
Top four size each other up
The Southern Region semifinalists have been locked in with two rounds remaining of the regular season.
After last weekend's results, Clutha, West Taieri, Toko and Crescent will all finish inside the top four.
There is plenty of shuffle room though, as any side can still finish with a home semi spot.
This weekend has the top four sides playing among themselves in what should be two fantastic encounters.
First-placed Clutha host fourth-placed Crescent in a match-up that does not have to provide any extra motivation.
The storied rivals will add another chapter to their history this weekend with the Centennial Cup and some extremely important competition points on the line.
Crescent showed last weekend that when they play to their structure, they are nearly unstoppable. Clutha were defeated for the first time this season last weekend, which makes this match even more tasty.
Second-placed West Taieri, still buoyed by their win over Clutha last weekend, head down the road to Milton to do battle with third-placed Toko, with just one point separating the two sides.
West Taieri are celebrating three milestones this weekend, the most impressive being that of Dave McNeill, who brings up his 300th match in West Taieri colours in what has been a fantastic career.
Toko will need to improve from last weekend if they are to have a sniff in this game and stop what is looking like a West Taieri steamroller that is only gaining momentum.
The bottom four teams are also doing internecine battle, with Heriot hosting Owaka and Clutha Valley hosting Lawrence.
Heriot and Valley have already locked in home semifinals in the bottom four, but their opponents are not yet set in stone.
Owaka and Lawrence have played better rugby than their results suggest this season and will be keen to finish the round robin with a couple of scalps.

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Otago Daily Times
11 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
Win clinches top spot for Clutha
The Clutha Steamers have locked in first position on the Southern Region ladder with one round remaining. Clutha beat archrivals Crescent 22-11 in a true battle of attrition on Saturday. Less than ideal conditions welcomed both teams as they were forced to play on the back field of the Clutha Showgrounds. Crescent showed they were up for the challenge and came out of the blocks hard and fast, but they could not turn early advantage into points. Crescent's defence was a key factor in the first half as they kept Clutha scoreless. The visitors finally took their chances and went into the halftime break 11-0 ahead. The second half featured Clutha increasing the tempo and playing in the right areas of the field. A brace of tries to prop Mafi Demont and some strong positional play by replacement pivot Jack Dent helped Clutha take the lead and hold on to it for the duration. Crescent lost their mojo in the second half and almost looked to give up when the going got tough. West Taieri locked in second place on the table and a home semifinal with a 30-17 win over Toko at Milton. West Taieri's set piece was the catalyst to their success with numerous tries coming off an unstoppable lineout drive. Toko were not in the game at all until the final 15 minutes, when they rolled up their sleeves and scored two tries to salvage some pride. West Taieri's result was a fitting end to a memorable day for Dave McNeill in his 300th appearance for the club. Owaka braved the floodwaters and got a huge result at Heriot. The Swamp Hens beat the hosts 21-12 in a slippery game that they never looked like losing. Owaka made the most of their chances and Heriot's poor discipline in the first half as they took a 16-5 lead into the break. Heriot scored early in the second half before Owaka took control again. The visitors, on the back of a dominant set piece, worked their way down the field and scored a try to extend the lead with 10 minutes remaining. Owaka showed calmness towards the end to play in the right areas of the field and take a deserved win away from Death Valley. Clutha Valley retained the Miller Cup on their club day with a hard-fought 13-5 win over Lawrence. The home side put in a dominant display in the first half but could not turn all their possession into meaningful points. Valley led 8-0 at halftime but were finding it hard to crack a determined Lawrence defence. The second half was the opposite of the first with Lawrence putting in a huge effort on attack. The visitors pressure Valley's line for large periods but failed to execute well and could only be rewarded with a solitary try. Valley stole a late try through fullback Logan Wilson to extend the score and secure the points. By Francis Parker


Otago Daily Times
3 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Top four size each other up
The Southern Region semifinalists have been locked in with two rounds remaining of the regular season. After last weekend's results, Clutha, West Taieri, Toko and Crescent will all finish inside the top four. There is plenty of shuffle room though, as any side can still finish with a home semi spot. This weekend has the top four sides playing among themselves in what should be two fantastic encounters. First-placed Clutha host fourth-placed Crescent in a match-up that does not have to provide any extra motivation. The storied rivals will add another chapter to their history this weekend with the Centennial Cup and some extremely important competition points on the line. Crescent showed last weekend that when they play to their structure, they are nearly unstoppable. Clutha were defeated for the first time this season last weekend, which makes this match even more tasty. Second-placed West Taieri, still buoyed by their win over Clutha last weekend, head down the road to Milton to do battle with third-placed Toko, with just one point separating the two sides. West Taieri are celebrating three milestones this weekend, the most impressive being that of Dave McNeill, who brings up his 300th match in West Taieri colours in what has been a fantastic career. Toko will need to improve from last weekend if they are to have a sniff in this game and stop what is looking like a West Taieri steamroller that is only gaining momentum. The bottom four teams are also doing internecine battle, with Heriot hosting Owaka and Clutha Valley hosting Lawrence. Heriot and Valley have already locked in home semifinals in the bottom four, but their opponents are not yet set in stone. Owaka and Lawrence have played better rugby than their results suggest this season and will be keen to finish the round robin with a couple of scalps.


Otago Daily Times
22-06-2025
- Otago Daily Times
West Taieri win physical game
West Taieri closed the gap on Clutha at the top of the Southern Region table when they beat the competition leaders 18-17 in a physical game at Outram on Saturday. Clutha attacked for large periods of the first half but came up against a resolute West Taieri defence. The home side opened the scoring against the run of play when flanker Conner Jenkins picked up a loose ball and ran 70m to the line. Clutha finally managed to crack the defensive wall to score their first try but West Taieri led 10-7 at halftime. The second half was exactly the same as the first with Clutha having all the possession but unable to break through West Taieri's determined defensive wall. Clutha levelled the scores before taking the lead as prop Mafi Demont broke through the defence to score. Conner Jenkins grabbed his second try for the home side in a stroke of luck as a kick hit the corner flag, stayed in play, and sat nicely for Jenkins to finish off. Poor discipline from the visitors gave a kickable penalty to West Taieri, and Callum Smeaton made no mistake. That was the final scoring play of the match and West Taieri claimed victory on the back of a huge defensive shift. Crescent beat Lawrence 53-0 in one of the more one-sided clashes this season. Crescent scored four tries inside the opening 15 minutes — Lawrence looked like they had forgotten how to tackle — but became their own worst enemies and tried too hard to score more points. Instead of sticking to their structure, Crescent became a side of individuals and kept turning the ball over. The score was 27-0 at halftime and remained that way through a sloppy second half until 15 minutes from the end, when Crescent stepped up the tempo and scored four more tries to blow the score out. Toko kept their feet firmly inside the top four as they beat Owaka 22-17 in a tight game at Milton. The club day crowd was strong, but it was Owaka who took an 11-5 lead into halftime and really dominated proceedings for the first half. Owaka forced Toko into making a plethora of errors as the home side could not find any structure or momentum. Toko began the second half with a try to get their heads up and they began to fight their way back. Owaka kept the scoreboard ticking over with penalties, but Toko were scoring tries to catch up. The game was in the balance when Owaka turned down another three, which was soon punished by Toko, who scored two late tries. Heriot beat Clutha Valley 32-27 in the Trevor Peters Memorial game at Heriot. A late try to the home side sealed victory after Valley put themselves in a position to win with only four minutes left. Heriot's forward pack was strong and made metres all afternoon, while Clutha Valley paid the price for a yellow card after halftime. By Francis Parker