Crescent win to keep top four challenge alive
Crescent capped off their club day in grand fashion with a 39-15 win over Toko that sent the top four of the Southern Region competition into turmoil on Saturday.
The first half was fairly even after Toko opened the scoring early, and Crescent fought back into the half to lead 18-10 at the break.
The home side carried their momentum into the second half and outscored the visitors three tries to one.
Midfielder Ethan Edwards scored another brace to continue his try-scoring form.
Lock Tyler Brouwer was Crescent's best on the field and had plenty of support from flankers Ryan Gwynn and Andy Carruthers.
Crescent locked away the Eddie Scott Memorial Trophy with this win and are now just one point behind Toko in fourth position as finals time approaches.
Clutha proved too strong for Lawrence at Simpson Park in a high-scoring game.
The unbeaten competition leaders won 53-31 but allowed Lawrence to play with the ball for long periods, which would have disappointed them.
Clutha paid the price early for trying to attack as individuals instead of sticking to structure.
Lawrence piled the pressure on and were waiting to pounce on any mistakes gifted to them by an uncharacteristically poor Clutha attack.
The halftime score was 24-17 to the visitors.
After some stern words at the break, Clutha found their groove and scored some nice tries when they played together as a unit.
Lawrence continued to thrive with ball in hand, and midfielder Sam Wyber scored two tries, celebrating his 100th try in Lawrence colours.
West Taieri leapfrogged Toko into second place on the ladder with a 57-5 demolition of Heriot at Outram.
The home side played with purpose but came up against a resolute Heriot side in the first half.
Heriot showed they would not be bullied in the first half and gave as good as they got on both attack and defence, and West Taieri led just 15-5 at halftime.
The second half was where the home side flexed their muscles with six unanswered tries as they controlled the proceedings for the entire half.
Heriot's lack of depth cost them, and they faltered towards the end of the game.
Forwards Luke Moeke and Jaidyn Barringer-Tairi led the way in the West Taieri pack. For Heriot, coach Craig Stanway put in a huge 40 minutes off the bench.
Clutha Valley beat Owaka 38-27 in a messy encounter at Clydevale.
Neither side could get a foothold in terms of territory and possession, but the home side made the most of their chances.
A sluggish first half ended with Valley leading 14-8 as Owaka was again punished for slipping off first-up tackles.
The opening phases of the second half belonged to Valley, and while Owaka came back and finished strongly, they could not rein in Valley, who went on to claim their fourth win of the season.
— Francis Parker
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Otago Daily Times
2 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
6 days ago
- 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
Otago Daily Times
19-06-2025
- Otago Daily Times
Miners Cup up for grabs this afternoon
With Matariki making this a long weekend, the southern region features a rare Friday afternoon spectacle in Kaitangata. The Crescent Coal Miners host Lawrence with the Miners Cup on the line. The top four is such a close contest that Crescent can momentarily jump up to second place for 24 hours with a win. Lawrence will not die wondering and are still due a win, which they have sought admirably all season. West Taieri host Clutha in a top-of-the-table battle at Outram with the Speight's Jug and McIntosh Cup on the line in what will be a war of attrition. Clutha have built an almost unassailable lead at the top of the table but will want to win all the same and keep the Pigs well behind them. Since returning from injury, West Taieri first five Callum Smeaton has been driving the team around the park well and will have a big say in the outcome of this clash. Toko celebrate their club day this weekend with what should be a competitive day of footy. The Toko Axemen host Owaka with the Dean Miller and Reg Phillips memorial trophies on the line. Both sides lost last weekend and will be frothing to right the wrongs of previous matches. Toko will want to be pushing back into home semifinal contention; Owaka will be hoping to get 22 players on the field. Injuries and absences are a real issue. Heriot host Clutha Valley for the Trevor Peters Memorial as both sides make one last effort to finish in the top four. The teams are fifth and sixth respectively with the loser of this match certain of a bottom-four spot. The victor still has a mathematical chance of semifinal footy.
