Latest news with #Maniototo
Otago Daily Times
10-07-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Alexandra coach playing down prospect of hat-trick
Alexandra, who have proven themselves champion spoilers in the Central Otago premier club rugby competition over the past two seasons, are not sure whether they are up to completing the hat-trick this weekend. Two seasons back, after a decade as one of the competition's also-ran clubs, the Armadillos, under then new coach Lee Wilson, knocked over Cromwell in the semifinals before defeating hot favourites Upper Clutha in the final at Wanaka. They were again unfancied entering the semifinals in 2024 but unleashed one of their Irish imports against Wakatipu, Nathan Hook, who had not taken a kick at goal all season. But after the team's heroic captain (and goalkicker) Tyler Ford had scored two great tries, injuring his leg in the process, Hook banged over four booming penalty goals to give his side a 24-21 victory at Queenstown. They were outgunned by Upper Clutha in the final but had done wonderfully well to get that far again. Given what they achieved in 2023 and 2024, you would expect them to be full of optimism ahead of the semifinals now. But coach Wilson is not firing out any warnings this time. "We're coming off three losses and our No8 Will Healey hasn't recovered from the injury he sustained against Arrowtown. Wakatipu will certainly go into Saturday's game as a strong favourite. "The mud we've encountered over the past three weeks hasn't helped us. Here's hoping we have a dry ball to play with at Queenstown on Saturday." The Alexandra-Wakatipu clash at Molyneux Park on May 24 was one of the highlights of the season, with Wakatipu storming back from 29-12 down to score the winning try in the fifth minute of injury time. Wakatipu coach Jordan Manihera, while frustrated that his team did not convert their second half territorial advantage to points against Upper Clutha last Saturday, is confident they can do the business this weekend. "We proved our resilience against them in round three," he said. ''We know Alex's game, we know what they do, we know how to shut them down. "It's a massive opportunity to right some of the wrongs from last year. If we get through it will mean a first final for co-coach Kapa (Te Rangi Moeke) and myself. We're wanting to go all the way." The game offers some intriguing individual challenges. Ford is the competition's leading point-scorer with 114, three ahead of Wakatipu's Rube Peina. And Alex flanker Sam Chapman is the competition's equal top try-scorer (along with Matak's Dean Sinnamon) on 11, three ahead of Wakatipu's Conner Hamlin. Upper Clutha, boasting 11 victories from 12 games, are strongly favoured to defeat Maniototo at Wanaka Domain, although the Maggots are much-improved this season, having won seven of their 11 games. Maniototo have a couple of matchwinners in their backline — fullback Daniel Adam and first-five Ben Maxwell. If Maniototo can hold up against Upper Clutha's scrum, where hooker Scott Cunningham will be making his 100th appearance, they could cause the locals some concern. But it will be a massive surprise if Upper Clutha are not featuring in their third consecutive grand final on Saturday week.
Otago Daily Times
07-07-2025
- Sport
- 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.
Otago Daily Times
03-07-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Win or draw puts Upper Clutha on top
The slide rules might have to come out at the conclusion of tomorrow's Central Otago premier club contest between Upper Clutha and Wakatipu at the Wanaka Domain. Whichever team wins gets their name inscribed on the much-treasured White Horse Trophy for 2025. No complications there. It will sit resplendent in the winner's trophy cabinet till next season. But which team finishes top of the competition and therefore earns the right to host both the semifinal and the grand final — there's the rub! Upper Clutha, who have lost only three of their past 39 matches across three seasons, go into tomorrow's game with a three-point advantage over Wakatipu. Win or draw, Upper Clutha will secure top spot. However, the two clubs could finish dead level if Wakatipu win without a bonus point while Upper Clutha sneak a bonus point for finishing within seven points of the men from Queenstown. That would leave them both on 50 points, each scoring eight bonus points. So then what? It seems points for and against, across the whole season, would then come into the reckoning. Remarkably, after 11 rounds, Upper Clutha have scored 359 points and Wakatipu 357. However, when it comes to points conceded, Wakatipu have a clear advantage — 144 against 198. So on differential, Wakatipu have a clear advantage. Adding to the intrigue is the fact Wakatipu stole the White Horse Trophy off Upper Clutha in 2024 with a handsome 35-20 victory at Wanaka while Upper Clutha claimed it back this year, winning 17-10 at Queenstown. Each team has registered five victories since that trophy game in early May, Wakatipu scoring 23 tries and Upper Clutha 21. The foul weather that plagued last weekend's matches should not handicap tomorrow's contest, the latest depression expected to clear the deep South today with sunshine forecast for tomorrow. Meanwhile, Alexandra are guaranteed to finish third regardless of the outcome of their contest against Matakanui Combined at Omakau. Alexandra have been the competition spoilers the past two years, eliminating Cromwell in the semifinals in 2023 and Wakatipu last season. That promoted them to two grand finals, both against Upper Clutha. Dramatically, against the odds, they defeated Upper Clutha in 2023 but lost decisively to the same opponent last year. The Maniototo-Arrowtown game, scheduled for Jack Reid Park tomorrow, has been cancelled, which does not affect Maniototo who are secure in fourth place and will therefore contest the semifinals. Arrowtown were struggling to put a full team together and, because of the All Blacks test on Saturday, wanted to play the game on Friday night. That did not suit Maniototo, so the game has been abandoned. The Matakanui Combined-Alexandra game will go ahead at Omakau. Maniototo club members are in mourning this week after the death of their patron, Mike Dowling, who played a major hand in the establishment of the club and its clubrooms.
Otago Daily Times
27-06-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
‘Let's focus on Saturday first'
Arrowtown's Malcolm Sutherland brushes off Wakatipu Prems' Logan Beggs during last Saturday's bruising Battle of the Basin. PHOTO: SUPPLIED A White Horse Cup challenge against Upper Clutha next Saturday, then a likely home semifinal the following Saturday. Mouth-watering prospects, indeed, but the Wakatipu Premiers rugby coach just wants his team to focus first on this Saturday's home game against Cromwell. "We treat each game as if it's our last, that's the mindset we came into at the start of the year," Jordan Manihera says. His side beat Arrowtown 29-5 at Jack Reid Park last weekend, but had to defend their line for 30 to 35 minutes before scoring back-to-back tries. "It was good to see the attitude and the connection on defence working ... afterwards we said to them, 'that's the standard they have now set', it's up to them to be consistent with that, if not better. "The result was awesome, getting max [bonus] points, but the fact we left quite a few opportunities out there just goes to show we're almost ticking. "We're just pushing that last pass, and sort of once that lands I'm pretty excited to see where we head." Thanks to Maniototo upsetting Alexandra, Wakatipu have jumped to second on the table and look likely to host a semi. Manihera: "You can get pretty deep in the rabbit hole with sorting out who goes where and who plays who, but, you know, you sort of lose focus [on your next game] if you're worrying about that too much." Meanwhile, Arrowtown, who lie second last on the points table, one point behind Cromwell, have a bye this weekend. They close out their season with a home game against Maniototo next Saturday.
Otago Daily Times
22-06-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Maniototo score late in upset
The charge for top spots in the Central Otago premier club competition intensified after Maniototo pulled off an upset 18-15 victory over Alexandra at Ranfurly on Saturday. Alexandra racked up 50 points when the sides clashed earlier this season. On Saturday, as they trailed 15-11 with time running out, Maniototo threw everything at the visitors, securing victory when fullback Daniel Adam crashed over in the corner. That put the Maggots ahead 16-15 with drama added to the occasion when Ben Maxwell's sideline conversion bounced off both uprights and the crossbar before going over. Maniototo coach Ken Wills lavished praise on blindside flanker Sam Jopp, who scored a vital try and provided inspiration for his team-mates. "We rested him against Wakatipu after he'd taken a head knock," Wills said. "He wanted to go on, but we thought it wiser to keep him sidelined with important contests coming up. And it paid off." This was only Alexandra's third defeat of the season, the other two being to Wakatipu, with whom they are in a desperate battle to claim a home semifinal. Alexandra captain Tyler Ford kicked two goals to become the first player to crack a century of points for the season. However, it is advantage Wakatipu now, after they put away Arrowtown 29-5 at Jack Reid Park, though both teams have to play competition leaders Upper Clutha over the next fortnight. Alexandra will host Upper Clutha at Molyneux Park this Saturday with Wakatipu challenging Upper Clutha for the White Horse Trophy at Wanaka in the final qualifying round on July 5. Wakatipu took an awfully long time to exert control in their derby clash against Arrowtown, finding themselves 5-3 down with halftime approaching. The locals, inspired by two of yesterday's heroes, Malcolm Sutherland (who began the season as assistant coach) and the indefatigable Aidan Winter (now into his 40s and who finished up playing 75 minutes as a sub), pinned Wakatipu deep in their territory for much of the first half. But in the four minutes remaining after Sutherland scored a cracking try, Wakatipu exploded into life, claiming two converted tries, the first to lock Toby Higgins, the other to winger Jamie Natapu after a scorching 50m burst by Rube Peina. Wakatipu had things under control in the second half, adding two more tries to clinch an important bonus point. Cromwell needed a 77th-minute penalty goal from Rhys Harold to register their second victory of the season, 22-20 against Matakanui Combined at Omakau after leading 12-10 at halftime. Cromwell's heroes were tight forwards Stefan Blakeborough, Alex Chubb (who both scored tries) and man of the match, lock Reon Buchanan, plus midfielder Charlie Tiko, who recently recorded his 100th appearance. The victory allowed Cromwell to retain the Travis Hamilton Memorial Trophy. By Bob Howitt
