Big win confirms Southland Boys' status
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Otago Daily Times
15 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
Big win confirms Southland Boys' status
Well Rugby Chat is done for the year (thank God, you'll be saying!) but we have a few things to cover off so we can enjoy the summer.
Otago Daily Times
4 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Finals footy delivers the goods
Well Rugby Chat is done for the year (thank God, you'll be saying!) but we have a few things to cover off so we can enjoy the summer. Firstly, the final was a pulsating affair with a lot of points scored and defence seemed to be optional at times. The score ebbed and flowed in the first spell and the Harbour scrum looked ominous. But in the second spell Kaik stepped up at lineout time and shut the Hawks out and walked away with the game. They built up a commanding lead and although Harbour were gutsy, coming back with two late tries, it was never going to be enough. Congratulations to Kaik. Everybody wrote them off early, they battled to make the six then got past Taieri, Southern and Harbour to win it all. In the South, Clutha were up against West Taieri in an absorbing encounter. Clutha were the best team all year and only lost one game and that was to their fellow finalist. It was a very tight, tense affair, with the home side being down by four at the break to the West Taieri Pigs. They were still down by seven with 15 minutes to go, but they managed to breach the West Taieri defence and led by three with the clock winding down. They then had to defend staunchly for the last few minutes to get the job done. If rumours are to be believed there were a few surprising selections on the bench for West Taieri. Big congratulations to Clutha on their fine season and getting the banner over the line. In unbelievably sunny Wanaka, Upper Clutha made no race of the final with old foes Wakatip, and raced away to a commanding 35-7 victory, much to the delight of the bumper crowd. They were down early but squeezed a late try to go to a three-point lead at the break. The second half was one-way traffic as they piled on 25 unanswered points. Congratulations Upper Clutha on a stunning season, winning the banner and locking away the "Horse" for the summer. For their collective efforts, Clutha and Upper Clutha go head to head in Wanaka tomorrow to find out who is the best team on the "farm". I'll tip Upper Clutha by one, but really it's a toss of the coin. The Ainge Shield I said last week that three teams still had some chance of winning the Ainge Shield for being the best-performed club in town. Well now, Kaikorai has a firm hand on the prize, with their premiers winning at the weekend. Taieri, even if they win the prem 2 competition tomorrow, have no chance. The problem is the two colts grades don't hit the playoffs for another eight days. Dunedin still have an outside chance of tying with Kaikorai on seven points if they win both the colts grades. I see the finalists in both grades — barring massive upsets — as being Dunedin and Kaikorai. It should be a Dunedin Makos v Kaik final in the prem colts and a Kaik Undertakers v Dunedin Hammerheads in junior colts. Those finals are too close to call. So I have Kaik at 2-1 to win the Ainge Shield. Dunedin are at 20-1 to grab a share of the Ainge with Kaik. Club player of the year The club player of the year awards are on at the Kaikorai club up on the high veldt on Friday, August 8. The ODT /Speight's club player of the year trophy has been hotly contested this year and we didn't find a winner until we hit the semifinals, which is not surprising considering how close this year's comp has been. On awards night we also pick the Ben Smith medallist for most promising new player, women's player of the year, top try scorer and points scorer in prem rugby and ref of the year. It promises to be a great night. If you can't make it, ODT Rugby Chat will be there to grab all the highlights ( Club report card Now without further ado, we'll make a move on to the much awaited club report card. Remember, take a breath, don't take yourselves too seriously and there will be no correspondence entered into! Alhambra Union (Stallions or Ponies) Numerically very strong with seven teams in the club. They won prem women's and were runner up in the women's development grade (doesn't count for Ainge points), but that was about as good as it got. They were last in prems, bottom of the pile in P2s and didn't really raise a sweat in the colts grades. Numerically and socially the club is in great heart. They just need some "male results"C Dunedin (Sharks or Guppyfish) Numerically the strongest club with eight teams. Their prems were a major disappointment, finishing fifth. Their prems 2s, who struggled for numbers all year, finished fourth. Their senior side promised a lot but delivered a fifth placing. They lead prem colts and are second and third in junior colts. Their prem women finished second and their women's development team finished last. Their numbers are strong and club is vibrant off the field. But by their lofty standards a very average year. C Green Island (Grizzlies or Spannerheads) Numerically very strong with seven teams. Their prems had an awful year, finishing seventh. Their P2s are in the final this weekend. Their seniors finished seventh. Their prem colts finished fifth and their junior colts teams finished eighth and 15th. Their development women's team finished fourth. Compared with the highs of last year a disappointing year. Their numbers are good and off the field, on the face of it, it has been vibrant, but they have had some issues lately they need to resolve. C- Harbour (The Hawks or Cockabillies) Numerically not that strong with only four teams. Their prems finished second. Their prem 2s finished a commendable third. Their prem colts finished sixth and their junior colts 10th. Compared with recent seasons it was very good for a smaller club. Off the field they seem to be travelling well and you can't go past making a club final. B Kaikorai Numerically pretty good with six teams. Their prems won the banner. Their P2s had a big dip to second-last. Their seniors made the final. Their prem colts lie second. Their top junior colts side is c sitting No1 and their second side is sixth. Off the field the club, as per usual, is in great heart. They must at least share the Ainge Shield if not win it outright. An outstanding season. A Southern Numerically they are struggling with only four teams. Their prems finished third. Their P2s finished last. Their junior colts finished 10th. Off the field they are still struggling to attract numbers. On the field a marked improvement, with their colts making the four and their prems are always competitive. C- Taieri (The Eels) Numerically ended up with five teams, so not too bad. Their prems finished third. Their P2s are in the final and go in as favourites. Their seniors won the comp in a romp. The prem colts side finished eighth and junior colts side finished 14th. Off the field the clubrooms are not quite as vibrant, but that is coming off a high base. Their men's teams had a good year but their colts teams were a bit of a worry. B- Varsity (The bookworms or bookends) Numerically reasonably strong with six teams. Their prems finished sixth. Their P2s finished fifth. Their prem colts are third and make the semis next weekend. Their junior colts are fifth and ninth currently. Their prem women finished third. Off the field they are still struggling to find the "recipe", but there has been improvement. No real highlights on the field, but their prem colts side has improved out of sight. C Zingari (The Colours) Numerically they were OK with six teams. They have certainly gone backwards though in terms of performance. Their prems finished eighth of nine. Their P2s finished sixth and their seniors ninth. Their prem colts finished seventh and their women's teams both finished fifth. Off the field they are normally pretty good, but I suspect that has gone backward this year. The much publicised "cash splash" from last year hasn't helped them this year and they have work to do. D So that wraps up the season, so thanks to our sponsors for making these pages happen. Liquorland, Speight's, the Speight's Alehouse, the Mornington and Cableways. Just a bit of late mail to finish. The spokesman/medic/waterboy/sponsorship manager of the Eels senior side apparently was sent off in the final at the weekend when he ran on to award a try — tell me it's not so?
Otago Daily Times
07-07-2025
- Otago Daily Times
Heavenly kicks and the names we give to teams we love
Forget the French. This season's great moment in rugby was seen by only a handful of spectators, and I was one of them. Underdogs Maniototo were playing Alexandra on a sun-filled ground at Ranfurly and with minutes on the clock they hammered away at the opposition line and finally fullback Daniel Adam crashed over for a try in the corner which put his team ahead 16-15. But wait. There's more. Ben Maxwell's sideline conversion added the extra couple of points. But what a kick that was. The ball hit the righthand upright, bounced back to connect with the other upright, then hit the crossbar before going over so the locals notched a win by 18-15. There's probably no video of that great moment, so it lives on only in Maniototo memory, although the scoreboard still shows the score two weeks later. Of course, I talked about the conversion all the next week but those who hadn't been there just shrugged it off with "aww, that happens all the time". It doesn't. Sometimes a kick comes close enough to such immortality and gets a headline. In April one kick almost surpassed that Ben Maxwell Ranfurly triumph. England international, Philippines-born Marcus Smith, playing for Harlequins, tried a sideline conversion. The ball clipped one post, bounced down, smacked the opposite upright, ricocheted back on to the first post again and had a fourth touch, this time on the crossbar, before dropping back into the field of play. No points. To match his kick, we go back to 2013 and a game between Newcastle and Bedford when New Zealander Jimmy Gopperth, playing for Newcastle, took a penalty kick which also hit the post, the crossbar and the other post before going over. Sadly, I wasn't there so the Maggots' kick is the one I cherish. The Maggots? In this sheep-farming country everyone knows maggots are pests which feed on sheep's flesh and cause severe tissue damage. Only the laid-back, dry humour of Maniototo could produce such a nickname for a rugby team. Nicknames for sports teams are nothing new, All Blacks, Wallabies and Springboks have been around for years and even Japan's moniker, the Brave Blossoms (once the Cherry Blossoms) is gaining traction as that country's rugby improves. Locally, I'm coming to grips with the nickname business. I didn't have too much trouble with a recent ODT item about Green Island being beaten by Harbour which told me that "the Hawks beat the Grizzlies" but it's the lively weekly column Club Rugby Chat by the irrepressible Paul Dwyer which often has me flummoxed. When Paul writes stuff like "Macca Palmer is set to play his 100th game this weekend for the Magpies against the Eels out at the Eelpit and the Prison Guards are back on the Prison Square facing off against West Taieri but I think Toko will have their hands full against the Pigs", I realise I'm out of touch with what's happening in other parts of the province. The same goes with sports names on a wider stage: in Australia there's a backlash against these artificial brands which proliferate in professional sport. There has been a move back to animal names after years of names like Glory, Power and Storm and now the likes of Perth Bears and Tasmanian Devils are finding favour. The T20 games polluting the cricket landscape have produced stuff like Brisbane Heat, Sydney Thunder, Hobart Hurricanes and Perth Scorchers but at least Cricket Australia insist the place name remains part of the nickname. And there lies the nub of the issue. Supporting a team is easier if you know where they come from. When players actually came from a province loyalty needs no public relations and fancy nicknames. Otago teams are almost always mainly locals and even the Highlanders are predominantly from Otago and Southland. The made-up names rarely have the same magic, although the Auckland Blues is probably a fair reflection of the mood of that benighted metropolis. If the Crusaders would kindly stop winning then the Lambs would suit their Canterbury base perfectly, reflecting the province's most famous export. There's history, too, in some English football team names. That Arsenal, founded by munitions workers at the Royal Arsenal in Woolwich, are called The Gunners makes sense and Sheffield Wednesday reminds us that the club grew out of a cricket team which was formed when Wednesday became a half-holiday to be filled in with recreation. As an aside, I always look forward to the St Kevin's College/Waitaki Boys' High School rugby game when over the hill from the college comes a band of supporters bearing the placard "up the Doolies!". Perhaps not a good nickname in these politically correct times but, in the meantime, the Maggots can remind us that the team, locals to a man, come from sheep country. ■ Jim Sullivan is a Patearoa writer.
