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Otago Daily Times
13-07-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Strong starts take pair into final
The stage has been set for the Southern Region final after two exhilarating semifinals played at the weekend. Clutha earned the right to host the final with a 41-33 win over Toko at the Balclutha Showgrounds. Clutha flew out of the blocks and played some of their best rugby all season. The home side were sharp and clinical and in the blink of an eye were 31-0 ahead inside 20 minutes. Toko did not get the chance to offer anything on attack, and their defence was lukewarm at best. Midway through the first half, Toko's fortunes began to change when Clutha was reduced to 14 men with No 8 Kael Merrett being sent to the sin bin. Toko began to feel the ball in their hands and make metres, and it was not long before they scored a try to give them hope. The visitors blew a certain try on the stroke of halftime which could have closed the gap more, but Clutha were in command at 31-7. The second half was a complete turnaround as Toko dominated proceedings. They attacked with vigour, made metres against a tiring Clutha defence and scored four consecutive tries. Toko's dominance led to Clutha being reduced to 14 again midway through the second half with another yellow card. Clutha kept their noses in front with a penalty and managed to finish the match with a late try to lock Tate Colley, his second of the game, to claim victory in a fantastic battle. West Taieri will join Clutha in the big dance after surviving an extreme comeback from Crescent. West Taieri won the other semifinal 22-21 but survived a late scare as Crescent missed a chance to win on the stroke of fulltime. The Pigs started in confident fashion and were 17-0 up after some sublime attacking rugby at Outram. The home side found space out wide and busted holes in the midfield on regular occasions. Crescent did have chances to attack, but West Taieri's defence was determined to keep a clean sheet for as long as possible, and they led 17-0 at halftime. It was Crescent's turn to play with the ball in the second half and their attack managed to break down a dogged West Taieri defence. A brace of tries to halfback Josh Cook and a solo effort to centre Jonathan Muagututia brought Crescent right back into the contest. West Taieri held their nerve under plenty of pressure but gave away a cynical penalty after fulltime about 35m out from the posts. Crescent fullback Kairus Booth, who was one of the best players on the field, watched his kick miss its mark, and West Taieri could breathe. Owaka and Lawrence will contest the bottom-four final in the curtain-raiser to the big dance. This is a repeat of last year's final. Owaka beat Clutha Valley 43-25 on Saturday, and Lawrence beat Heriot by default. — Francis Parker
Otago Daily Times
06-07-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Clutha claim comfortable win as intensity gets job done
There was a mixed bag of results to delve into as the Southern Region round robin phase was completed at the weekend. Games were played in far better conditions than last weekend as teams battled for positioning in the top and bottom halves of the table. Clutha did what they had to do against Toko. It was hardly the cleanest of performances by the round robin winners but the 38-21 scoreline was comfortable. Toko looked strong in the opening stages and really had Clutha on the back foot. The teams traded tries and were locked in a tight battle until Clutha snatched a late try to go into the sheds 19-7 ahead. Toko started the second half in strong fashion, but Clutha finally woke up and got into their stride. Clutha's forwards, led by flanker Kael Merrett in his 50th game, began to make metres up the middle and their backline thrived on the front-foot ball they were finally receiving. Toko pushed Clutha the whole way but could not keep up with the intensity of the game and were second best on the day. The two teams will meet again next weekend in one of the top four semifinals. West Taieri will face Crescent in the other top four semifinal after their clinical 36-12 win over Clutha Valley at Clydevale. The first half was an old-fashioned slugfest with both sides embracing the swamp-like conditions. The teams traded tries but neither could dominate after that, and handling errors and poor decision-making ensured there were plenty of scrums for the fatties to enjoy. West Taieri led 12-7 at halftime, before they brought on some fresh legs and began to play with the structure required to break Valley down. West Taieri scored four second-half tries and claimed a comfortable win. Heriot produced the upset of the round with a 26-25 win over Crescent at Kaitangata in one of the tightest games of the season. The first half was a back-and-forth affair. Crescent were perhaps slightly more clinical, and they went into halftime ahead 15-13. The second half was equally as close with the sides trading blows as the match neared fulltime. Crescent held a slim lead with the final whistle almost upon them. Heriot mounted one last attack and, like in the first round, scored a try on fulltime through winger Tom Blair. Ryan Neill calmly slotted the conversion, giving Heriot a confidence-boosting win. Owaka claimed their second consecutive win with a 27-17 win over Lawrence at Simpson Park. Owaka were dominant in the first half with some strong carries that allowed their explosive backline to make metres, and they led 20-7 at the break. Lawrence fought their way back into the match and put the pressure on the visitors. Backed by a hugely dominant scrum, Owaka managed to score a try to extend their lead, and they held on for the win. By Francis Parker
Otago Daily Times
03-07-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Plenty for Toko, Crescent to play for
Clutha rugby team. PHOTO: ODT FILES The final week of round-robin action gets under way this weekend as the Southern Region competition hits boiling point. Clutha have already locked up first place courtesy of their win over Crescent last weekend. Clutha have an option to rest players this weekend against third-placed Toko, but there is still plenty on the line for both sides. The Ian Gare Memorial Trophy is again up for grabs, and Toko, who have not yet locked in third place, have Crescent breathing down their necks. Form suggests Clutha will win this match, and the two sides will be destined to meet again in the semifinal next weekend. West Taieri have also locked in a home semifinal and will finish the round robin in second position regardless of their result this weekend. The Pigs head to Clydevale to take on Clutha Valley with the Holmes Milk Can and Speight's Jug on the line. West Taieri also have an opportunity to rest players but may not take the chance as Valley will be fired up after being dismantled in round one. The defending champions are out of semifinal contention and will contest a bottom-four semi next weekend. Crescent sit in fourth position, a single point behind Toko. Crescent have the more favourable clash of the two sides as they welcome a wounded Heriot to Kaitangata. After an upsetting loss to Clutha last weekend, Crescent will want to find some form heading into the business end. Heriot lost to Owaka last weekend and will need to fire up to avoid suffering the same fate here. Lawrence host Owaka in a bottom-of-the-table clash. Lawrence cannot jump out of last position but are still gunning for their first win of the season, while Owaka will take confidence into this match after their heroics at Heriot last weekend.
Otago Daily Times
26-06-2025
- Sport
- 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
- Sport
- 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
