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Otago Daily Times
3 days ago
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Upper Clutha hold on to claim title
The season was almost five minutes too long for Central Otago's champion club Upper Clutha, who dramatically held on for a 39-38 victory over Clutha in the Otago Countrywide club final at Wanaka on Saturday. Ahead 39-24 with seven minutes to play, the Rams, despite being battered and bruised and seriously lacking a goalkicker, were seemingly coasting to victory. Oh, yeah — Clutha had other ideas. In the space of four minutes replacement winger Kurt Botting bolted in for a brace of tries, one after an 80m dash down the touchline. Ace goalkicker Sam Stratford converted both from wide out — giving him six successful kicks from six attempts, contrasting with Upper Clutha's two successes from nine attempts — and suddenly it was 39-38 with three minutes still to play. The Upper Clutha players who had probably been focusing on a cool beer at the conclusion of a long, demanding season, suddenly had to refocus on a fired-up opponent who wouldn't go away. They did it emphatically, pinning Clutha in their 22 through till the final whistle, much to the relief of coach Alex Dickson. "Things got a bit desperate there towards the finish," Dickson said. "But we've got a great team culture where everyone plays for each other and that saw us through in those final moments." It was a challenging final outing for Dickson, who before the game lost goalkicker Brodie Flannery with a hamstring tear, captain Lachie Garrick, bedridden with a 'bug', and flanker Arthur Boutillier with a shoulder injury. The injuries kept coming throughout the match, for both teams. Clutha lost flanker Sam Viliamu, who was taken by ambulance to hospital with a broken shoulder, while two Upper Clutha players, winger Dan O'Shea and flanker Joel Turnbull, both 'popped' their shoulders. Turnbull gallantly played on after having the shoulder 'popped' back in. Upper Clutha effectively won the game in the first half when they scored six tries, thanks to the speed and elusiveness of fullback Henry Schikker, centre Milan Martinovich and winger Jack East. East, who shredded the Clutha defence on many occasions without getting the five-pointer he deserved, claimed the man of the match award, which could just as easily have gone to Martinovich, who will be missed next season when he heads overseas. Midfielder Oliver Stirling, who took over as captain, No. 8 Jake Burtenshaw, who gave his all for 80 minutes and made some telling tackles in those desperate final moments, and front rowers Ben McKeich, Scott Cunningham and Blair Kennedy all turned in massive efforts. Clutha, whose best included lanky lock Tate Colley, flanker Viliamu till he came to grief, ace goalkicker Stratford, try-scoring centre Sylvester Reeves and winger Botting, who electrified the game after coming off the bench. So ends a fabulous season for Upper Clutha, whose trophy cabinet is now stocked to overflowing. The scores Countrywide Upper Clutha 39 Henry Schikker (2), Milan Martinovich (2), Dan O'Shea, Ben McKeich, Caleb Dixon tries; Martinovich 2 con. Clutha 38 Kurt Botting (2), Samoa Viliamu, Sylvester Reeves, Dallas Pickering tries, Sam Stratford 5 con, pen. — Bob Howitt
Otago Daily Times
5 days ago
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Upper Clutha warm favourites for final
The 2025 Upper Clutha rugby team. PHOTO: ODT FILES It has been a near perfect season for the Upper Clutha rugby team who have the opportunity to complete a hat-trick of triumphs when they tackle Clutha in the Otago Countrywide final at Wanaka today. They already have the White Horse Trophy and the Superliquor Trophy (as Central Otago premier club champions) safely installed in their trophy cabinet. And the Countrywide trophy has been resident in Wanaka since they defeated Clutha Valley away 12 months ago. Given their emphatic 35-7 victory over Wakatipu last weekend, Upper Clutha will go into the game as a warm favourite. But they will be missing two individuals who have contributed massively to the team throughout 2025 — halfback Brodie Flannery, who took over the goalkicking when Brady Kingan departed for Australia in April, and giant lock Andrew Horne. Flannery tore his hamstring late in the final against Wakatipu while Horne flew out this week for a holiday in his home country of Scotland. "They've been huge contributors throughout 2025," coach Alex Dickson said. "They'll be missed." Meanwhile, Clutha have lost one of their stars, Pene Tevaga, with a broken leg. However, Clutha do still have winger Junior Samuelu, who scored a brace of tries in the team's 28-25 triumph over West Taieri last weekend, giving him 16 for the season. Clutha showed great resolve in coming back from 0-10 early and 18-25 with 15 minutes to play to beat West Taieri. "We dropped too much ball early," coach Ben Keach said. "We made it hard on ourselves, but their commitment in the final moments was outstanding, if mentally challenging for the coach!" Keach said Clutha's game was based around ball runners. "Our aim is to go forward and use our backs". It is a philosophy not dissimilar to that employed by Upper Clutha, who scored 65 tries in their 14 outings throughout 2025, their solitary loss being under lights to Alexandra. - By Bob Howitt
Otago Daily Times
5 days ago
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Central Otago team of the season
Bob Howitt names a team of the season from the Central Otago premier club competition. 15 Henry Schikker (Upper Clutha) The brand of fullback every coach wants — speedy, enterprising and a reliable tackler. 14 Conner Hamlin (Wakatipu) Possessed of blistering speed. Lightly built but fearless under the high ball. Missed the final with a serious rib injury but still finished with eight tries. 13 Tyler Ford (Alexandra) Class act at centre who guided Alex through to the semifinals again. Scored 116 points. Captained Central to a stirring victory in the Topp Cup contest. 12 Rube Peina (Wakatipu) Inspirational captain who scored 129 points, including all 23 in one contest, and contributed massively to Central's Topp Cup triumph. 11 Jack East (Upper Clutha) After three seasons playing in Victoria, Canada, took possession of the No14 jersey mid-season after a string of injuries. Scored four tries on debut and another couple of crackers in the final. 10 Ben Maxwell (Maniototo) Debut season for the Maggots after a decade starring for Cromwell. His goalkicking and general experience helped Maniototo qualify for the semifinals. 9 Ryan O'Neill (Alexandra) Tough performer whose slick passing helped Alex qualify for the semifinals. A star of the Topp Cup victory. 8 Jake Burtenshaw (Upper Clutha) Nothing between him and Wakatipu adversary Anton Huisman, but a cracking display in the final, including a try, gives it to Burtenshaw again. 7 Sam Chapman (Alexandra) Rare for a loose forward to finish the season as top try-scorer, but he managed it with 12 touchdowns. Sensational in the semifinal clash against Wakatipu. 6 Lachie Carrick (Upper Clutha) Another man-of-the-match performance against Wakatipu in the final. In a class of his own in the lineouts. 5 Dean Sinnamon (Matakanui Combined) Played most of the season as a loose forward for his club, but turned in a man-of-the-match display from lock in the Topp Cup contest. Grabbed three tries there and 11 for his club. Named Central Otago's player of the season. 4 Andrew Horne (Upper Clutha) If it wasn't Carrick stealing opponents' lineout ball on a regular basis, it was Horne. He's off to Scotland for a holiday, meaning he will miss the Otago Country matches. 3 William Holdom (Alexandra) A player with a huge engine and plenty of rugby nous. Played all 13 games for the Armadillos and starred in the Topp Cup win. 2 Scott Cunningham (Upper Clutha) Chalked up his 100th appearance in the semifinal against Maniototo and contributed plenty in the final. 1 Mike Philip (Matakanui Combined) Major contributor, along with Sinnamon, in Matakanui Combined's strong revival throughout the season. Deservedly won Topp Cup selection. Reserves: Jamie Natapu (Wakatipu), Rhys Harrold (Cromwell), Oliver Stirling (Upper Clutha), Anton Huisman (Wakatipu), Will Healey (Alexandra), Blair Kennedy (Upper Clutha), Alex Chubb (Cromwell).
Otago Daily Times
6 days ago
- Sport
- 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
20-07-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
East double ignites hosts in rampant second half
With Upper Clutha having the home advantage, most Central Otago rugby followers were expecting them to retain their premier club title in Saturday's final in Wanaka. Few, however, were expecting them to pulverise Wakatipu in the manner they did, winning 35-7. That included Upper Clutha coach Alex Dickson. "They're an easy team to coach," Dickson. "They look for each other, but I wasn't expecting that result, to be honest. They played out of their skins in the second half." Wakatipu fans, who had made the trip across the Crown Range hoping to see their team claim the title for the first time since 2022, were not anticipating Upper Clutha's total domination of their team in the second half. Wakatipu led 7-3 with just half a dozen minutes remaining in the first half, lock Toby Higgins having scored a try after relentless pressure in the 16th minute. That brought joy to the Wakatipu fans, but the signs were soon becoming obvious. Inspired by captain Lachie Garrick, Upper Clutha were taking charge of the lineouts and beginning to exert pressure in the scrums. When Arthur Boutillier, their French flanker, made a scorching break, No 8 Jake Burtenshaw was on hand to finish off, allowing Upper Clutha to go to halftime holding a slender 10-7 lead. The second half was all Upper Clutha. Speedy left winger Jack East, following in the footsteps of prolific try-scorers Adam Breen in 2023 and Welshman Thomas Jarman last year, scored a stunning solo try one minute after the restart, adding another 10 minutes later. Halfback Brodie Flannery, the only player to start in all 14 games throughout the season — but who would sadly limp off with a strained hamstring in the final moments — chimed in with a penalty, putting Upper Clutha comfortably 23-7 ahead. Replacement backs Daniel O'Shea and Caleb Dixon rounded out the scoring for Upper Clutha with tries in the final quarter, only desperate defence saving Wakatipu from further embarrassment in the final moments. Upper Clutha will now host Clutha in the Otago countrywide final at Wanaka this Saturday, having beaten Clutha Valley in last year's final. Upper Clutha are losing a couple of their star performers next season with prop Ben McKeich returning to Christchurch and outside back Milan Martinovich moving to Australia. There were many who excelled for Dickson's team on Saturday, most notably forwards Garrick, Burtenshaw, Boutillier, lock Andrew Horne and front-rowers Scott Cunningham (in game No 101) and McKeich. East, who has played three seasons in Victoria, Canada, once again demonstrated what a wonderful asset pure speed is, proving a champion finisher. Others who contributed mightily in the backline were first five Angus Faulks, midfielders Oliver Stirling and Martinovich and speedy fullback Henry Schikker. The victory means Upper Clutha complete the season not only as club champions but also holders of the White Horse Trophy, the first time they have managed the double since 1972. Central final The scores Upper Clutha 35 Jack East 2, Jake Burtenshaw, Daniel O'Shea, Caleb Dixon tries; Brodie Flannery 2 con, 2 pen. Wakatipu 7 Toby Higgins try; Rube Peina con. Halftime: Upper Clutha 10-7 — Bob Howitt
