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Otago Daily Times
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Crescent control first half
Crescent produced the result of the weekend with a 24-14 win over West Taieri at Kaitangata. Crescent scored two tries inside the opening 10 minutes to assert their control before allowing West Taieri to score one of their own to narrow the gap. West Taieri's discipline let them down badly in the first half as Crescent kicked four penalties with fullback Kairus Booth's radar on point. Crescent went into halftime 24-7 ahead and in control of their own destiny. West Taieri had a mortgage on territory and possession in the second half but came up against a massive defensive effort from the home side. West Taieri attacked for large portions of the half and never really gave Crescent a chance. The only thing stopping the visitors from scoring regularly was a passionate and committed Crescent defence. West Taieri lost battering ram Conor Lawson to a red card in the second half which slowed down their attack. They managed to score one try for their troubles, but it was not enough. Clutha kept their unbeaten run alive and locked away the Art Bloxham Cup for the summer with a hard-fought 22-16 win over Owaka at Swamp Hen Park. The first half was a battle of attrition as the home side looked the more promising on attack. They failed to make their dominance count and were guilty of throwing silly passes on attack which allowed Clutha to clear their lines. Clutha led 7-3 at halftime. The second half saw Clutha hold on to possession better and make metres from broken play. They scored three second-half tries, but Owaka stayed in the match through the boot of second five Sene Te'o. Owaka scored a try at the death to narrow the gap, but the damage had already been done. Heriot capped off their 140th Jubilee celebrations with a strong 37-27 win over Lawrence which saw them lock away the West Otago Shield. Heriot went to width early, found space and room to move in the outside channels. Lawrence's forwards put in an honest shift in the first half and got their side into strong positions. The halftime score was 20-10 to Heriot in front of a packed house at Death Valley. Heriot opted for a more direct approach in the second half as their forwards showed their physical abilities. Lawrence began to tire and Heriot finished with vigour to secure maximum points on their big day. Toko has leapfrogged West Taieri into second place on the ladder with a less-than-convincing 20-10 win over Clutha Valley at Milton. Toko was lethargic at best in the first half and were lucky that Valley did not offer too much on attack. Valley scored the opening try and kicked a penalty to lead 10-0 before Toko hit back before halftime. The 10-5 halftime score seemed to scare Toko in form and they found their stride in the second half with three tries while keeping the visitors scoreless. By Francis Parker
Otago Daily Times
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Clutha on top as round two begins
West Taieri flanker Logan Moore braces for a scrum during their Southern Region game against Clutha Valley at Outram on Saturday. PHOTO: KAYLA ANN PHOTOGRAPHY The Southern Region premier club competition starts its second round this weekend with most teams still in the running for a top-four spot. Clutha sit comfortably on top of the table after a near-perfect first round. Clutha were unbeaten in round one and have 34 points out of an available 35. They locked away the South Otago Banner and Springbok Horns last weekend in their win over Toko at Milton. Clutha head to Swamp Hen Park this weekend to take on an Owaka side who managed to secure their first win of the season last weekend against Lawrence. The Art Bloxham Cup is on the line with Clutha going into the match as heavy favourites. The Heriot Rugby Club celebrates its 140th jubilee this weekend with an action-packed weekend of rugby planned. The Heriot premier side have hit a purple patch of form and now have two wins on the bounce and sit just outside the top four. Their last-gasp win over Crescent last weekend showed a resilience that perhaps has been lacking in recent seasons. Heriot take on Lawrence in the main event tomorrow, with the West Otago Shield up for grabs. Lawrence are the only side not to record a win in round one of competition. Crescent are in the middle of a form slump with two losses in a row. The Kaitangata-based side lost a close match in Heriot last weekend which saw them lose track of the teams in front of them. One of those sides, West Taieri, travel to Kaitangata tomorrow in what promises to be a massive clash of two potential semifinalists. West Taieri are coming off a successful jubilee last weekend but know their hard work has only started. Toko host Clutha Valley in the last match of the weekend with Toko favourites to keep their spot in the top four after only their second loss of the season last weekend against Clutha.
