024 final and monstering Wakatipu 35-7 last year. Upper Clutha have won 51 of their past 55 games and have scored 71 tries this season alone while conceding just 14 (in 13 outings). Wakatipu by comparison have won 33 of their past 53 contests, scoring a far more modest 46 tries this season while conceding 31. However, while those statistics overwhelmingly point to a home team victory, Wakatipu can take huge encouragement from the fact that this season’s two clashes with Upper Clutha have produced a pair of 13-8 scorelines. In those two contests, Upper Clutha scored just three tries, although it must be conceded that conditions on both occasions in this wickedly wet winter in Central Otago were challenging. The weather forecast points to a fine afternoon for Saturday’s game, but snow could fall to 500m on Friday night. Wakatipu are not taking any chances in transporting themselves to Wānaka. Normally, they would travel via the Crown Range, but with snow expected, coach Tom Cunningham says they are taking the longer route via Cromwell. “We’re not risking snow and ice,” he said. “We’ll leave early and make sure we’re in Wānaka in plenty of time for the game.” Cunningham is praying for fine weather and a firm surface. ”We’re two attacking teams who would appreciate good conditions.” Wakatipu showed what they can achieve on a firm surface when they scored seven tries in beating Cromwell in a spectacular semifinal at Anderson Park last weekend. They have a classy, speedy halfback in Nils Stupnicki-Miszkovicz, a cool distributor at first five in Logan Beggs, one of the competition’s classiest midfielders in Rube Peina, and speed on the wings with Jack Caunter and Harry Walker-Leach. Up front, Wakatipu possess two of the competition’s classiest flankers in Anton Huisman and Tom Ria, and a high-quality lock in Joe Tingle. But against them are equally gifted Upper Clutha individuals, notably halfback Joshua Cook, who has scored nine tries, second five and co-captain Oliver Stirling, who is the competition’s leading try-scorer with 14 in addition to being a reliable goal kicker, and dashing three-quarters Jack East and Nico Bowering, who have scored 16 tries between them. Locks Andrew Horne and Sam Masterton have been in mighty form recently and complete a formidable trio with co-captain and blindside flanker Lachie Garrick. Outrunning them via the backline represents Wakatipu’s best chance of a monumental upset, but comparing the two lineups, it is hard to go past Upper Clutha.
